[ ClassicalX ] Russell has bridged the classical divide

Classical music has had to move on in order to keep up, and with the advent of Classic FM there is no doubt it has tried to cast aside its elitist nature.

Love it or hate it, there can be no denying the overwhelming popularity of some of today's “crossover” artists. The secret, though, is simply to accept them at face value – “commercial classics” for the masses.

It is something that was, in fact, happening years before Classic FM first went on air in 1992, as anyone who can remember pianists like Semprini or Liberace, or tenors like Mario Lanza could confirm.

Russell Watson has been dubbed “The People's Tenor”, and his albums have definitely taken classical music, and especially opera, to a new audience.

Russell shot to fame with his second album Encore which followed his innovative trademark mix of popular Italian arias with pop classics. It went double platinum in New Zealand, platinum in Ireland, and gold in Singapore with more than 1.7 million albums sold.

Additionally, Russell won two Classical Brit Awards for Best Classical Album and Male Artist of the Year. His latest album, Outside In, released back in November, sees him tackling an iconic repertoire with a newly-invigorated love of life and a maturing singing voice.

Recovering from a serious illness, he is now apparently living every day to the full, and has thrown everything into these new recordings, which include the whole gamut from classical tracks to old standards, and even a new 2007 version of Nessun Dorma, and dedicated to the late Pavarotti himself.

As it says on the tin, “with all this and a voice now better than ever, Russell proves once again that he can imbue popular songs as well as classical with his own unique style and grace”.

Come along and find out when Russell appears at the Pavilions this Sunday at 7.30pm. Tickets (£55, £37.50 & £25)
are available from the box office (01752 146 1460).

Source: The Plymouth Herald online