English opera singer Sarah Brightman. Sarah Brightman and Andrew Lloyd Weber

English singer (soprano) and actress,singer of popular music, one of the world's leading performers in the classical crossover genre.

August 8, 2008) together with Chinese pop singer Liu Huang performed the official anthem of the XXIX Summer Olympic Games " One world, one dream».

Sarah Brightman / Sarah Brightman. Biography

Sarah Brightman) was born on August 14, 1960 in Burkhamsted, an English town located near London. She was the eldest child in a family that, besides Sarah, had five more children. Father, Grenville Brightman, was a real estate developer. When Sarah was three years old, her mother, Paula Brightman (nee Hall), who was fond of ballet and amateur theater performances before her marriage, enrolled the girl in the Elmhart Ballet School.

Since childhood Sarah Brightman attended art school. At age three she took ballet classes at Elmhurst School and appeared in local festivals. At the age of 12, Sarah played in a theater production led by John Schlessinger Me and Albert at the Piccadilly Theater in London. Sarah received two roles at once: the role of Vicky, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, and the role of a street tramp. The girl was delighted. This experience forever instilled in her a love for the stage.

At 14 years old Sarah Brightman She began singing, and at 16 she performed as a dancer in the television series Pan’s People. At 18 she joined the group HOT GOSSIP (“ Fresh gossip"), with which she achieved her first success - the song I Lost my Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978 took sixth place in the UK Singles Chart. In the same year, 1978, Sarah met her first husband - Andrew Graham Stewart, who was the manager of the German group Tangerine Dream and was seven years older than her (the marriage lasted until 1983).

The following works of the HOT GOSSIP group were less successful, and Sarah decided to try herself in a different role - she took up classical vocals, and in 1981 she took part in the production of the musical “ Cats» composer Andrew Lloyd-Webber(New Theater in London).

In 1984 Sarah and Andrew got married. Both had remarriages; Andrew Lloyd-Webber had two children in his previous marriage. The wedding took place on March 22, 1984 - the composer’s birthday and the day of the premiere of his new musical called “ Star Express"(Starlight Express).

In 1985, Sarah, together with Placido Domingo performed at the premiere of " Requiem"Lloyd-Webber, for which she was nominated for a music award" Grammy" in the category "Best New Classical Artist". The same year she played the role of Valensina in “ To the Merry Widow" for New Sadler's Wells Opera. Especially for Sarah Lloyd-Webber created the role of Christina in the musical " Phantom of the Opera", which premiered at Her Majesty's Theater in London in October 1986.

For her performance of the same role on Broadway, Sarah Brightman received a Drama Desk Award nomination in 1988.

In the USA, Sarah met Frank Peterson, co-producer of the first album of the musical project Enigma MCMXC a.D. He became her producer and new life partner. Together they released an album Dive(1993), and then a pop rock album Fly. Sarah continued to work with Lloyd-Webber - she released an album of his songs called Surrender, The unexpected songs.

In 1992, in a duet with Jose Carreras, she performed the song Amigos para siempre (Friends for life) - the official anthem of the Olympic Games in Barcelona, which spent several weeks on the charts in the UK, USA, Australia and Japan.

Sarah performed a song from the album “Fly” - A Question of Honor - before the start of the international boxing championship in 1995.

“I was busy with my operatic exercises at the time,” says Sarah about the creation of this composition. “My producer suggested that I do a piece from “La wally,” and he did something around it.”

The same year she played the role of Sally Driscoll in the play " Dangerous ideas"and the role of Miss Giddens in the play" Innocent».

In 1996 year Sarah Brightman together with the Italian tenorAndrea Bocelli recorded single in Germany Time to say goodbye , which they performed at a boxing matchHenry Maske, who was finishing his active sports career. The single became “the best of all time” in terms of sales rates and volumes in this country. The single sold 5 million copies.

The new album Eden was released in 1998 and was accompanied by a world tour of the singer. In 1999, her own show “One night in Eden” premiered.

In her show, Sarah did not limit herself to traditional elements, for example, during the performance of the song “La mer” Sarah hangs in the air behind a translucent blue curtain, thus trying to give the viewer the impression that she is singing from the sea.

