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Symphony
Studio album by Sarah Brightman
Released	28 January 2008 (2008-01-28)
Recorded	Germany (Nemo Studio), the US and the UK (Angel Recording Studios) Summer 2004-Fall 2007
Genre	Classical crossover, classical, symphonic rock
Length	54:10
Label	Manhattan Records
Producer	Frank Peterson
Sarah Brightman chronology
Diva: The Singles Collection (2006) Symphony (2008) A Winter Symphony (2008)
Singles from Symphony
"I Will Be with You" Released: 16 July 2007 "Running" Released: 28 August 2007 "Pasión" Released: 6 November 2007

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic

Symphony is the ninth studio album from English soprano singer Sarah Brightman. This classical crossover album is a contrast to her previous collaboration with producer Frank Peterson, 2003's Harem; using a gothic influence instead of a Middle Eastern feel.

The single "Running" was the IAAF's Green Project Charity song, which Brightman performed at their 2007 Championships opening ceremonies in Ōsaka, Japan. An alternate version of the album's first single, "I Will Be with You", featuring Chris Thompson, was the theme song for the tenth Pokémon film: The Rise of Darkrai. The Spanish duet with Fernando Lima, "Pasión", was the theme song for the Mexican soap opera of the same name, and was also released as a single. The London Symphony Orchestra and Brightman's younger sister, Amelia Brightman, are featured on the album.

Singles

• "I Will Be With You" (featuring Chris Thompson / Movie version) (2007)
• "Running" (2007)
• "Pasión" (featuring Fernando Lima) (2007)

Songs

Recorded in Germany, Symphony featured all new songs and was created with Brightman's long-time producer Frank Peterson. The repertoire ranges from ballads such as "Symphony", "Fleurs du Mal" and rock scores "I Will Be With You", originally sung by Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø. "Jupiter" from Holst's The Planets is adapted on "Running" and Faith Hill's "There You'll Be" is sung in Italian as "Sarai Qui". On this album Brightman reunited with Andrea Bocelli to sing "Canto Della Terra", as well as singing duets with Fernando Lima (Mexican tenor) on "Pasion" and Paul Stanley (from the band Kiss) on "I Will Be With You (Where The Lost Ones Go)". The album showcases Brightman's linguistic vocal skills by singing in Spanish, Italian, French and for the first time in German in the song "Schwere Träume", an adaptation of the fourth movement of Gustav Mahler's fifth symphony.

Live concert album

A PBS special concert was filmed on 16 January 2008 at the Cathedral Stephansdom in Vienna. This was subsequently shown on PBS stations, premiering on 4 February. A version of the concert is available from PBS on DVD and the worldwide release of the DVD and live CD was on 10 March 2009.

Album art

The album art for Symphony pictures Brightman in Gothic clothing and surroundings, which was based upon concept art from Guild Wars by Daniel Dociu. The album cover was photographed by long-time collaborator Simon Fowler.

Promotion

On NBC in the United States, Brightman performed several songs from the album on the Progressive Fashion on Ice show on 20 January 2008. Other American television appearances included The Early Show (CBS), The View (ABC), Martha and Fox & Friends.

In Mexico, Televisa selected the song "Pasion" was the theme song of the telenovela, Pasion. In the United Kingdom, Brightman's promotion for the album included appearing on the cookery shows Saturday Kitchen and Ready Steady Cook with Lesley Garrett. Other U.K. television appearances for the album included, Channel 4's The Paul O'Grady Show, ITV's Loose Women, five's The Wright Stuff and the BBC News. Brightman also appeared on radio on Classic FM and Jonathan Ross' show on BBC Radio 2.

During April 2008, Brightman performed with Anne Murray at Canada's Juno Awards and she later appeared in May in the U.K. at the 2008 Classical BRIT Awards.

Track listing

Hidden Track

On certain CD pressings, Running is followed by one minute of silence and an instrumental version of Fleurs du Mal plays, bringing the total track length to 9:11.

Charts and certifications

In the early 2008 release, the album garnered a remarkable set of chart accolades around the world, including an unprecedented debut in the US Billboard 200 Album chart at 13 (Brightman's highest charting record in the U.S.) moving 32,033 copies in first week. It hit number one in the Mexico International charts and the US Billboard Classical Chart, the top five in Canada and Japan and the top twenty across Europe. In a long term, the album failed to match the success of its predecessors in the United States, but experienced a moderate success in Asia. In Japan the album entered the chart at No. 4 selling 25,815 copies during its first week.

References

1. Symphony at AllMusic
2. "Symphony: Live in Vienna DVD delayed". Sarah-Brightman.com. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
3. "Community". Guild Wars. Retrieved 26 May 2008.
4. "Album Covers-Simon Fowler Photography". Retrieved 28 July 2018.
5. ^ "Sarah Brightman's New CD, Symphony is Soprano's Highest U.S. Chart Debut". PR Newswire. 6 February 2008. Archived from the original on 30 August 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
6. "Sarah Brightman scores highest charting album in over a decade". EMI press releases, news. 6 February 2008. Archived from the original on 2 August 2008. Retrieved 9 April 2008.
7. "オリコン アルバム 2008.3.10".
8. ^ "Sarah Brightman – Symphony". acharts.us. Retrieved 7 September 2011.
9. "Sarah Brightman's Symphony chart History". Billboard. 15 December 2011.
10. ds. "ČNS IFPI".
11. "Hungary Mahasz Charts – search by performer". Archived from the original on 24 September 2012.
12. "Sarah Brightman chart History in Japan". Oricon Top. 15 December 2011.
13. "Veckolista Album Klassiskt, vecka 25, 2008". Sverigetopplistan. 19 June 2008. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
14. "Canadian album certifications – Sarah Brightman – Symphony". Music Canada.
15. "Japanese album certifications – サラ・ブライトマン – 神々のシンフォニー" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2008年9月 on the drop-down menu
16. "Certificaciones" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Retrieved 9 July 2014. Type Sarah Brightman in the box under the ARTISTA column heading and Symphony in the box under the TÍTULO column heading.
17. "Best Selling Foreign Album in Korea (1999-39/2008)". Retrieved 24 March 2014.

External links

• Symphony at Sarah-Brightman.com

• Sarah Brightman albums
• 2008 albums
• Albums produced by Frank Peterson
• Classical crossover albums