''Symphonica'' is a live album by the English singer-songwriter

George Michael George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV generation and is one of the best-selling musici ...

and his only live album released during his lifetime. Released on 17 March 2014 through Aegean and

Virgin EMI Records Virgin EMI Records was a British record label owned by the Universal Music Group that was formed in 2013. In June 2020, the label was rebranded as EMI Records, and operates Virgin Records as an imprint of the new EMI Records. History Virgin ...

, ''Symphonica'' was Michael's first album of new recordings since ''

Patience (or forbearance) is the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of delay; tolerance of provocation without responding in disrespect/anger; or forbearance when under strain, especially when faced ...

'' (2004). Michael's vocals were recorded at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

during his

Symphonica Tour Symphonica (also promoted as Symphonica: The Orchestral Tour) was an orchestral concert tour by George Michael and his last tour. The singer performed the songs mainly from ''Songs from the Last Century'' and ''Patience'' albums as well as some ...

(2011–12), while the string arrangements were recorded in a studio.

Background

The album contains mostly live versions of songs from his 2011–12

, including six of his own compositions (the rest being covers). The album was the final work by both American producer

Phil Ramone Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business par ...

, who died in March 2013, and by Michael himself, who died on Christmas Day (25 December) 2016. The lead single, a cover of the

Terence Trent D'Arby Sananda Francesco Maitreya (born Terence Trent Howard; March 15, 1962), who started his career with the stage name Terence Trent D'Arby, is an American singer and songwriter who came to fame with his debut studio album, ''Introducing the Hardlin ...

song "

Let Her Down Easy "Let Her Down Easy" is a song written and produced by American singer-songwriter Terence Trent D'Arby for his third studio album, ''Symphony or Damn'' (1993). It was released as the fourth single in November 1993 and reached number 18 in the Unit ...

", debuted at number 53 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in spite of little promotion. The album debuted at number one on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and sold 49,989 in its first week. "Patience", a further song from the tour which does not appear on the final album track listing, was available as a free download for one week only from

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

in the UK to coincide with the album release.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. * Laurence Anslow – assistant engineer * David Austin – executive producer, mastering * Tom Bailey – assistant engineer * Chris Barrett – assistant engineer * Mike Brown – guitar * Ben Butler – guitar * Chris Cameron – arranger, keyboards, musical direction * Fiona Cruickshank – assistant engineer * Danny Cummings – percussion * Frank Filipetti – engineer * David Finck – bass, double bass * Olga Fitzroy – assistant engineer * Niall Flynn – engineer, mastering,

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

* Geoff Foster – engineer * Gordon Goodwin – arranger * Laurence Greed – assistant engineer * Gavin Greenaway – conductor * Simon Halfon – design * Andy Hamilton – EWI, keyboards, saxophone * E.Y. "Yip" Harburg – composer * Jay Henry – background vocals * Carlos Hercules – drums *

Henry Hey Henry may refer to: People * Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portuga ...

– arranger, musical direction, piano * James Jackman – programming * Lincoln Jean-Marie – background vocals * Lucy Jules – background vocals * Graham Kearns – guitar * Shirley Lewis – background vocals * Mark McLean – drums *

Rob Mathes Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Rob ( ...

– arranger, conductor * George Michael – design, lead vocals, producer * Adam Miller – assistant engineer, Pro Tools *

Rob Mounsey Rob Mounsey (born December 2, 1952) is an American musician, composer, and arranger. Music career Mounsey was born in Berea, Ohio, and grew up in Seattle, Washington, spending a few years each in Findlay and Granville, Ohio. At the age of 17, ...

– arranger * Lea Mullen – percussion *

Phil Palmer Philip John Palmer (born 9 September 1952) is a rock sideman and session guitarist who has toured, recorded, and worked with numerous artists. He is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Dire Straits. Biography Palmer grew up in nort ...

– guitar * Lori Perry – background vocals * Sharon Perry – background vocals * John Prestage – assistant engineer * Phil Ramone – producer * Steve Sidwell – conductor * Luke Smith – keyboards * Ray Staff – mastering * Symphonica Air Orchestra – primary artist * Symphonica US Orchestra – primary artist * Caroline True – photography * Steve Walters – bass *

Torrie Zito Salvatore "Torrie" Zito (October 12, 1933 – December 3, 2009) was an American pianist, music arranger, composer and conductor. Life and career He is most widely known for his hugely popular work with John Lennon on the classic album ''Imagine ...

– arranger

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control George Michael albums 2014 live albums Live albums recorded at the Royal Albert Hall Albums arranged by Torrie Zito Albums produced by Phil Ramone Virgin EMI Records albums