Together with a team of 42 people, Brightman performed in more than 90 concert halls. The next album, “La Luna” (2000), went gold in the United States even before its release. The album includes the most famous classical and popular songs performed by the singer.

Sarah Brightman sang in duets with such famous singers and actors as Antonio Banderas, heavy metal band vocalist Manowar Eric Adams, Ofra Haza , JoshGroban and etc.

The theme of Sarah's next album, Harem (2003), is the East. The name itself can be translated as “forbidden place.”

In 2010 at the XXI Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver Sarah Brightman performed the song “Shall be done.” This song and Sarah are part of a collaboration agreement between Panasonic Corporation and the UNESCO World Heritage Center, which launched The World Heritage Special, broadcast on the National Geographic Channel.

In August 2012, confirmation was received that the candidacy of Sarah Brightman, once famous for the video “I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper” (“I’m in love with a space marine”), was approved for preparation for a manned flight into space on the ship “ Soyuz" on the ISS as a space tourist.

The flight should take place in the fall of 2015 and will last 10 days. In 2013, she went on a world tour in support of her new album “Dreamchaser”. At the end of the tour, she will undergo six months of flight training. Her flight to support women's education and the fight against natural resource depletion is estimated to cost $51 million, but her net worth is estimated at just $49 million.

Sarah Brightman / Sarah Brightman. Filmography

ACTRESS

Maria (TV series, 2012 – ...)

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall (2011)

First night (2010)

Genetic Opera (2008)

Aspects of Love (2005)

Christmas at the Vatican (TV, 2001)

Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Premiere Collection Encore (video, 1992)

PRODUCER

Sarah Brightman: La Luna - Live in Concert (video, 2001)

Sarah Brightman in Concert (TV, 1998)

QUEEN OF CLASSICAL SINGING SARAH BRIGHTMAN

For her fans she is simply the “Angel of Music”. For critics, it is an object of constant controversy. This is a unique phenomenon for the music world. Sarah Brightman It is extremely rare to hear on the radio and even more rarely to see on music channels. Some people have no idea who she is. However, this does not interfere with the albums Sarah becomes “gold” and “platinum”, and concerts in many countries around the world are sold out.

The magic of Sarah Brightman's voice

What is the secret of the success of this green-eyed Englishwoman with a mop of gorgeous dark curls? Maybe it's all about the timbre of the voice? Or is it all due to the range of more than three octaves? Or maybe the secret lies in the stunning repertoire, which harmoniously includes so-called “pop,” opera, musicals, disco, and even jazz, rock and Celtic folk music? Or are people attracted to having a miss? Brightman two voices – chest and lyric soprano? Most likely, all of these factors are important. Miss fans Brightman do not need such analysis and explanations. Once bewitched by her voice, a person remains in this captivity forever.

Even opera arias in her mouth sound somehow special - stylish and modern. , in fact, created a new direction in music. She built a bridge between classics and “pop,” and was not afraid to mix them and be different from everyone else.

She knew what she wanted

Born 1960 in Burkhamsted, a sleepy English town located near London. When the girl was three years old, mother Paula, who was fond of ballet and amateur theater performances, enrolled her daughter in the Elmhart Ballet School. Thus began the artistic career of young miss Brightman.

Back in childhood Sarah I understood what I wanted to achieve in life. Unlike other children, she did not need free time. After school I went to dance classes and studied ballet until eight o’clock in the evening. Returning home, the girl immediately went to bed so that she could do her homework early in the morning. On weekends, she performed at various local competitions and festivals, where she always took prizes.

At 11 years old Sarah sent to a boarding school that specialized in performing arts. It was not easy for the girl, since she did not have friendly relations with the students, she was constantly teased. Unable to bear it Sarah Once she ran away from school, but her father persuaded her to return. At the same time, he told his daughter that the right to choose was hers. And my daughter chose a boarding school where she could develop her artistic talents.

Brightman's voice was heard

Herself Sarah always wanted to sing, but her mother realized what an amazing voice her daughter had only when she was 12 years old. Having seen her girl perform at a school concert, where she sang a song from Alice in Wonderland, Paula realized that singing was her calling. Sarah. young miss Brightman She didn’t look her best back then: her hair was tangled and she had braces on her teeth. In a word – a period of maturation. However, the audience was speechless with delight.

