The Lovers' Waltz

The Lovers' Waltz

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
There are faster and flashier fiddlers than Jay Ungar, but he is almost without peer as a composer of fiddle tunes. Blessed with that rare knack for making his melodies move in ways that stir the listener's longings, he is best known for penning and performing "Ashokan Farewell," the evocative theme from "The Civil War" TV series. Ungar's 1997 album with his wife Molly Mason, The Lover's Waltz, takes its name from another striking fiddle theme, a slow-moving melody that seems to trace the rise of romantic desire and its satisfaction in each 32-bar section.

Mason accompanies her husband on piano, guitar, and bass, and she sings on four of the album's 16 tracks in an ingratiating alto. For the most part, though, the lead voice is Ungar's violin, which seems to sing in a note-bending, heart-tugging tenor. His melodies can be elegiac ("The Mountain House"), picturesque ("Prairie Love Song"), or spirited ("Tiptoe Alley"), but they are always memorable. The duo is joined by Balfa Toujours for a lively Cajun song, by John Sebastian for a cowboy tune, and by Swingology for several jazz and klezmer tunes. The liner notes try to give the compositions the narrative shape of a badly-written romance novel, but these tunes don't need any help. They can enchant the listener with the sheer power of melody. --Geoffrey Himes

The Lovers' Waltz,Jay Ungar,Molly Mason,Angel Records,Folk,Folk & Traditional,Mandolin,Neo-Traditional Folk,Pop,Popular Music,Traditional Folk

The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack)
Average customer rating:

brilliant. a truely timeless classic

FINALLY, KEER AND NIXON BOTH SING

The King and I--a distinguished, beautiful score laced with tenderness and sorrow

A fine King and I soundtrack reissue

great album

The King and I (1956 Film Soundtrack)
Deborah Kerr , Yul Brynner , Marni Nixon , Rita Moreno , and Alfred Newman
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Oklahoma! (1955 Film Soundtrack)

South Pacific (1958 Film Soundtrack)

Carousel (1956 Film Soundtrack)

My Fair Lady (1964 Film Soundtrack)

The Music Man (1962 Film Soundtrack)

ASIN: B00005A7XC
Release Date: 2001-03-13

Tracks:

Main Title - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
I Whistle A Happy Tune - Marni Nixon/Rex Thompson
My Lord And Master - Rita Moreno
The March Of The Siamese Children - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Anna And The Royal Wives - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Hello, Young Lovers - Marni Nixon
A Puzzlement - Yul Brynner
Getting To Know You - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon
Garden Rendezvous - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
We Kiss In A Shadow - Leona Gordon/Reuben Fuentes
I Have Dreamed - Leona Gordon/Reuben Fuentes
Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You? - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon
Something Wonderful - Terry Saunders
Prayer To Buddha - Yul Brynner
Waltz Of Anna And Sir Edward - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
The Small House Of Uncle Thomas - Rita Moreno
Song Of The King - Yul Brynner/Marni Nixon
Shall We Dance? - Deborah Kerr/Marni Nixon/Yul Brynner
The Letter - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman
Something Wonderful (Finale) - Chorus/Alfred Newman
Overture (LP Version) - 20th Century-Fox Orchestra/Alfred Newman

Amazon.com essential recording

Compared with the Broadway cast recording, the 1956 soundtrack to the film version of The King and I wins hands down. Yul Brynner is the king (literally and figuratively) in both formats (how could anyone else own such a role?), but the movie's score has better sonics, Brynner's voice is stronger, and the tunes are more memorable (thanks to Alfred Newman's conducting and Ken Darby's scoring) than on any of the various cast recordings. Marni Nixon sings the role of Anna (played onscreen by Deborah Kerr), Brynner delivers his hallmark performance, and the best-loved tunes--"Hello, Young Lovers," "Getting to Know You," and "I Whistle a Happy Tune" are the versions we'll always remember. A classic. --James Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

brilliant. a truely timeless classic.......2007-07-29

of all the musical teams, rodgers and hammerstein are pretty much the most recognizable. whether or not they are the best, im not entirely sure. but the king and i is, in my opinion, their greatest contribution to american theater. so it is ironic that the film soundtrack is one ot the best versions of it.

SONGS
what's great here is that although several songs were cut for the movie, they are included on the soundtrack (my lord and master, shall i tell you what i think of you) it's a shame they were left out, but getting to hear them here is pretty great. there's a great broadway feel because of that, so i'm glad they made their way to this soundtrack

SONGS 5 out of 5

PERFORMERS
well of course there's yul brynner as the king, and no one tops him. his combination of stupborness and confusion are great and even these vocal tracks show why he won his oscar. marni nixon (who dubbed for deborah kerr) and deborah kerr perform together on several tracks, and the dubbing is perfect. you can't tell where one begins and the other ends. nixon's voice is flawless and she is great here too. sadly the supporting performers are mildly forgettable. personally i didnt care for reuben fuentes and leona gordon's dubbing for lun tha and tuptim respectively. they both do well, but aren't as moving martin vidnovic and june angela in the 1977 broadway revival. and, as well as fuentes and gordon actually do, they lack the presence and emotional level that is unsurpassed by peabo bryson and lea salonga on the 1992 studio cast album

PERFORMERS 5 out of 5

this is a great recording from a great movie that is a wonderful addition for either music lovers, musical lovers, or movie lovers. and fans of the king and i cant pass this up. marni nixon and of course yul brynner are amazing and shouldnt be forgotten.

