The Christmas season, for many Omahans, involves attending special concerts, and a very special concert came to Omaha Sunday, Dec. 1, when soprano Sarah Brightman performed “A Christmas Symphony” at Orpheum Theater.
Brightman has recorded dozens of albums, singing everything from pop tunes to classic opera pieces, and several in the audience traveled from out-of-town to witness her rare appearance in Omaha. One audience member from Lincoln was overheard saying he nearly traveled to St. Paul to see Brightman perform a couple of years ago, but decided against it. He was rewarded with an impressive show that did not require several hours of travel.
The show focused on holiday tunes, with the term “holiday” being used loosely.When singing a song from her album“Harem,” she announced that when the snow starts to fall, sometimes she wants to go somewhere warm.
The performance included an orchestra and choir, along with a couple of special guests. The choir started at 7:07 with a tune from “The Nutcracker” before Brightman appeared in a glittery silver dress with a capelet and headdress that made her look like a Christmas angel. She began with some religious songs, singing “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” followed by “Oh, Holy Night,” which gained enthusiasm from the crowd.
As much as the music, however, the show itself was a spectacle. Lighting effects included a roving machine that dazzled almost blindingly and appeared as though snow was falling and dramatic teal and magenta lights. Brightman appeared in several glittering costumes throughout the first half of the show, disappearing briefly from the stage about every two songs to change and allowing the choir and/or orchestra to shine. She reappeared each time in a different sparkling ensemble—from as little as adding a cape to as much as changing her entire dress and headdress.
While the first half of the performance highlighted Brightman’s talent as an operatic singer, the second half was truly crowd-pleasing. Brightman appeared onstage to open with “Do You Hear What I Hear?” then was joined onstage by tenor Jay Dref for an aria. He stayed onstage for a solo rendition of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Brightman reappeared for the classic “Ring Christmas Bells,” which she and Dref did not sing with the choir, but rang two large bells each throughout the song. She then addressed that many people don’t always feel happy at Christmastime, which is why she chose to next perform Vince Gill's “It’s Colder Than Winter.”
Brightman continued with what she has said is her favorite Christmas song, “Silent Night,” before performing the song “I Believe in Father Christmas” from her album “Sarah Brightman: A Christmas Symphony.” She performed Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Pie Jesu” with Martin Prieto of Omaha, who was chosen as a special guest, then left the stage as the orchestra performed selections from “The Phantom of the Opera.” She reappeared wearing a red dress and cape, at which time she and Dref performed the theme from the show that Lloyd Webber wrote for her—the aforementioned “Phantom.” The song was nearly perfect, but the final note came off a bit shrill. Several in the crowd were almost palpably waiting to hear the duet, and Brightman and Dref’s performance earned a standing ovation from much of the crowd.
By this point, the show was nearing the two-hour mark, and it was “Time to Say Goodbye,” thus Brightman sang that song, which she is known for performing as a duet with Andrea Bocelli. She left at that point to a standing ovation, but came back to encore with “Amazing Grace” and John Lennon’s “Happy Xmas (War is Over).”
The theatrical performance thrilled everyone from children to retirees.
Matt Van Sciver got tickets through the Vet Tix program, and, before the show, only knew of Brightman through “The Phantom of the Opera.” Upon leaving the venue, he said, “That was a bucket list item I didn’t know I even had.”