Teachers Sarah quickly spotted the talents of the young talent. After only a year of studying at the boarding school, she was sent to audition for the Piccadilly Theater, where they were recruiting actors for John Schlesinger’s new musical “Me and Albert.” Sarah got two roles at once. This experience forever instilled in her a passionate love for the stage.

Having studied until the age of 14 in a boarding school, Sarah transferred to the London School of Performing Arts. Sarah, who dreamed of a career as a singer, decided not to limit herself to dancing. At school, in addition to ballet classes, she attended singing lessons. Moreover, the girl learned to play the piano, guitar and even composed songs, and during the holidays she worked as a model.

Sarah and Hot Gossip

However, the future of Ms. Brightman was still associated with ballet. Everyone expected that Sarah will be accepted into the Royal Ballet troupe, but she did not pass the selection. The girl was depressed, but did not give up. As a result, the 16-year-old realized the dream of thousands of teenage girls by becoming a member of the then popular dance group Pan’s People. Besides, Sarah was a Vogue model, and the cosmetics company Biba chose her as the face of the company. Quite a significant achievement to begin with.

Over time, Pan's People lost their place on the BBC television charts and began touring the country with dance numbers. Sarah remained a member of the group for 18 months until she was noticed by choreographer Arlene Phillips, who was looking for new dancers for her company Hot Gossip. Sarah passed the selection.

At the same time, she was recording demo compositions. One of the songs caught the interest of record company producer Hans Ariol. He was looking for the right voice to sing Geoffrey Calvert's song "I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper". Sarah They offered to record this composition, and it instantly became a hit in the UK. And the group Hot Gossip is a phenomenon. Young people went crazy for them.

Success and first marriage

18 year old Sarah became a pop star. Later in an interview, the singer said with a laugh that she quickly spent all the money she earned without thinking about paying taxes. At the same time, the girl met her first husband, Andrew Graham Stewart. He was seven years older Sarah and worked as a manager of one of the German rock bands. After a short period of courtship, they got married.

Riding on a wave of success, the young artist recorded several more compositions, but these songs were not destined to become hits. In 1980, Sarah accidentally saw an advertisement for the recruitment of actors for the new musical (author of the rock opera music) “Cats”. By that time, she had left the group and needed work, so she decided to try her hand at a new genre, despite the fact that she had no intention of connecting her fate with musical theater.

“Extraordinary” personalities were invited to the casting, and Sarah came to the audition in a green-blue robe and with a hairstyle a la Mohawk (her hair was also blue). A few months later, the girl was informed that she got a small role in Jemima's pussy.

I didn't forget Sarah and about his solo career. In 1981, Geoffrey Calvert and Ms. Brightman, who organized their own recording studio Whisper, recorded two more singles. But these songs also failed to repeat the success of the first hit. The role in "Cats" was mainly dance, although Sarah and there was one small vocal part in the song “Memory”. But this was enough for the young star to understand: she has a good voice and needs to develop it. Sarah I began taking lessons from famous vocal teachers, and the lessons were not in vain.

Star couple

After playing in “Cats” for a year, the girl moved to another musical. She received the main vocal role in the play “The Nightingale” by composer Charles Strauss. Brilliant reviews from critics intrigued Andrew Lloyd Webber. He decided to look at Sarah. What he saw shocked the composer, because he managed to overlook such vocal talent, although the girl had been under his nose for a whole year. That evening changed a lot in the life of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Sarah Brightman.

Very quickly their business relationship grew into a serious romance. Both were married at the time (he with another Sarah, she with another Andrew), and he had two children. However, their romance developed. It was Andrew Lloyd Webber who became the producer of the new singles Sarah.

After the performance "The Nightingale" Sarah continued her theatrical career by joining the troupe of the comic opera The Pirates of Penzance. In 1983 Sarah divorced her first husband. After some time, Andrew also divorced and without further delay married Sarah. Their wedding took place in 1984, on the composer’s birthday and on the day of the premiere of his new musical “Star Express”.

Sarah Brightman's first Grammy

The attention that the yellow press paid to their union was comparable only to the attention paid to Prince Charles and Lady Diana. Sarah many accused her of working her way up through Andrew Lloyd Webber, because he was a famous composer and a wealthy man. It is noteworthy that to this day the British media never misses an opportunity to smear Miss Brightman dirt and stubbornly refuse to admit that she has talent.

