By Natasha Barbieri
“May your soul have the gift of music, may your heart be inspired with song. May the echoes remain in your memory, like a friendship that last’s your whole life long. Every day that you spend with music Is the best day, the best new day of the year” – John Rutter
The Irish soprano Margaret Key’s last album ‘Legato’ (her debut with Universal Records) was released in 2006. The CEO of Universal Records described her sound as “a voice of pure warmth and beauty.” Since then, fans have been delighted to watch the blossoming of her career and eagerly anticipated the release of ‘The Gift of Music’ (they have already driven the release to the No.1 spot on the Amazon classical music charts!). The new album is a collection of eighteen favorites that capture Margaret’s sparkling tone and elegant phrasing.
It has been a carefully planned out venture from Margaret. “I need to be really well prepared and know the songs backwards. This saves a lot of time on re-takes and gives me the confidence to ‘perform’ them as I would in a live setting rather than note bashing line by line. I always like the recordings to flow and feel like a performance as opposed to a recording session.”
The album will be her first with Tadlow Classics. Margaret shares, “I met and collaborated with the team at Tadlow Classics when I first recorded in Prague. They are a wonderful group of people and we all worked really well together. That’s a must when recording an album!”
The orchestration also features the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and their lush accompaniments blend exquisitely with Margaret’s rich voice. “When I arrived at Smecky Studios I was greeted by 70 hugely talented, warm and friendly members of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. To perform and record a full album with them was an amazing experience and one I will always treasure.”
Although most albums these days are recorded with the orchestra and artist separate, this experience was more traditional. “We recorded both my vocals and the orchestra live in Prague. We did this so they could get the feel of how I wanted to interpret each song. We needed to have the same musical approach and performing live is really the best way to do this. We also recorded some vocals later in Cambridge with producer Gareth Williams.”
The album was produced by James Fitzpatrick and Gareth Williams. The orchestra conducted by Gareth Williams and the music arranged by Paul Bateman (who has previously worked with Sarah Brightman and Bryn Terfel). “There was also a creative team behind the overall look and presentation of the album, but I certainly had a good input into most things. I wanted to be heavily involved in all the creative sides of the album.”
One of the most difficult decisions was settling on the final tracklist. Margaret explains a bit of her process saying, “There was such a big catalog of music to choose from. I took about 2 months to gather thoughts and ideas and I ended up with a list of about 40 songs to choose from. It wasn’t an easy task to whittle it down though. I probably could have made 4 albums but I had to be strict with myself. I wanted the album to reflect me as a singer and as a person. So, the songs I chose are a cocktail of all my musical experiences and training but also contain personal connections such as in ‘The Old Man’ which reflects my relationship with my dear late father.”
One of the most important tracks, of course, is the title song which is sure to strike a chord with other musicians. Margaret was looking for something that would represent her. The tune, composed by John Rutter, was just what she had been searching for. “[It]
resonates deeply with me and so it was the perfect choice for the album name. It is so relevant to how I feel about music. Music plays such a huge part in my life and I am very blessed to have been given this gift. I think many singers and musicians can relate to the idea of not knowing quite where our gift has come from, whilst knowing it is a blessing and gift. Music is the ultimate gift both to give and to receive and I am so fortunate to have the pleasure to share my music with the world. This is exactly what I hope I have achieved in this album.”
Some of the other standout tracks include ‘A Sentimental Medley’ (a delightful blending of the standards songs from the WWII era), ‘Where ‘ere you Walk’ (the Handel classic is a perfect fit for Margaret’s soprano), ‘All The Things You Are,’ ‘The Old Man’ and ‘So Deep is the Night.’ One of my personal favorites is the vivacious, ‘Lovely Night.’ Of this particular track Margaret tell us she had a very specific vision in mind. “I knew the sound I wanted for this particular track. I’m a real lover of the big cinematic/Hollywood sound and Paul does this so well.”
Even the oft-recorded tunes are a welcome addition due to the vocal and orchestral quality. “I wanted it to be different from other crossover albums but at the same time not steer away too much from what the crossover audience enjoy. Therefore, I wanted it to reflect the uniqueness of my own voice. What I mean by that is, when you hear the album, you instantly know it’s me singing. I think the songs I have chosen highlight this and show off the different strengths of my voice. Musically I wanted it to be Cinematic in nature with a little touch of Irish flair. To me this approach has allowed the album to become a lovely sentimental journey between me, my voice and the listener.”
Margaret’s musical background has been varied. She began by studying classical music and then graced the stage in numerous musical theater productions and has also always shared the Irish tradition of music with her audiences. As a former teacher, she offers this advice in regards to repertoire: “Sing what you truly love to perform. If you love a particular style, composer, era then that passion will shine through when you perform it. Don’t just sing songs that you feel you have to do and don’t put yourself in a box either. Experiment with different ideas and sounds. When I came across Billy Joel’s “Lullabye” I immediately wanted to put my own slant to it. We didn’t approach it with a pop feel but instead called upon my classical and Irish roots which slightly changed the overall feel to the song and I think it works really well. Always know your strengths and play to them but work on your weaknesses until they become your strength!”
Over the last couple years, Margaret’s career has gone from strength to strength. Some of the incredible highlights to her resume have included performing for Pope Francis, and gracing the stages of the London Palladium, Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. She has also recorded for Songs of Praise (keep an eye out on her social platforms for airing dates!) and has toured with Russell Watson. What is next for this talented songbird?
“I have been very fortunate with the opportunities I have had within the last couple of years. However, I have worked really hard to get those chances but was always aware of how hard I needed to work to get there. It’s been all worth it!
“I will be doing more touring, recording and performing with the wonderful Michael Crawford in concert very soon. The most important thing for me now is the release of the new album on June 22nd. I am very proud of how it has all turned out and I sincerely hope everyone will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed making it!”
The Gift of Music is available for pre-order now: margaretkeys.co.uk
