Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

'Blessing' is the debut album by English high coloratura soprano Christina Johnston. After training at the Guildhall School of Music Miss Johnston went east to Prague to continue her studies with the State Opera. On this CD she is joined by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus under Richard Hein and collectively they have produced something worth hearing. However while I can and do applaud the performances of both the soloist and her orchestra I am less enthusiastic about the programme which is all a tad bitty. We open and close with what could be described as "crossover" pieces, "Blessing" by Myrra Malmberg and "Fallen Soldier" with music by Gareth Williams and lyrics by Frederick Forsyth (yes, THE Frederick Forsyth). Both are pleasant enough although I think John Rutter's take on the Blessing is a better one and from these two examples I am confident in saying that a Christina Johnston album of crossover songs would be a good one, if that is where she wants to go with her career. However, the 14 songs between the two crossover bookends are all from the classical and operatic repertoire. Highlights for me include Rachmaninoff's "Vocalise" and the Queen of the Night's song "Der Holle Rache KochtIn Meinem Herzen" from Mozart's 'Die Zauberflote'. By now astute readers will have detected a pattern: we are getting some gems and, as I have said, all sung very well, but no real theme - other than to showcase the singer's excellent tone and range. Also, and this is an observation not a criticism, little of the content is explicitly Christian. We get an "Ave Maria" attributed to Caccini but possibly by Vladimir Vavilov and the already noted "Blessing" and that's all. Listeners who enjoy classical operatic crossover and want a change from Lesley Garrett should investigate this one.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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