5 comments about Candide (1999 Royal National Theatre Cast).

1. I have the Original Broadway Recording of Candide with Barbara Cook, and I love it, but I needed to get the 1999 Royal National Theatre Cast recording as well. You see I am a singer/actor and I am going to be performing in a community theatre production of Candide and this version is the one that is closest to the score that we are going to use in the show.
   
   To be honest after I read the other review of this recording I almost did not get it, but I am glad that I did. Yes there are some added songs and the order is changed around a bit from the original but the performances are first rate.
   
   This is a wonderful recording and I would definitely recommend it. I think that anyone who loves musical theatre as a genre will enjoy this recording of Candide. I am very glad that I have this recording as a part of my musical theatre library.



2. Since mine was the only negative amazon.com review of the 1974 Broadway Revival recording of CANDIDE, David Barbour's evaluation of the same recording ("The TheaterMania Guide to Musical Theater Recordings") was balm for my bruised ego. So, based on his very positive review - in the same publication - of this 1999 Royal National Theater recording, I tracked down a copy from an amazon.com seller and waited most patiently for it to arrive. CANDIDE is, after all, my favorite Broadway score, with six recordings in my library and plans to acquire the others in the near future.
   
   Unfortunately, in spite of some excellent performances, this disc is a major disappointment. Barbour wrote that "Alex Kelly is the best Cunegonde since [Barbara] Cook, " and he may be right. (I haven't heard Marilyn Hill Smith [Scottish cast] or Erie Mills [New York City Opera], and the New York Philharmonic version (DVD) with Kristin Chenoweth hasn't arrived yet.) Barbour further writes "Beverly Klein is a lively old woman" and "Simon Russell Beale displays savoir faire and a fine voice as Voltaire/Pangloss." Agreed. But I differ strongly with his assessment that Daniel Evans is a "fine Candide." Frankly, I find his English-pop-style voice unappealing and totally inappropriate for the role.
   
   Most disturbing, however, is the new version of Hugh Wheeler's book by John Ciard, the show's director. New locales and characters have been added, and songs have been shifted around, further muddling what is already a confusing plot. Furthermore, lyrics have been altered, ostensibly to fit the new situations. "Life Is Happiness Unending" shows up early in the show - and on no other recording. There's a totally new, uncredited version of "What's the Use," vastly inferior to the original. Nor do the orchestrations by Bruce Coughlin do anything except make one long for the originals by Mr. Bernstein & Hershy Kay -- even Kay's "watered down" orchestrations for the 1974 production. At least, the Governor sings "But now while he hovers, let us be lovers" to Cunegonde, and not to Maximilian in drag.
   
   I've said before that one can't have too many recordings of this best of all Broadway musical scores, but I may have to eat my words. This one is strictly for those CANDIDE fanatics who must have every version. Hey, that's me!
   
   PS. For everything you ever wanted to know about every production, recording & revision of CANDIDE, go to www.sondheimguide.com for a marvelous guide compiled by Michael H. Hutchins.



3. after recently viewing candide in concert i took out the original cast and it was a disapointment.I'd rather have the studio cast recording because it has the stephen sondhiem lyrics aswell as the clasic bernstien music. the original only has 16 songs where as the studio cast has 34 songs, 10 more than the revival cast. my dad recieved tickets to the rvival cast directly from stephen sondhiem himself. the studio cast also has a lot of extra instrumental pieces such as the battle music.



4. Excellent music, witty lyrics, this is a really fun recording. The criticism of this work is that it didn't work very well on stage. I can't comment because I have never seen a production. As a recording, however, Candide is very successful with much better music and much more enjoyable songs than the great majority of musicals.



5. "And yet, of course, these trinkets ARE endearing..."

   "Weren't you clever, dear, to survive!"

   "Poets have said, Love is undying, my love...
   Don't be misled...they were all lying, my love."

   "I cannot entertain your shocking proposition...
   How could I regain my virginal position?"

   "Bon voyage, dear fellow, dear...benefactor of
   your fellow man...may your luck continue, do
   come again and see us when you can..."

   
   On the PBS station, tonight, there was an excellent
   program presented titled "Changing Stages." On the
   program was a segment dealing with the British stage
   between the wars -- 1920s and 1930s -- and the
   brilliant, classy, stylish, clever, sophisticated,
   ironic plays of Noel Coward.
   If there was ever a time when the American stage
   came to the same level of stylish, clever, sassy
   sophistication and wit -- then surely it had to be
   in 1956 when "Candide" was presented.
   Unfortunately it is impossible to present Leonard
   Bernstein's bright, sparkling, sprightly score
   which is every bit as clever and sophisticated as
   the lyrics which it dances and cavorts with...never
   merely accompanies.
   This has got to be the version which one has to
   have. The duet singing...the ensemble singing...
   cannot be matched again. Robert Rounseville and
   Barbara Cook have such incomparably harmonic and
   well melded voices. Barbara Cook's singing in
   "Glitter and Be Gay" is coloratura artfulness...

   especially when she goes to the high "Ahhhh...
   singing of a sorrow, nothing can assuage." That
   section reminds me very much of Harolyn Blackwell's
   beautiful voice and singing of "Summertime" in
   the Glyndebourne Festival Opera's recording of
   *Porgy and Bess* on EMI Classics, conducted by
   Simon Rattle.
   I saw a memorial documentary on the life of
   Bernstein, and at the end of it they played
   "Make Our Garden Grow"...it was a very moving
   tribute to a brilliant, but sometimes ego-
   driven and obsessed titan...I also cannot forget
   another documentary in which he was recording
   "West Side Story" with Jose Carreras and Kiri
   Te Kanawa. His hectoring of Carerras was
   painful to watch...but instructive and
   insightful of the nature of the man, as well.

