Wonderland is the second studio album by teenage mezzo-soprano Faryl Smith, released by Decca Records on 30 November 2009. Smith became famous after her participation in Britain's Got Talent in 2008, and subsequently, aged 13, signed with Universal Classics and Jazz, releasing her debut album, Faryl. Released only a few months afterwards, Wonderland contains a mix of classical and non-classical songs, which were chosen by both Smith and her record label. A concept album, it is based on Alice in Wonderland, and features a digitally produced "duet" with Luciano Pavarotti, who died in 2007, as well as a song set to "Winter", from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. As with Faryl, Wonderland was produced by Jon Cohen.
Smith promoted the album with appearances on television and radio. For the most part, critics responded positively to the album, with praise for Smith's vocals, the song choice and the musical arrangement, but criticism for "the lack of emotional weight". Further, critics observed that Smith's voice had improved since her appearance on Britain's Got Talent. Despite this, Wonderland appeared in the UK Albums Chart for only one week, peaking at 54, proving less successful than Faryl. Smith later rerecorded "The Prayer", her cover of which was originally released on Wonderland, with 22 other classical artists, with proceeds going to charity.Wonderland is the second studio album by teenage mezzo-soprano Faryl Smith, released by Decca Records on 30 November 2009. Smith became famous after her participation in Britain's Got Talent in 2008, and subsequently, aged 13, signed with Universal Classics and Jazz, releasing her debut album, Faryl. Released only a few months afterwards, Wonderland contains a mix of classical and non-classical songs, which were chosen by both Smith and her record label. A concept album, it is based on Alice in Wonderland, and features a digitally produced "duet" with Luciano Pavarotti, who died in 2007, as well as a song set to "Winter", from Vivaldi's Four Seasons. As with Faryl, Wonderland was produced by Jon Cohen.
Smith promoted the album with appearances on television and radio. For the most part, critics responded positively to the album, with praise for Smith's vocals, the song choice and the musical arrangement, but criticism for "the lack of emotional weight". Further, critics observed that Smith's voice had improved since her appearance on Britain's Got Talent. Despite this, Wonderland appeared in the UK Albums Chart for only one week, peaking at 54, proving less successful than Faryl. Smith later rerecorded "The Prayer", her cover of which was originally released on Wonderland, with 22 other classical artists, with proceeds going to charity.false2022-09-01 09:31:56Wonderland20092009-01-012009-01-0152Christmas Music1379382244382d539b33e-ae63-4dec-a0b3-1c9f02037df897056efa-1d47-485a-8de8-e29a43122166d7ec0590-f398-4a9b-9882-9726a88c6dda/media/data/media4/Music/Faryl Smith/Wonderland (2009)/folder.jpgFaryl SmithAlbumArtistFaryl SmithArtistFaryl SmithFaryl SmithFaryl Smith (born 23 July 1995) is a British soprano who performs opera, classical and classical crossover music. Smith rose to fame after appearing on the second series of the ITV television talent show Britain's Got Talent in 2008 as a child. After the programme, in December 2008, Smith signed a contract with Universal Classics and Jazz for a £2.3 million advance, the largest ever granted to a schoolgirl. Her debut album, Faryl, was recorded from December 2008 to January 2009 and released in March 2009. Faryl became the fastest-selling solo classical album in British chart history, selling 29,200 copies in the first week. It debuted at number six and rose to number four the following week, making Smith the third Britain's Got Talent contestant to have a top ten album. In 2010, on account of Faryl, Smith was nominated for two Classical BRIT Awards and became the youngest artist ever to receive a double nomination.
Smith's second album, Wonderland, was released in November 2009, after which Smith left Universal. In addition to releasing her two albums, she featured on a charity cover of "The Prayer", released in March 2010, provided vocals for the 2012 album The Magic of a Thousand Strings by the International Harp Ensemble, and performed at numerous public events, including the 2009 Royal Variety Performance. In 2015, Smith began studying music at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She continued to perform regularly, including at major sporting events, such as a Six Nations match at Twickenham Stadium in February 2019.