In 1984 Sarah became the new leading lady in Webber's musical Song and Dance. This “concert for the theatre,” as the posters put it, was a combination of the earlier “Tell Me About It on Sunday” and Andrew’s “Variations” on a theme from “Caprice.” Andrew, meanwhile, was obsessed with the idea of writing something unusual for Sarah, whose voice he never ceased to admire. Thanks to this, Requiem was born.

Andrew decided that Requiem should be performed by a boy, a girl and a man. Namely Paul Miles-Kingston, Sarah Brightman and Placido Domingo. In December 1984, "Requiem" was recorded and became an astonishing success, given the classical nature of the work. Sarah was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Classical Artist.

"The Phantom of the Opera" - for your beloved

In the same time Sarah offered to play the role of Christina in Ken Hill's musical The Phantom of the Opera. However, at that time she was bound by other obligations. In addition, Andrew got the idea to write his own “Phantom of the Opera,” in which the vocal abilities of his wife and muse could “shine” in full force. Unlike other productions and film adaptations, Webber emphasized passion and romance. And I was right. The musical is still a fantastic success. Christina's part was written by Andrew specifically for his voice Sarah.

Some critics admired Webber's new creation and the leading actress, while others, on the contrary, proved to everyone that Sarah a useless actress and singer (forgetting that everyone owes her the appearance of this amazing musical). One way or another, “The Phantom of the Opera” easily managed to conquer the whole world and become perhaps the most popular musical in the history of musical theater. And, despite the attacks of some critics, the role of Christine Daae was a real triumph Sarah Brightman.

Still creative, but no longer a family union

It is curious that during the rehearsals of “The Phantom of the Opera” the actors more than once witnessed heated exchanges between Sarah and Andrew. In addition, while working on the musical, the couple lived in separate apartments. “It’s more convenient to work this way,” they explained. Whether these words reflected the true state of affairs or whether storms began in paradise is unknown.

in the musical "Cats"

As it were, Brightman and Webber were still married and continued to work together. Sarah went on the “The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber” world tour. Andrew, meanwhile, was working on a new musical, Aspects of Love. He believed that in this performance for Sarah there is no suitable role. However, in 1989, the song "Anything But Lonely", which Andrew wrote for Aspects of Love, was released as a single. Performed it Sarah.

The next year can easily be called one of the most difficult periods in life. Sarah. Her long absences had a negative impact on the marriage. The press also played a role, repeatedly publishing notes about an overly close friendship. Sarah with other men. Meanwhile, Andrew began an affair with a certain Madeline Gurdon. In July 1990, the composer told reporters that his marriage to Sarah Brightman came to an end.

Despite this, the singer and composer remained friends: in the same year she played Rose in the London and Broadway productions of Andrew's new musical Aspects of Love, and subsequently performed with Jose Carreras at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona a song that was specially written by Webber ad hoc.

The mystery and phenomenon of Sarah Brightman

in the musical "The Phantom of the Opera"

Soon she met Frank Peterson, producer of the Enigma and Gregorian projects. During their collaboration Sarah moved to Germany, where Frank lived, and their relationship gradually ceased to be exclusively business. In 1993, they prepared and released the album “Dive” together, with which the singer returned to the world of pop music. I didn't forget Sarah and about her ex-husband: she recorded two albums that consisted entirely of Andrew’s songs.

Continuing to work actively in the field of pop music, Sarah does not abandon the classics either. She performed alongside such performers as Placido Domingo, Riccardo Cocciante and Andrea Bocelli. And although she and Frank Peterson are now only business partners, he became the producer of her album “Harem” - a fantasy on oriental themes.

Continues to ignore the division of music into genres. Critics who consider her voice one of the best of our time and call Sarah"Queen of classical singing", the breadth of her musical interests is constantly baffling.

