I’ve always loved Dame Kiri Te Kanawa’s rendition of “The Heart is Slow to Learn” since I first saw it sung (by her) in the DVD of the 1998 Royal Albert Hall concert in honor of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The song has haunting, beautiful lyrics and Dame Kiri interpreted it in, for me, a passionate, touching way. The song was supposedly made by Webber as part of the libretto to the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera. This project was set aside and the song had since been repurposed in another Webber musical, with different title and lyrics.
Last week, I saw P watching the video of Sierra Boggess singing “Love Never Dies,” the title song to the latest Webber musical—Love Never Dies (2010). The song uses the same melody as “The Heart . . .,” but with different, more hopeful lyrics. I don’t know, I still like the very first version by Dame Kiri—lyrics, music, and all.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Aside from Dame Kiri’s performance of the original (breathtaking), the lyrics of “The Heart is Slow to Learn” seem much more heartfelt and meaningful, in my opinion. While I’m pleased Lloyd Webber re-introduced this sweet melody in “Love Never Dies” to more audiences, the new lyrics just don’t compare to the original.
Whenever I hear the song “Love Never Dies”, I’m singing to myself the lyrics of “The Heart is Slow to Learn”, which cannot be replaced in my mind.