   "We're neither pure...nor wise...nor good...
   We'll do the best we know...we'll build
   our house...and chop our wood...and make
   our garden grow...and make our garden...
   GROW!"

3 comments about Say It with Music.

1. I downloaded Say It from Music from Emusic.com. This artist truly has a beautiful voice. I only wish that more recorded material was available from her. If you like easy listening, I highly recommend Margie Gibson.



2. I FELL COMPELLED TO WRITE THIS REVIEW SEEN THE SCORING IT GOT FROM ANOTHER REVIEWER . ALTHOUGH THE MUSIC MAY BE SOMETHING OF A PERSONAL TASTE , MARGIE GIBSON GIVES AN EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE BY ANY STANDARDS AND I WILL GIVE IT A 5 MARK VOTE AS I DONT HAVE THE ABILITY TO GIVE A 6 STAR RATING



3. When I first heard this cd I thought I was listening to Anne Murray. Margie's voice has a very strong resemblance to Anne's voice. I think Margie's voice is a little bit better than Anne's.

   I bought this cd by accident, but i'm not sorry for this decision. This is a fairly enjoyable cd. It has some good songs and sidemen that perform on it. The main concern I have for this cd is the lack of enough what I would call "great songs". Most of the songs performed here are household names, but I would have preferred some other songs be performed for this project.

   I Would Like To Recommend This CD

5 comments about Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century.

1. This is an impressive collection-- a century's worth of great music. 26 discs, covering many different genres.
   
   And while there is plenty of variety here, it is very much weighted to the modern era. Only eight of the 26 discs contain pre-1950 material, and of those eight, most contain only about half-a-disc's worth of pre-1950 material. It is certainly true that fewer recordings were made in the early days of the technology, but to call it a "Soundtrack for a Century" and ignore half the century seems very misguided.
   
   What would have made a much more interesting collection would have been a set that looked at the most popular recordings of each era and genre. Since there are six discs of "pop" music here, why not divide the discs into roughly equal spans of time (1900-1915, 1915-1930, 1930-1945, etc.) and include the top-selling records of that era? The same with classical, jazz, r&b, and so on. This would make for a much more balanced collection.
   
   I recommend this set only if you find it for an incredibly good price. There is a lot of fascinating music here, but the collection is not good enough to warrant the extremely high price tag.



2. When it comes to box sets it is really hit or miss. And any box set that is over $100 has a bigger chance of sitting on the shelf for years than a cheaper one. Sony should have sold the disks individually. I think they would have made A LOT more revenue off this unit. I ended up getting a lot of the songs I wanted (20s, 30s, 40s) from iTunes. Just because selling it as a box set makes it convenient doesn't mean it will set. There are 5 or 6 discs that I would buy. But I can't afford nor want it ALL. Check it out on iTunes before you buy. It was a great idea and effort on Sony's part. I wish more studios would do these kinds of compilations!



3. The sample tracks are actually the first five tracks on disc 25 (even though they are next to the first 5 tracks of disc 1. There are over 400 hundred tracks- but only 5 sample tracks we can listen to- doesn't seem right.
   Many good songs- but the collection is way to pricey. If you don't have any of these songs, or not too many, maybe it is a good deal, but most people already have a fair amount of these songs.



4. Yes, there is some great music on this set. That is undeniable. No, I wouldn't even dream of buying it. Basically, to sum it up, anything set that places work by Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong next to the "work" of Will Smith or Mariah Carrey is an abomination that must be scorned at all costs. By placing art beside garbage, the attempt is to elevate the garbage, but the result is that it defames the art. The existence of this set insults me. I could just see the vapid Sony Music suits pieceing together this monstrosity--- This set, in a word, disgusts me. By placing the sublime beside the profane, Sony has insulted serious music fans everywhere. At best, this could serve as a thesis about the Kamikaze-decline of popular music over the years. Revolting. Go build your own record collection, don't let some dim-wit corporate tool do it for you.



5. I was happy to see Bob Dylans work on the albums so many times. His work is truly brilliant but i don't know why they put The Byrds version of Mr.Tambourine man instead of his.

5 comments about Disney's Greatest Hits 1 & 2.

1. All the songs you know by heart from childhood and recent hits. Original recordings you really know. No need to buy the individual albums since this has the songs you really want. My 6 year old son and I sing them together. You should also get volume 3.



