ARTIST: Alfie Boe
TITLE: Onward
LABEL: EMI
GENRE: Opera
BITRATE: 177kbps avg
PLAYTIME: 0h 43m total
RELEASE DATE: 2007-03-12
RIP DATE: 2007-05-07
Track List
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1. A Living Prayer 4:01
2. Gaelic Blessing 2:43
3. Amazing Grace 3:42
4. The Lord Is My Shepherd 3:02
5. I Vow To Thee My Country 3:41
6. I Wonder As I Wander 4:06
7. Dear Lord And Father Of Mankind 4:02
8. Balulalow 1:58
9. Ave Verum Corpus 3:27
10. Be Still My Soul 3:58
11. Cujus Animam 5:35
12. You'll Never Walk Alone 2:53
Release Notes:
`Onward', offers a rousing collection of uplifting songs. "I wanted to create a
musical experience that the listener would be inspired by. I feel the arias
we've chosen are all anthems in their own right and reflect a true spirit,"
explains Alfie. The album was recorded with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra, conducted by John Owen Edwards. Alfie continues, "The whole creative
process has been amazing. Being able to perform works by John Rutter and Karl
Jenkins, two of Britain's finest composers, is an honour in itself, but to have
them writing arrangements for `Onward' is just beyond my wildest dreams. Their
styles are so different but what they produce is equally magical." The
incomparable Howard Goodall, who recently won an award for his fascinating
Channel 4 documentary, `Howard Goodall's 20th Century Greats' and most recently
appointed as `ambassador' for singing in England, has also put a special
arrangement together for Alfie's recording of `The Lord Is My Shepherd'. The
album has been produced by Stephen Johns and Simon Rhodes. Special arrangements
have also come courtesy of Chris Elliott (Baz Luhrmann's film `Moulin Rouge',
Josh Groban, David Gray), Nick Ingham (`Shakespeare In Love', `The Passion',
`Captain Corelli's Mandolin', Radiohead, Oasis and Sinead O'Connor) and Craig
Leon (production and arrangements for Joshua Bell and Andreas Scholl). The album
title, `Onward', holds a special importance for Alfie. Proud of his Lancashire
roots `onward' is the motto for Fleetwood, his hometown. "There are obviously
sentimental reasons for using the title, but it's also a word that perfectly
describes my approach to life. It suggests movement, moving to the next stage,
always striving to do your best," explains Alfie with a smile.