Outer space is the place for Sarah Brightman as she brings her cosmic music to Dubai

Before her two Dubai World Trade Centre performances over this past weekend, the British soprano and Dubai Classics headliner Sarah Brightman spoke to us about her space fascination and the loaded term ‘crossover artist’

You played a pioneering role in creating the term “crossover artist”. Do you feel like you opened doors for your classical music peers?

I have had a long career in music and, very organically, I have been working in different styles. A sort of fusion happened later in my life which created what people classify as a sort of “classical crossover”. Singers such as [Luciano] Pavarotti and [Andrea] Bocelli were working in this kind of form without even realising it, and many singers after that embraced it and it has really created a new genre.

Do you feel the classical crossover genre is misconstrued as classical music with a few pop hooks thrown in?

When myself, Bocelli and Pavarotti really had a lot of success in what we were doing, record companies from all over the world saw an opportunity to create what they thought was the same thing. Of course, it wasn’t and I feel they did sort of take a cheaper route with things.

Your new album, Dreamchaser, centres on the mysteries of space. Was it challenging to use a historically rooted genre such as opera to discuss otherworldly themes and at the same time make it connect to a modern audience?

I think that a role of a soprano is always about giving with their voice. This is what we do: we sing outward and upwards. I found many parallels on an artistic level to do with the romance of space and the intricacy and the complexity of it.

What are your impressions of the crowds in this part of the world?

When I have been to Dubai and Doha in the past I had a beautiful time. The air is really clean, the sand has been beautiful and, of course, you get the hot sun and the sophisticated lifestyle within all those beautiful natural things that you get here. You can find some of the best chefs in the world, some of the best culture.

sasaeed@thenational.ae