DATA

Album Sarah Brightman"Harem" was accompanied by a world tour. The danceability of the project was reflected in the show. Compared to the previous ones, many more dancers were involved in it. Your own show Sarah brought it to Russia in 2004.

with Andrew Lloyd Webber

candidacy Sarah Brightman in 2012, she was approved to prepare for a manned space flight on the Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS as a space tourist. The flight should take place in 2015 and will last 10 days. Supporting women's education and fighting natural resource depletion will cost the singer $51 million, but her net worth is estimated at just $49 million.

she sings in Italian, Spanish, French, German, Russian (“It’s good here”, English title “How fair this place”), Latin, Hindi and Japanese, but mostly in English, the singer’s native language.

Updated: April 11, 2019 by: Elena

Sarah Brightman (born August 14, 1960) was born in Berkhampsted, near London, and was the eldest of six sisters in the family. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a famous actress and went to ballet school. She first appeared on stage at the age of twelve in John Schlesinger's play "Me and Albert." In parallel with ballet classes, Sarah tried to learn to sing herself and in 1978 she became a member of the dance show group "Hot Gossip". The group released a single, which Sarah sang, "Starship Troopers", and it became a hit on many dance floors and even reached number one in the UK charts. This was Sarah's first big success, after which her career steadily took off.

In 1981, the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who had already become famous by that time, gave birth to a new masterpiece - the musical "Cats". To stage the musical on stage, more than a hundred dancers were required. Andrew was personally invited to the Royal Ballet School to look at the candidates, one of whom turned out to be Sarah. Andrew immediately noticed her and was fascinated by her. Sarah got a role in the musical - the role of Jemima the cat. And after the resounding success of the premiere, a love affair begins between Sarah and Andrew, as a result of which Webber leaves his wife Sarah Hugill and marries Sarah Brightman on his birthday in 1984.

For the next few years, Sarah Brightman becomes a muse for Andrew: he will write several of his subsequent works with her vocals. To perform the complex vocal parts of Andrew's musicals, Sarah decides to raise her level of vocal skill and takes vocal lessons from the greatest tenor of our time, Placido Domingo, with whom she performs Webber's "Requiem" (1985). For this work, Sarah received a Grammy Award in the Best New Classical Artist category. But the real triumph for her is Andrew's next work - the musical "Phantom of the opera" ("Phantom of the Opera", 1986), in which she again plays the main role. From this moment on, Sarah will be called the “Angel of Music”, because this is what the Phantom calls Christina in the musical, whose role was brilliantly performed by Sarah. Subsequently, Sarah’s solo repertoire will firmly include several of the most beautiful compositions of “The Phantom of the Opera” - the gentle, lyrical “Wishing you were somehow here again” and “The music of the night”, as well as the powerful opening overture. After staging this play on Broadway in 1988, Sarah again received a high award - the Drama Desk Award.

In 1988, Sarah came up with the idea of publishing something under her own name. Her first independent work was the album of English folk songs "The trees they grew so high". It remains unnoticed, like the singer’s next work - “The songs that went away” (1989, a collection of little-known songs from musicals by Bernstein, Schwartz, Lesser, etc.). The public did not want to recognize her talent, considering her a shadow of her famous husband. Sarah tries to improve the situation by constantly traveling with concerts, as a result of which her marriage with Andrew cracks, and in 1990 they separate. By the way, they parted as friends, and subsequently Sarah will continue to perform his compositions, and also sometimes give concerts together with Andrew.

Realizing that in order to succeed she needs to radically change her creativity, Sarah releases her next work - the album "As I came of age" (1990). This was Sarah's first album on which she performed pop music with a slight disco touch. But this album also suffers the same fate as the previous ones, although its musical content was worthy of more. Subsequently, when Sarah becomes famous, interest in this disc will greatly increase, but at that moment it was not allowed to become popular by the lack of a bright hit that could be released as a single. This ended a series of failures for Sarah: in 1992, together with Jose Carreras, she performed the song “Amigos para siempre (Friends for life)” - the official song of the Barcelona Olympics, which became a hit all over the world.

