A new direction..

I was introduced to Kane Alexander's voice through Josh Groban's message board. As I went to check out his web site I thought he'd sound something like Josh, and I scanned through the tracklist to find that a lot of the songs were in Italian, some translations of English pop songs. (something that's become popular among classical crossover artists - Vittorio Grigolo recorded operatic versions of Keane's "Bedshaped" and even Daniel Bedingfield's "If you're not the one", and Il Divo included a Spanish version of Toni Braxton's "Unbreak my heart" on their album.)
Nella Fantasia was also included; it seems EVERY new classical singer records that song.

Then I hit the play button on the media player.

This is no classical crossover singer per se. I've heard classically trained tenors sing pop songs, or people with classically sounding voices sing pop songs, but I've never heard pop singers, whose mother tongue is English, sing Italian pop songs. Is Italian just very in now? So much so that producers find artists who have nothing like a classical voice, dig up some Italian pop songs, make them sing with a vibrato and pretend it's the real thing?

His web site claims the album is a "mesmerising collection of classical, pop, jazz and Latin music that is both unique and truly epic." So they're not labeling his album as classical or classical crossover. Further down on his biography page he states that "I'm a classically trained singer - I don't claim to be an opera singer!" I would never mistake him for one, I just can't help but think that if he should do pop anyway, why does it have to be in Italian - does he have any particular reason? Therefore I'm tempted to think that his team wants to market him as a classically trained, Italian looking, mysterious, romantic hunk. As I went through his photo gallery to find a photo to post I had to give up - in all the pictures Kane was posing ridiculously and trying very hard to be sexy.

I will say to Mr Alexander's defence though that for a pop voice he doesn't do that bad. It has a pleasant vibrato and would sound good in a musical theatre production. A little similar to the voice of Swedish Peter Jöback. Let's just hope Kane Alexander doesn't adopt Peter's songs on his next album.

Joshua Bell - Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto

I first discovered Joshua Bell when he featured on Josh Groban's album Closer. I was less interested in classical music then but later as I started to discover the world of classical music I started listening more and more to him. I was lucky enough to hear him perform this piece live as he visited Oslo in May, as part of OsloPhil's program.

When you hear, and even more when you see, Joshua Bell play you get instantly carried away - he plays with such passion and intensity. In the liner notes it's mentioned that Tchakovsky's violin concerto has been recorded so many times by so many performers that new artists won't record it. Maybe I'm lucky to be a newcomer in the classical world and not have heard any other recordings before, all I know is this piece gives me goosebumps from beginning to end. Or especially end I should say; I love the dramatic grand finales that bursts of energy. To top it all off, the concerto was recorded live and it lends a certain atmosphere to the recording. The thunderous applause and calls of "bravo!" after the finale makes a great finish.

The CD also includes a Meditation, which, as written in the liner notes, was composed as an alternate middle movement. This was an interesting idea, I think, allowing the listener to hear two versions of the same concert on one CD.

The last track on the CD is Danse Russe from Swan Lake, a piece that's right up my alley since I'm a ballet fan an practiacally grew up listening to Swan Lake and the Nut Cracker. The dance is not included in the Swan Lake Suite, which has been released numerous times along with the ballet suites from Sleeping Beauty and the Nut Cracker - so I didn't know it as well as I know other pieces from that ballet. Which I think it's a good thing.

This CD is a must-have if you ask me.