''The Last Rose'' is the debut studio album by contemporary classical vocalist
Laura Wright
Laura Wright (née Sisk) is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her roles as Ally Rescott on ''Loving (TV series), Loving'' (1991–1995) and ''The City (1995 TV series), The City'' (1995–1997), Cassie Layne Winslow on ''Guidin ...
. It was released on 25 July 2011 by
Decca Records
Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...
.
Idea and arrangement
In an interview, Wright said: “These songs have been passed on for generations. I was taught them by my grandmother when I was young but unless we continue that tradition, they will slip into oblivion.” The Last Rose was Laura Wright's way of reviving the folk tradition and continuing to pass down the songs for generations to come. Wright's album includes many classics such as "
Scarborough Fair" and "
My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean" alongside basing one track ("Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal") on
Alfred Lord Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...
's poem of the same name. The song is a solo arrangement of
Paul Mealor
Paul Mealor OStJ CLJ OSS FRSA (born 25 November 1975) is a Welsh composer. A large proportion of his output is for chorus, both a cappella and accompanied. He came to wider notice when his motet ''Ubi Caritas et Amor'' was performed at the w ...
's adaptation of the hymn "
Ubi Caritas" which was also performed at the
Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.
Critical reception
Overall, the album has received mixed reviews, with
The Independent's Andy Gill giving the album a poor review, whilst Simon Gage of the
Daily Express
The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet i ...
called the album "really rather lovely stuff".
Track listing
Chart performance
The album topped the
UK Classical Charts
The UK Classical Charts are three record charts based on classical music in the United Kingdom: the Classical Artist Albums Chart, the Classical Compilation Albums Chart and the Specialist Classical Albums Chart. The charts are commercial monitor ...
for five weeks from 31 July 2011. The album charted less successfully in the
UK Albums Chart, peaking at number twenty four on 6 August 2011.
Official Charts Company – Laura Wright – The Last Rose
/ref> It fell to 67 the following week, then fell to 71 the week after, before falling to 96 in its fourth week. The album then climbed back up to 69, before dropping out of the UK Top 100 completely after five weeks.
See also
* List of Classical Artist Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Rose, The
2011 classical albums
Laura Wright (singer) albums