HMV Choice - Sissel

xrainy · Posted: Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:02 am Post subject: HMV Choice - Sissel

Taken from HMV Choice mag mar/apr 2006 Issue 33 (FREE)

Sissel Into Paradise
Norwegian soprano floats through coolly atmospheric crossover collection. (words Clare O'Brien)

Sissel Kykjebo maynot be a household name in the UK, but in her home country of Norway she's almost a national institution.
Hers was the pure and ethereal voice that graced much of the soundtrack of the mega-blockbuster Titanic, she's also recently toured the globe singing Howard shore's The Lord Of The Rings Symphony. It's all a little reminiscent ofEnya - but the sound Sissel makes is brighter, less drenched in soft-focus reverb than that of the reclusive celtic chanteuse.
Into Paradise fits neatly into the classical crossover genre, but Sissel is neither an upwardly mobile pop singer nor an operatic dive lettingher hair down. Originally trained as a choral singer rather than a soloist, her style is clean, pristine-pure and free of histrionics.
Given this evenness of style and tone, she's perhaps most effective on the Norwegian folk songs - especially the stratospheric Velkomne Med/Era - or on serene pieces of Victoriana like Balfe's I Dreamt That I Dwelt In Marble Halls. Her voice delivers atmosphere more effectively than emotional drama; her effortless reading of Purcell's despairing Dido's Lament is so self-contained it's almost chilly, but she projects more warmth on the gently nostalgic Salley Gardens, with words by Irish poet WB Yeats.
Recorded in Norway with the Trondheim Soloists, the arrangements by producer and pianist Kjetil Bjerkestrand are uniformly tasteful, framing Sissel's voice without overwhelming it. Even this version of Abba's Like An Angel Passing Through My Room steers clear of kitsch.