Originally, Gregorian was conceived as a more pop-oriented group in the vein of Enigma. Under this concept, they recorded the 1991 album Sadisfaction, with lead vocals provided by The Sisters of Oz: Susana Espelleta (Peterson's wife at the time) and Birgit Freud. However, this was the only album in that style.
In 1998, Peterson and his team Jan-Eric Kohrs, Michael Soltau and Carsten Heusmann re-invented the project to perform popular songs in the Gregorian style. The criteria for song selection were strict; in order to be considered, a song needed to be translatable into the 7-tone scale. For each album, songs were carefully chosen in addition to original songs written by Jan-Eric Kohrs, Amelia Brightman and Carsten Heussman. Twelve vocalists - previously acclaimed session and choir singers - were then hired to record the tracks.
Each Gregorian album is initially digitally tracked at Nemo Studios, Peterson's Hamburg studio. The vocalists then record their parts in a church atmosphere with dimmed lights and candles, in order to escape what Peterson referred to in a 2001 interview as the "cold and technical" studio atmosphere.
The concept proved to be successful, and the group proceeded to record several more Masters of Chant albums in the same style. Their 2004 album, The Dark Side, was a slight departure from the others, featuring a darker repertoire consistent with the title.
In 2005, The Masterpieces, a compilation album with a live DVD, was released. A fifth Masters of Chant album was released on 31 March 2006. In 2006, a festive album was also released, titled Christmas Chants. A sixth Masters of Chant album was released on 28 September 2007. In 2009 a seventh Masters of Chant album followed.
Gregorian in 2009
On 8 September 2010 the next album, titled The Dark Side of Chant, was announced to be published on 15 October 2010.
The members of the Gregorian choir group are Richard Naxton (Naxos), Johnny Clucas (Johnny), Chris Tickner (Chris T.), Richard Collier (Rich), Gerry O'Beirne (Gerry), Lawrence White (Lorro) and Rob Fardell (Rob F.).
Others who contribute to the vocals or sound of Gregorian are Sarah Brightman (under the pseudonyms Hepsibah or Sarah Hellmann), Amelia Brightman (Sarah Brightman's younger sister), Frank Peterson, and staff of Nemo Studio among others.
Bravado
Gregorian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flying too close to the sun
If the moment of glory
Is over before it's begun
If the dream is won -
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
When the dust has cleared
And victory denied
A summit too lofty
River a little too wide
If we keep our pride -
Though paradise is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
And if the music stops
There's only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
And if love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
The lyrics of Bravado by Gregorian are rich with imagery and metaphor, as they depict the human struggle to achieve greatness despite immense obstacles and the high cost that often comes with it. The opening lines, "If we burn our wings / Flying too close to the sun / If the moment of glory / Is over before it's begun," refer to the Greek myth of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun with wings made of feathers and wax, causing his inevitable downfall. The lines symbolize how the pursuit of greatness and success can sometimes lead to our own destruction.
The following lines, "If the dream is won / Though everything is lost / We will pay the price, / But we will not count the cost," suggest that the achievement of one's goals often comes at a great sacrifice, and it's a price that we willingly pay even if it means losing everything else. The lines convey the idea that the pursuit of a dream is often more important than the outcome.
Similarly, the lines "When the dust has cleared / And victory denied / A summit too lofty," refer to the moments when we reach for something, only to find that it is beyond our grasp because of the obstacles in our way. The image of a "summit too lofty" signifies aspirations that are too high and hard to achieve, but despite the odds, we must still push forward with our pride and determination.
In the chorus, the lines "And if the music stops / There's only the sound of the rain / All the hope and glory / All the sacrifice in vain / And if love remains / Though everything is lost / We will pay the price, / But we will not count the cost," suggest that even in the face of defeat, we must continue to love and believe in ourselves, for it's the only way to retain our dignity and sense of purpose. The lines are a tribute to the human spirit that keeps us going through tough times, and the belief that one day, everything will be worth it.
Line by Line Meaning
If we burn our wings
Flying too close to the sun
If we take big risks that result in catastrophic failures, like Icarus who flew too close to the sun and melted his wings, leading to his ultimate death.
If the moment of glory
Is over before it's begun
If the dream is won -
Though everything is lost
If we achieve our dreams but only for a fleeting moment or at great personal cost, it is still worth it to pursue them with all our strength.
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
In order to achieve greatness, we must be willing to pay the price, even if it means sacrificing everything in the process.
When the dust has cleared
And victory denied
A summit too lofty
River a little too wide
If we keep our pride -
Though paradise is lost
Even if we are denied victory because the challenge was too great, we should be proud of our efforts and not lose sight of our values.
And if the music stops
There's only the sound of the rain
All the hope and glory
All the sacrifice in vain
If everything we've worked for seems to come to a halt and turn to nothing, it can be a disheartening feeling that makes us question our choices.
And if love remains
Though everything is lost
We will pay the price,
But we will not count the cost
Even when everything else is gone or destroyed, we should still hold onto love and cherish it, even if it means paying a heavy price or making sacrifices.
Contributed by Samuel P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
easttcobb
As a Rush fan, hearing this version of Bravado makes me appreciate the lyrics even more.
Marco Signore
Awesome. And I love Rush far beyond any other band.
DrummerGirl2112
Very interesting version of a great song. I like it!
yerbullshit
Very nicely done, thanks for sharing!
Old Man Tai
Never thought they would cover Rush...love it.
Marco André Rodrigues
As a Rush fan, I like it and enjoyed the version!
StingRayShand
In the name of Geddy, Alex and Neil . . . Amen ! ! !
eezyrider65
GEDDY> Fix it!
waynedrumpal
well done...awsome
bytore
wanted to stop listening/but curiosity kept me enchanted.Of course I LOVE RUSH-but enjoy listening to other versions to see how people interpret.this was pretty good/ but missed the guitar solo-not sure how that would fit into this version/kind of liked this!