She was not like other children. She didn't want any spare time, no afternoons off. When Sarah Brightman
came home from school she went to ballet lessons, every day, till eight in the evening. After that she went to bed. She got up really early in
the morning to do her homework before school and at the weekends she took part in competitions. Sarah Brightman was a child that always
knew what she wanted: She wanted to become a famous artist.
Sarah Brightman is not an artist like many others. Her voice has inspired millions of people. Her music is global, mighty, boundless. Her
explanation for this success is, not surprisingly, brief: "I work hard".
The child's steadfastness marked the adolescent's way. At the age of twelve she gave her first stage performance in a John Schlesinger
theatre production, at fourteen she began singing and aged eighteen she scored her first big hit with the dance pop formation "Hot Gossip".
Two years later she had had enough of quick success and started looking for new challenges.
She went to an audition for London's premier staging of "Cats". She got the part. And its originator. She married Andrew Lloyd Webber and
embarked on a classical career under his direction, sang with Placido Domingo in Webber's "Requiem" and became the much-celebrated
star in the Webber musical "Phantom Of The Opera". Envious people, critics and the media distrusted her success. After all, she was
Andrew Lloyd Webber's wife. That makes it pretty easy to claim that she was merely a mirror-image of his fame. "I had a hard time in this
marriage; no matter how well I performed, they never judged me by my achievement".
When the marriage split up, it was time to start a new life. She turned her back on her birthplace and moved to the United States with the
clear aim of making and producing her own records. Here she met Frank Peterson, an ingenious producer and highly creative partner, with
whom she has been working ever since. The co-operation resulted in the release of her first solo album, "Dive", followed by "Timeless" in
1997, a worldwide success with over 2.5 million copies sold. She continued working on her classical career and was soon moving in both
worlds. Sarah Brightman interprets big opera arias on her album with just as much grace and self-confidence as she does in timeless pop
hymns. Magificant live performances accompany her on her distinctive way. She sang "Friends For Life" with Jos Carreras, the theme song
at the Olymic Games in Barcelona, she thrilled German TV audiences with her hits for the boxer Henry Maske, "Question Of Honor" and
especially the duet with Andrea Bocelli "Time To Say Goodbye", both of which have become worldwide hits and milestones in the history of
music. The single "Time To Say Goodbye" sold more than 10 million copies worldwide (a massive 2.75 million in Germany alone) and
made Sarah Brightman's work and creative personality famous around the world. In her opinion, the diversity of her abilities is a
nature-given fact that goes without saying. She grew up with manifold different influences. Being bombarded with her parents' 60's rock
music was perfectly normal for her and her brothers and sisters and in her dancing lessons she did pirouettes to Tchaikovsky and Puccini.
She still listens to all kinds of music and speaks of Massive Attack with as much respect as for Italian classics. "Good music is simply good
music, regardless of wich category it comes from".
Music is a heartfelt matter for her, so too with her own music. "I sing music that I love. If I become dishonest, it doesn't work anymore. You
have to express your innermost feelings. The audience knows when it's being cheated".
The title of Sarah Brightman's new album is "EDEN". At the start of a new record there's always a feeling, an emotion, she says, that turns
out to be the leitmotiv and makes every record into a story, with a beginning, a middle part and an end.
"EDEN" is her story. "I've gone back to my roots which are probably of Celtic origin, brancing out to England, France, Spain and so many
different places. The album is very mystical and spiritual, that was the underlying feeling right from the start. I want it to take people on a trip
to another world."
"EDEN" is an universe of sound, typical of Sarah Brightman. A story full of pictures and emotions interlaced with passion and musical
highlights, such as her interpretation of Puccini's hit "Nessum Dorma", the Kansas classic "Dust In The Wind" or her vocal version of an
instrumental from the soundtrack of "The English Patient". A musical journey into different countries and languages, because she wants her
versions of famous and yet to be discovered melodies to always retain the original character of the piece. Nothing is as important for Sarah
Brightman as the truth of art.
And certainly not herself. "My voice is a gift for which I am very thankful. But I'm just an ordinary human being, I have both feet firmly on the
ground. I have certain talents and it's my duty to make the best of them. That's all. When I go on stage I always feel really small. I hate this
fuss about stardom."
When she wants to get away from her frame, she visits her family in Spain. Her mother moved there to escape from the cold English
weather and this is where Sarah Brightman finds some peace of mind in between constant travelling. Here she can caress her nephews
and nieces and enjoy family life without even a trace of melancholy.
Her job is her vocation and her creativity her joy of life. The top is just the beginning of Sarah Brightman's career. There are still so many
other things she wants to do. "I want to write a novel, I want to compose music - modern and classical music. But first I have to get to the
bottom of things and there's still so much I want to learn. I can't imagine not being busy".