Having once heard the music of the group "Enigma", Sarah decides to meet its creators. As you know, they were composers Michael Cretu (husband of the German singer Sandra) and Frank Peterson. Michael and Frank also collaborated on Sandra's most extraordinary album, "Close to seven" (1992). To meet them, Sarah goes to Germany and in 1992 meets Frank, with whom she will also have a love affair. They begin to work together, and a year later the album "Dive" is released - a conceptual work dedicated to marine themes and made in a classic pop style. Beautiful melodic compositions on it replace one another - “Captain Nemo”, “The second element”, “Island”, “La mer”. The cover versions of the compositions “A salty dog” by the group “Procol Harum” and “Johnny wanna live” by Sandra stood out with especially powerful performances. The album was noticed by the public and sold out well, but they were not yet in a hurry to talk about Sarah as a new star. A really big hit was her duet with Tom Jones "Something in the air" (1996), which was included in her next work - the album "Fly", in the creation of which Frank was helped by Alex Christensen, the founder of the "techno" group " U96". On this album, Sarah already combines such styles as pop and techno, and, I must say, she does it very successfully. The album also gains great popularity.

1997 becomes the long-awaited world breakthrough for Sarah. Sarah performed Frank's composition, with lyrics written by Italian authors, "Time to say goodbye" in a duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli. Released as a single, this composition immediately soared to the top of the charts almost all over the world and sold 15 million copies. From now on, Sarah becomes a real world star, all her concerts are now sold out. The next full-length work, the album “Timeless” (1997), also sells several million copies. On it, Sarah performs various already well-known compositions in classical arrangements, including “Who wants to live forever” (rock group “Queen”), “There for me” (disco group “La Bionda”), as well as works by authors classical era. The success of this disc suggested to Sarah that she needed to move in this direction, combining the seemingly impossible - classical and popular music.

The greatest creative achievement of Sarah and Frank will be her two subsequent albums - "Eden" (1998) and "La luna" (2000). On these discs they managed to bring together works from all musical eras and trends, proving to everyone that there are no boundaries in the musical world. Works by such composers as Puccini, Beethoven, Dvorak and Rachmaninov easily coexist with the world rock masterpieces “Dust in the wind” (Kansas group) and “A whiter shade of pale” (Procol Harum group), folk “Scarborough Fair” " sounds after Frank's dance composition "Winter in July", and the works of Ennio Morricone coexist next to the songs "Here with me" by the modern singer Dido and "Il mio cuore va" (Italian version of the composition "My heart will go on" by movie "Titanic"). But you can't blame Sarah for using only old, time-tested material; her CDs are full of new things written by various authors especially for Sarah, and in different languages. However, despite such a seemingly monstrous mixture, there is not the slightest feeling of disharmony when listening to these albums, and the release of each of them was accompanied by a large-scale world tour, which were also recorded and released as discs.

In the new millennium, Sarah pleased her fans with fresh works “Classics” (2001), on which she again turned exclusively to the classical era, and “Harem” (2003), in the arrangements of which you can hear echoes of modern dance music.

Of course, the common thread that unites all of Sarah's work is her voice. She masters it flawlessly: classic opera arias and modern pop compositions are equally subject to it. Sarah herself explains her success this way: “I work hard.” And these days, when she is already well over 40, she is not going to leave the Musical Olympus.

Discography:

1988 - The Trees They Grow So High

1989 - The Songs That Got Away

1990 - As I Came Of Age

1995 - A Question Of Honor (Radio Edit, Extended Version)+On The Nile

1997 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection

1999 - Surrender (collection of compositions by Andrew Lloyd Webber)

2001 - The Very Best Of 1990-2000 (collection)

2001 - A Whiter Shade Of Pale / A Question Of Honor (Maxi-Single)

2004 - The Harem World Tour Live

2005 - Love Changes Everything (The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection: Volume Two)

2006 - Diva: The Singles Collection

2006 - Classics: The Best Of Sarah Brightman

2007 - I Will Be With You (EP_ Japan)

2007 - Just Show Me How To Love You (EP)

Discography:
1988 - The Trees They Grow So High
1989 - The Songs That Got Away
1990 - As I Came Of Age
1993 - Dive
1995 - A Question Of Honor (Radio Edit, Extended Version)+On The Nile
1996 - Fly
1997 - Timeless
1997 - The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection
1998 - Eden
1999 - Surrender (collection of compositions by Andrew Lloyd Webber)
2000 - La Luna
2001 - The Very Best Of 1990-2000 (collection)
2001 - Classics
2001 - Encore
2001 - A Whiter Shade Of Pale / A Question Of Honor (Maxi-Single)
2003 - Harem
2004 - The Harem World Tour Live
2005 - Love Changes Everything (The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection: Volume Two)
2006 - Diva: The Singles Collection
2006 - Classics: The Best Of Sarah Brightman
2007 - I Will Be With You (EP_ Japan)
2007 - Just Show Me How To Love You (EP)
2008 - Symphony
2008 - A Winter Symphony

Childhood and youth

On August 14, 1960, real estate developer Grenville Brightman and his wife Paula had a daughter named Sarah. The friendly family lived in the London suburb of Berkhamsted.

