CD Review: The Sound Of Strength By Laura Wright

Laura Wright

Soprano Laura Wright's album The Sound Of Strength certainly breaks down barriers when fusing the classical music genre with the driving beats of drum and bass.

Her powerful  rendition of Barber's Agnus Dei sampling sections of Rudyard Kipling's poem If was released with a Hunger Games stylized video earlier this Summer and succeeded in securing the attention of a diverse range of music fans.

"Classical music is for everyone," Laura recently told Andy Howells," and it’s a matter of how you use it and produce it. I feel I want to be someone who presents it in a different way."

Laura certainly achieves that objective here, giving an energetic twist to the compositions of Puccini, Caruso, Beethoven and of course, Barber challenging the listener both mentally and physically.

The fusion of familiar tunes such as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata and epic production values make this album incredibly accessible and with the accompaniment of a sequenced workout playlist devised by Sport Psychologist Dr Costas Karageorghis bring The Sound Of Strength like a breeze into the world of health and fitness.

• Laura Wright will tour the UK in early 2015. Visit laura-wright.co.uk for further details.
• A version of this review appeared in The South Wales Argus entertainment supplement The Guide during October, 2014