2. The titla says it all- Anybody will enjoy these CDs- you and your children can sing along the same songs from the movies- I love that the songe are sang by the charactors from the movies and not by Pop stars-



3. My wife and I purchased Disney Hits 1 & 2 for our 16 month old daughter. She goes to sleep to these CDs every night because they soothe her. She loves the music from the Disney movies themselves instead of the remakes from other artists.



4. I don't see why they have to bring out another disney CD. They already have bought one out about a year ago with all of the same songs!
   
   It is pointless really.
   
   Oh well, the album still looks very good!



5. In this two-disc CD pack, you'll get all the classic Disney songs like, "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "The Circle of Life." I'm not the type of person who listens to this kind of music, but since it's from the classic Disney flicks I used to watch as a kid, there's an exception. If you're the kind of person that enjoys Disney music like I do, then these are the CD's for you!

No comments about Beethoven.

4 comments about The Jello Is Always Red: The Cabaret Songs of Clark Gesner (1997 Studio Cast).

1. I love the combination of singable melodies and clever (and sometimes even thought-provoking) words. Winston Clark's perfect arrangements and impeccable piano accompaniment provide highlights both for the wonderful (and, let's face it, some not-so-wonderful) songs. I have listened to "I Love a Lad" about two dozen times, and it still gives me goosebumps when she sings "and one day it will sift away." What a choice of words!



2. Clark Gesner's show, which played a limited run at the york theater in New York city, was as witty, sublime, and subtle as he was in life. I highly recommend this funny, fun cd for any musical theater fan.



3. This CD by Clark Gesner is fantastic. The majority of the songs are hilarious and raise many points that will leave you wondering, "hmm...I wonder why I never thought of that!" Though the cabaret feel is exemplified by the absence of orchestrations, each song is strong and reminiscent of his other major work: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. I firmly believe this CD to be a good purchase; I only wish that there were a story combining all the songs for what a musical this would make!



4. Though many of the ideas are good (some are downright profound) the lyrics and the songs leave a lot to be desired. The jokes are infantile and not at all clever.

5 comments about The Phantom of the Opera (Original German Cast).

1. Very good album in the German version for this English masterpiece.
   Not only for German speakers but also for Phantom's fans in order to know how the songs "look and sounds" in other language.



2. Beautiful - Highly Recommended
   
   I originally bought this version of the Phantom because I was homesick for Earl Carpenter (the current London Phantom), but now that I've heard Hofmann sing the role I'm very pleased with the CD on its own merits. He has a beautiful voice and his acting is subtle - a trait that I value very highly. A lot actors playing the phantom seem to equate passion with a big mouth and overblown acting - that and cape flipping (Mr. Carpenter can be guilty of a bit too much cape flipping as well - the graveyard scene for example - but he makes up for it in so many other ways.) I especially love the little twist that Hofmann gives the title song - it's probably due to the unique cadences of the German language, but either way, it's a wonderful variation.
   
   And just a word for Crawford, I saw him in New York and in Los Angeles playing the Phantom and I only wish that those performances had been recorded, especially the Los Angeles run - his voice had so much added depth. And, for me, his acting of the role will never be equaled, but I do think that Earl Carpenter is giving him a run for his money by taking the character off in a different direction.
   
   Buy this CD.



3. I gave this recording 4 stars simply for the orchestra. It's marvelous. Some songs seem faster than the OLC, I agree with other reviewers. But some songs also seem a little slower. There are some differences in the way certain lines are sung, and the title song is different than other recordings I've heard. I can't quite say what it is -- maybe it's just the pace -- but it's superb! I love the simple change in melody with the "And though you turn from me to glance behind" line. I am disappointed with Anna Maria Kaufmann. She has a nice voice but -- how do I say this? -- it's odd. Her vibrato is strange and she seems a tad underpowered at times. I'm not too fond of her Christine. But the worst is Peter Hofmann as the Phantom. He lacks passion and just sounds bored when he sings. He also comes across as rather old, so when he sings he sounds like an old man talking about something entirely uninteresting, like what he ate for breakfast. I do like his, "Ich liebe dich!" ("I love you!") in the Final lair scene, though. I like Carlotta and Piangi a lot. They are energetic and have wonderful, powerful voices.



4. Of all the versions of Phantom of the Opera I have heard, so far this one is the most opera-like in terms of the singing voices. This helps to really bring out the operatic qualities of the score, moreso than, say, the Canadian or London cast recordings. The orchestrations and arrangements are pretty right on as well, not too overdone or too wimpy. I don't quite understand why the guy playing the Phantom decided to start out his solo in "Das Phantom Der Oper" an octave lower than written. It was an interesting choice, but what exactly was the point? Thankfully, he took it back up the octave for the chorus. Overall he is a good actor but a little more "baritone-ish" than I prefer. Go ahead and give it a shot; at the very least you'll get to learn the Phantom in a new language.



5. Not only are the voices beautifully captivating, but the music in and of itself is fantastic! The German language is not at all harsh or unpleasant. I am a hard-core Phantom fan and this is the best version of the soundtrack in another language that I have heard yet! Definitely recommend this one!

No comments about Manon 70/Si J'Etais un Espion.

No comments about Classic Gene Kelly Movies.

No comments about June Christy and the Johnny Guarnieri Quintet 1949.