Brightman’s creative biography began long before albums, tours and worldwide recognition. Her mother Paula, who was fond of ballet and amateur theater performances before her marriage, enrolled her daughter in the Elmhart Ballet School at the age of three. There, the future artist began to reveal herself from a new, unprecedented side.

Despite the boundless love of her parents, Sarah was never eccentric and capricious. On the contrary, from a young age the future singer was accustomed to following a daily routine. So after school she went to dance lessons and practiced ballet until eight in the evening, after which she returned home, had dinner and went to bed. The girl also did not forget about her homework: she completed it right before the start of classes.

At the age of eleven, the young talent is sent to a boarding school specializing in performing arts. In an environment different from home, the girl felt extremely uncomfortable. It was impossible to make friends with other students, and Sarah constantly tried to escape from the hated educational institution. She even succeeded once, but after an educational conversation with her father, Brightman no longer wanted to let her family down.

The singer herself has admitted more than once that as a child she always wanted to sing, but she categorically refused to go against her parents.

Paula Brightman realized what talent her daughter had only when she was twelve years old. At a school performance, her beloved child performed a song from “Alice in Wonderland,” and although at that time Sarah looked extremely unpresentable (tangled hair, braces on her teeth), the audience, captivated by the voice of the young performer, gave a standing ovation.

The teachers realized that all this time they had been focusing on the wrong thing. After only a year of studying at the boarding school, the talented student was sent to audition for the Piccadilly Theater, where they were recruiting actors for John Schlesinger’s new musical “Me and Albert.” The charismatic person got two roles at once: Vicky, the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria, and a street tramp. At that moment, Sarah realized that in the future she wanted to connect her life with the stage.

After studying for a year at a boarding school, the aspiring artist transferred (at age 14) to the London School of Performing Arts, where she could travel without being separated from her family for long. During the summer holidays, Sarah worked as a model. One day she could pose in jeans from Woolworth, and on another she could parade in couture clothes and shoot for Vogue magazine. The girl, who dreamed of becoming a singer, decided not to limit herself to dancing. At school, in addition to ballet classes, she attended singing lessons and learned the basics of playing the guitar.

Despite the obvious craving for singing, Brightman’s future was still associated with ballet. Everyone expected that Sarah would be accepted into the Royal Ballet troupe, but she did not pass the selection.

As a result, sixteen-year-old Sarah realized the dream of thousands of teenage girls by becoming a member of the then popular dance group “Pan's People.” Over time, work there ceased to bring proper satisfaction, and the ambitious young lady decided to conquer new heights.

By a happy coincidence, at that moment the choreographer Arlene Phillips was looking for dancers for her dance group “Hot Gossip”.

Music

During her collaboration with Hot Gossip, Sarah recorded demo compositions. One of the songs attracted the attention of producer Hans Ariol. He was looking for the right voice to sing Jeffrey Calvert's single "I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper", and Sarah was perfect for the role of vocalist. The track instantly gained popularity among UK listeners.

In 1980, Sarah accidentally saw an advertisement for the recruitment of actors for the new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats”. By that time, more than a year had passed since the singer left the dance group. The girl needed money and therefore decided to try herself in a new role. “Extraordinary” personalities were invited to the casting. In this regard, she came to the audition in a green-blue robe and with a mohawk hairstyle.

The flamboyant young lady was noticed, and a few months later Sarah found out that she got a small role as Jemima's pussy (when the musical is staged on Broadway, the name Jemima will be replaced with Syllabub).

After playing in “Cats” for a year, the future crossover star received the main vocal role in the play “The Nightingale” by composer Charles Strauss. Brilliant reviews from critics intrigued the girl's former artistic director. He decided to go to the musical and see his ward. What he saw and heard shocked the composer.

