(02 September 2002) Encore (Decca (USA) 314589 050-2, 2002) is a 15-track collection of both well known and obscure theater songs performed by the internationally renowned, genre-bending vocalist Sarah Brightman. The album features a selection of songs by the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hamick, Lemer and Lane, Puccini, Lloyd Webber and others.

Produced and arranged by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Encore highlights Brightman's crystalline soprano and legendary versatility, while introducing obscure songss from both Broadway and London's West End. Among the lesser-known tunes featured on the recording is the beautiful "One More Walk Around the Garden" from the 1979 musical Carmelina, written by Alan Jay Lerner and Burton Land, the duo behind the hit musical On A Clear Day. However, unlike On A Clear Day, Carmelina shuttered on Broadway after only two weeks leaving few theatergoers familar with the show's romantic score.

Another Encore rarity is George and Ira Gershwin's "In The Mandarin's Orchid Garden" from their 1929 East Is West (Ming To). The musical, written for the legendary impresario Florenz Ziegfeld, was never produced for the stage. Also featured on Encore is "If I Ever Fall In Love Again" from Peter Greenwell's failed 1959 West ENd tuner The Crooked Mile, which ran a mere 164 performances.

Encore also features Brightman assaying more familiar theater fare including songs from The Phantom Of The Opera, the musical in which she first burst onto the international stage, Whistle Down The Wind and Song And Dance. There are performances of "With One Look" ("Guardami") from Sunset Boulevard and "Memory" ("Piano") from Cats sung in Italian. And Brightman shines in a performance of Giacomo Puccini's achingly beautiful "Chi Il Bel Songo Di Doretta" from the opera La Rondine.

From initial success with a 70s dance hit on the British Pop charts and her definitive performances in The Phantom Of The Opera, to the phenominally successful international crossover hit, "Time To Say Goodbye," Sarah Brightman has distinguished herself as an artist of incredible impact, integrity and passion.

Check out the complete track list, read further reviews, listen to soundbites and order the album from amazon.comhere. Click on the "more Sarah Brightman" links above left to read further reviews on the artist's work. Clearly worth a trans-Atlantic journey, Encore is a must listen!