From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)

From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)
Studio album by
Tarja
Released17 November 2017
RecordedSummer 2017 in Caribbean
Genre
LabelearMUSIC
ProducerTarja, Jim Dooley, Tim Palmer
Tarja chronology
The Shadow Self
(2016) 		From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)
(2017) 		Act II
(2018)
Singles from From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)
  1. "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"
    Released: 6 October 2017
  2. "O Tannenbaum"
    Released: 27 October 2017
  3. "Feliz Navidad"
    Released: 1 December 2017
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Graphic novel cover art

From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas) is the second classical and Christmas album, and the seventh studio album released by the Finnish soprano Tarja Turunen.[2] The music was arranged and orchestrated by Tarja's frequent collaborator Jim Dooley.

On the 22 September 2017, earMUSIC released a video announcing the existence of the album. A music video was released on the 6th of October, with Tarja singing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel".

With the album release comes also Tarja Turunen's first graphic novel, From Spirits and Ghosts (Novel for a Dark Christmas). The 40-page novel is about the world of dark Christmas scripted by Peter Rogers with accompanying art by Conor Boyle.[3] The "novel for a dark Christmas" revolves around Tarja's two characters, the dark and light one, bringing together lonely souls during the festive season.

The album has been critically acclaimed by critics and fans alike, who have noted the dark twist Turunen achieved on the album and the combination of different languages. [citation needed]

The album was re-released on November 6, 2020, the reissue includes 3 versions in alternative languages plus the collaboration with Tarja's friends Cristina Scabbia, Doro Pesch, Elize Ryd, Floor Jansen, Hansi Kürsch, Joe Lynn Turner, Marko Saaresto, Michael Monroe, Sharon den Adel, Simone Simons, Timo Kotipelto and Tony Kakko for the beloved "Feliz Navidad". Further to the additional studio recordings, the reissue comes with the previously unreleased live album "Christmas Together: Live at Olomouc and Hradec Králové 2019". A sequel album, Dark Christmas, was released on November 10, 2023.

Background

The album includes 11 Christmas classics combined with darker gothic influences. Utilizing the sound of a grand orchestra, traditional songs such as "O Tannenbaum", "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and "Feliz Navidad" are included. Besides covering classic carols, "From Spirits and Ghosts" also features a 12th track, the original track "Together". This song continues the dark sound of the album and embodies the theme of ghosts and mysticism throughout.

On December 8, Tarja released a second, "charity" version of "Feliz Navidad" as a way to help raise funds for Barbuda, an island that was severely damaged by Hurricane Irma.[4] The track features guest vocals by Doro Pesch, Michael Monroe, Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica), Elize Ryd (Amaranthe), Marko Saaresto (Poets of the Fall), Timo Kotipelto (Stratovarius), Simone Simons (Epica), Cristina Scabbia (Lacuna Coil), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple), Floor Jansen (Nightwish), Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) and Sharon Den Adel (Within Temptation).

Track listing

From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"John Mason Neale4:56
2."Together"Tarja Turunen3:21
3."We Three Kings"John Henry Hopkins Jr.3:54
4."Deck the Halls" (featuring Naomi Cabuli Turunen)
2:44
5."Pie Jesu"Andrew Lloyd Webber3:28
6."Amazing Grace"John Newton4:42
7."O Tannenbaum"
3:37
8."Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
3:40
9."God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" 4:13
10."Feliz Navidad"José Feliciano5:48
11."What Child Is This"William Chatterton Dix4:55
12."We Wish You a Merry Christmas" 4:07
Total length:49:25
From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas) 2020 Edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleLength
13."Sublime Gracia"4:44
14."Ô viens, Ô viens, Emmanuel"4:59
15."O Christmas Tree"3:39
16."Feliz Navidad (Barbuda Relief and Recovery Charity Version)[5]"6:36
Total length:62:47

Musicians

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[6] 50
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[7] 30
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[8] 32
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] 40
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10] 7
US Top Classical Albums (Billboard)[11] 12

References

  1. ^ Jurek, Thom. "From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas) - Tarja | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  2. ^ "New Album "From Spirits and Ghosts"". tarja-fromspiritsandghosts.
  3. ^ "Tarja - Novel For A Dark Christmas (Exclusive)". TM Stores. Archived from the original on 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2017-10-13.
  4. ^ "TARJA Releases Charity Version of 'Feliz Navidad' with Help of Guest Artists". December 2017.
  5. ^ Collaboration with Cristina Scabbia, Doro Pesch, Elize Ryd, Floor Jansen, Hansi Kürsch, Joe Lynn Turner, Marco Saaresto, Michael Monroe, Sharon Den Adel, Simone Simons, Timo Kotipelto and Tony Kakko.
  6. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Tarja Turunen – From Spirits and Ghosts" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  7. ^ "Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 47.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  8. ^ "Tarja Turunen: From Spirits and Ghosts (Score for a Dark Christmas)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Tarja Turunen – From Spirits and Ghosts" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
  10. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  11. ^ "Tarja Chart History (Top Classical Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 June 2018.