Monday, September 13, 2010

Amici Opera Band and EQ

for The Opera Band
Rating: 10

As an Emotional Intelligence coach, I’m well aware of the abilities of music – the right kind of music – to transport us, soothe and delight us, and even to bolster our immune system. We convert the right kind of music (as Pythagorus knew) into brain waves, and if it’s alpha you’re after, or even deeper, this is the CD for you. It’s no wonder the Greeks made the god of music the god of healing as well.

While the reviewer says we don’t need another version of “Nessun Dorma,” I beg to differ. We needed this one, and I’ve heard a few. The voices are magnificent, and the orchestration is just the way I would’ve done it, and I hope Puccini would have as well.

As someone who ‘discovered’ “Unchained Melody” long before, long before … this version transcends them all. One of the most beautiful melodies ever written, and especially impacting if you understand the circumstances behind its creation, the Opera Band does it justice. It only needed to be called “Senza Catene” and put to Italian, which, as George V felt, is the language for speaking to women. Spanish to talk to God, French to talk to the soldiers, and German to talk to one’s horse –

“Whisper of Angels” — it’s the quintessential falling-in-love song. The lyrics — “I was yours before the first morn broke…” … “I’ll be the shadows at twilight …”

My favorite, if I must name one, “Prayer in the Night.” Mssr. Nick Garret, our talented bass, has a way of anchoring the pain you’ll never forget, as he does in “Senza Catene.” If you’re a bass-lover, like I am, listen up. They never get the good arias … until now.

Buy the album and enjoy. It’s probably good for your health!

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