Paradiso

Audio Mixer: Fabio Venturi.Liner Note Author: Hayley Westenra.Recording information: Forum Music Village, Rome (07/2010-09/2010).Editor: Michel Gualdrini.A decade on from her New Zealand-only self-titled debut album, and Christchurch's finest, 23-year-old Hayley Westenra, can no longer rely on the angelic-looking choirgirl persona which helped her replace Charlotte Church as the world's most successful young soprano. But having achieved quite the coup by recruiting legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone for her fifth album (and first non-seasonal studio release since 2007's Treasure), Paradiso, it's unlikely that she would have had to, anyway. Recorded with the 120-piece Roma Sinfonietta in their hometown, its 13 tracks are a world away from her usual fare of traditional hymns, operatic standards and classical pop numbers, revealing a maturity and creative streak lacking from most of her contemporaries. Indeed, perhaps to establish her songwriting credentials, Morricone has allowed