For the next few years, Brightman becomes Andrew's muse. To perform complex roles in musicals, the artist decides to raise her level of skill and takes vocal lessons from the greatest tenor of our time, Placido Domingo, with whom she works in Requiem (1985).

Participation in “The Phantom of the Opera” (1986) became a real triumph for the singer. After the premiere, the performer will be given the pseudonym “Angel of Music” (that’s what the Phantom calls Christina, whose role was brilliantly performed by Sarah).

In 1988, the singer published a collection of English folk songs, “The trees they grew so high.” But the work remains unnoticed, like the next two projects - “The songs that went away” (1989, a collection of little-known songs from musicals) and “As I came of age” (1990).

In 1992, together with Jose Carreras, the artist performed the song “Amigos para siempre” - the official song of the Barcelona Olympics.

In 1997, the whole world learned about Sarah. The singer in a duet with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli releases the composition “Time to say goodbye.” The single single shot to the top of the charts overnight and sold 15 million copies.

The next full-length work, the album “Timeless” (1997), also sells several million copies.

In 1998, in honor of Andrew Lloyd Webber's 50th birthday, a unique concert took place at the Royal Albert Hall (London). It featured tunes and songs from famous shows: “Cats”, “Evita”, “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Aspects of Love”.

“The Phantom of the Opera” was presented with two arias: the main aria performed by Sarah Brightman and Antonio Banderas, as well as “All I Ask Of You” performed by Sarah Brightman and Michael Ball. The two-hour concert, directed by David Mallett, was later released on DVD by Universal Studios.

In the new millennium, Sarah pleased her fans with fresh works: the album “Harem” (2003), in the arrangements of which you can hear echoes of modern dance music, “Symphony” (2008) and “A Winter Symphony” (2008)

In 2013, the “Adagio” video and the “Dreamchaser” album were released.

In 2014, the premiere of the Gregorian group’s song “Conversation with God” took place, in which Brightman performed the solo part.

Personal life

After the song “Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper” became the leader of the charts, the performer’s personal life, as well as her career, underwent dramatic changes.

At that time, the manager of the German rock band Tangerine Dreams, Andrew Graham Stewart, appeared in Sarah's life. A whirlwind romance broke out between them, and after a short courtship, the young people legalized their relationship. The marriage lasted four years. The reason for the divorce was the singer’s acquaintance with composer Andrew Lloyd Weber, who by that time was already the author of sensational musicals: “Jesus Christ Superstar”, “Joseph, His Colored Robes and Amazing Dreams”, “Evita”.

The man was happily married to a sweet, meek woman, Sarah-Jane Tudor-Hugill, and raised two children – daughter Imogen and son Nicholas. But Andrew failed to remain faithful to his wife.

In 1983, Sarah divorced her first husband. After some time, Weber also divorced his marriage and, without unnecessary delay, married his new chosen one. Their wedding took place on March 22, 1984, the composer’s birthday and the day of the premiere of his new musical called “Star Express.”

The singer's tour had a negative impact on the marriage. The press also played an important role, repeatedly publishing notes about the artist’s too close friendship with other men. Andrew did not lag behind his star wife: the composer began an affair with Madeline Gurdon. In July 1990, the couple publicly announced that their union had broken up.

The “angel of music” could only fall in love with the creators of this very music. Therefore, it is not surprising that it was in the arms of Frank Paterson that the eminent performer found solace. The first significant collaboration was the album “Dive”, followed by “Fly”, a song from which (“A Question Of Honour”) Sarah performed before the start of the World Boxing Championship in 1995.

Sarah Brightman now

Now the famous singer is preparing for a world tour. It is reliably known that at the end of 2017, Sarah, together with the musical group Gregorian, will visit Moscow and St. Petersburg as part of the Christmas program.

On his Instagram, the star of the classic crossover regularly posts photos from concerts, presentations and from the recording studio.

Discography

"The Trees They Grow So High" (1988);

"The Songs That Got Away" (1989);

"As I Came Of Age" (1990);

"Dive" (1993);

"Fly" (1995);

"Time to Say Goodbye" (1997);

"Eden" (1998);

"La Luna" (2000);

"Harem" (2003);

"Symphony" (2008);

"A Winter Symphony" (2008);