Time to Say Goodbye
Fans of small, pretty-voiced soprano Sarah Brightman will not be disappointed by this CD. In addition to some pop songs, Brightman sings high-flying excerpts from Orff'sCarmina Burana, Puccini's "O mio babbino caro" (performed better by almost any other operatic soprano elsewhere), and "Alleluia" from Mozart's Exsultate Jubilate. One might call this a crossover disc; others might just see it as a recording featuring a pop singer with artsy aspirations. Whatever it is, Brightman's fans love her; others do not. Two duets with tenor Jose Cura remind the listener what opera singing really ought to sound like.--Robert Levine