The Opera Band

• Album Summary
• Notes & Reviews
• Also Purchased
• Works Details

Album Summary

Performers

• Youki Yamamoto (Programming)
• Miles Bould (Percussion)
• Nick Patrick (Programming)
• Nick Patrick (Percussion)
• Amici Forever
• Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass)
• Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• John Parricelli (Guitar)
• Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone)
• Geoff Sewell (Tenor)
• David Habbin (Tenor)
• Richard Harvey (Pipe)
• Jo Appleby (Soprano)
• Tsakane Valentine (Soprano)

Conductor

• Ingman, Nick

Ensemble

• Budapest Film Orchestra

Composers

• James Shearman
• Peter Wolf / Michelle Wolf / Zucchero Fornaciari
• Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875)
• Antonin Dvorák (1841 - 1904)
• Alex North (1910 - 1991)
• Michael Kamen (1948 - 2003)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791)
• George Frederick Handel (1685 - 1759)
• Antonio Galbiati / Giuseppe Dettori
• Amy Sky
• Edward Elgar (1857 - 1934)
• Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924)

Notes & Reviews:

Selections recorded at Shine Studios, Metropolis London, and Budapest Radio Studios.

Personnel: Richard Harvey (pipe); Richard Cottle (keyboards); Nick Patrick (percussion, programming); Miles Bould (percussion); Youki Yamamoto (programming).

Recording information: Budapest Radio Studios; Metropolis, London, England; Shine Studios.

Amici (friends) Forever is a predominantly British vocal group made up of five classically trained singers who, in addition to possessing voluminous vocal chops, also have pop-star-photogenic looks. In the age of classical/pop crossovers like Bond and Charlotte Church, how could their highly touted debut album, THE OPERA BAND, not be a recipe for stardom?

Though the temptation to belt out an album's worth of operatic versions of pop hits was surely there, Amici Forever didn't choose that route. While there is a bit of pop-oriented material (an Italian-language version of "Unchained Melody," "Requiem for a Soldier [Theme from a Band of Brothers]"), the bulk of the album is classically minded, drawing on such composers as Mozart, Fauré, Dvorak, and, of course, Puccini ("Nessun dorma!" which seems to have become the "Freebird" of the opera world). The music over which the five vocalists strut their collective stuff is a mix of traditional orchestration and more modern, electronics-assisted touches; imagine Andrew Lloyd Webber getting down with David Foster at the Met. THE OPERA BAND finds Amici Forever to be fully prepared for their inevitable world domination.

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Works Details

Shearman, James : Prayer in the Night, song (after Sarabande by George Frideric Handel)

• Performers: Youki Yamamoto (Programming); Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 3 min. 16 sec.

North, Alex : Unchained Melody

• Performers: Youki Yamamoto (Programming); Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 3 min. 47 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1955

Antonio Galbiati / Giusep : Canto alla vita

• Performers: Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); John Parricelli (Guitar); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 4 min. 26 sec.

Peter Wolf / Michelle Wol : Vita Mia

• Performers: Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone); Geoff Sewell (Tenor); Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); David Habbin (Tenor); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 4 min. 17 sec.

Kamen, Michael : Requiem for a Soldier, song (theme from Band of Brothers)

• Performers: Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 3 min. 51 sec.
• Period Time: Contemporary

Sky, Amy : Whisper of Angels, song (after Pavane by Gabriel Fauré)

• Performers: Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Harvey (Pipe); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 3 min. 46 sec.

Bizet, Georges : The Pearl Fishers, opera :: Au fond du temple Saint

• Performers: Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone); Miles Bould (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); David Habbin (Tenor); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 4 min. 40 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1863

Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus : Così fan tutte, K 588 :: Soave sia il vento

• Performers: Jo Appleby (Soprano); Nicholas Garrett (Bass Baritone); Miles Bould (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Tsakane Valentine (Soprano); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 3 min. 6 sec.
• Period Time: Classical
• Written: 1790

Elgar, Edward : Lux aeterna

• Performers: Miles Bould (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 4 min. 19 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic

Antonin Dvorák (1841 - 1904) : Rusalka :: Song to the Moon

• Performers: Jo Appleby (Soprano); Miles Bould (Percussion); Nick Patrick (Programming); Nick Patrick (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Tsakane Valentine (Soprano); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 5 min. 26 sec.
• Period Time: Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta

Handel, George Frideric : Coronation Anthem

• Performers: Miles Bould (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Running Time: 3 min. 44 sec.
• Period Time: Baroque
• Form: Choral
• Written: 1727

Puccini, Giacomo : Turandot :: Nessun Dorma

• Performers: Miles Bould (Percussion); Amici Forever; Laurence Cottle (Fretless Bass); Richard Cottle (Keyboards)
• Conductor: Nick Ingman
• Ensemble: Budapest Film Orchestra
• Notes: Composition written: 1926.
• Running Time: 3 min. 11 sec.
• Period Time: Post Romantic
• Form: Opera/Operetta
• Written: 1926