FINALLY, KEER AND NIXON BOTH SING.......2007-05-26

WHAT A COMPLETE JOY TO HEAR MARNI NIXON AND
DEBORAH KERR BOTH SING. TRULY A COLLECTORS
ITEM WITH ALL THE NOSTALGIA, OUTSHINES ALL
OTHER ATTEMPTS TO RE-MASTER THIS MAGNIFICANT
MUSIC.

The King and I--a distinguished, beautiful score laced with tenderness and sorrow.......2007-04-08

The King And I soundtrack is presented magnificently on this excellent 76 minute CD. This CD offers us much music and vocals that were cut from the film as well as material that never made it to the record album release of the soundtrack back in 1956. We get stunning performances by giants including Yul Brynner, Terry Saunders and Marni Nixon. This CD is so complete and generous with it's treatment of the soundtrack that it must be considered as the definitive soundtrack edition of the music from The King And I.

The CD starts off with the music for the "main title" of the film; and this also serves as an appetizer to whet out appetites for what's to come. "I Whistle A Happy Tune" gives us Marni Nixon singing the vocals for Deborah Kerr; the melody is infectiously catchy; this song is one of the highlights of the CD. "My Lord And Master," performed by Leona Gordon who sang the vocals for Rita Moreno, is another masterpiece with a softness to it that belies the pain Rita's character Tuptim feels because she is separated from her one true love. "The March Of The Siamese Children" is performed by the 20th Century Fox Orchestra to perfection without a single superfluous note; the melody infuses this number with an Asian flavor as well.

Other gems on this CD--and that would, quite honestly, include every single track--include "Hello, Young Lovers" sung by Marni Nixon as Deborah Kerr's character Anna Leonowens laments a love gone awry back in England; the touching and heartrending "We Kiss In A Shadow;" Terry Saunders as Lady Thiang performing "Something Wonderful" with exceptional sensitivity and "Shall We Dance?" which is performed by Deborah Kerr, Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner. As you listen to numbers like "Shall We Dance?" that calls for Anna, played by Deborah Kerr, to speak and then sing, you will have a hard time discerning where Deborah Kerr leaves off speaking and Marni Nixon starts singing. It's THAT good.

As long as I include the words "Something Wonderful" when writing this review I must add that the extras you get are stupendous. As I stated above, the CD boasts much that the record album soundtrack never included. Indeed, we get music that didn't even make it to the final cut of the movie! I loved the beautiful and sensitive rendition of "The Small House Of Uncle Thomas" which was previously unreleased and "Shall I Tell You What I Think Of You" is a marvelous song--cut from the final edited edition of the film--that highlights Anna's contempt for the King's backward ways.

The CD package offers more still. Along with the CD comes a generous 32 page booklet with an extensive essay by Charles L. Granata that tells the history of both the stage play and the making of the stage play into a major motion picture at Fox. In addition, you get the song credits and there are rarely seen photographs as well.

The quality of the sound shines like solid gold. These performances reflect great sensitivity to the emotions each character felt. It is a special treat to listen to Yul Brynner's songs; he infuses each song and even every word with just the right emotions so that the listener experiences exactly what his character feels at every turn.

This CD is one of the very few that truly remind me of the old MGM logo which boasted of having "more stars than there are in the heavens." Indeed, five stars are nowhere near enough for this treasure. I highly recommend this CD for people who truly loved and appreciated The King And I both in its several onstage productions as well as on the big screen; and fans of show tunes will delight in this CD soundtrack with its' diamonds scattered broadly in all directions.

A fine King and I soundtrack reissue.......2007-02-10

Of the three recent EMI-Angel R&H film soundtrack reissues, I find that this reissue of the King & I soundtrack is the best-executed. The King and I shows a new maturing of the R&H element and this superb 1956 film adaptation more than certainly does it justice. The superb soundtrack presented here includes the complete score, along with some of Alfred Newman's underscoring, and boasts splendid performances by Marni Nixon and Yul Brynner. And of course the orchestra is sumptuous and properly lush, enveloping us in sweltering renditions of some of Rodgers' most heartfelt melodies.

I won't reiterate the critic-proof performances here. Other reviewers have covered them elsewhere. Nixon as a voice-dubber is in her element as Anna, and portrays her characterfully. Brynner is in his element as the King, as firm, commanding and authoritative as we've always known him to be. This performance shows him at his best, ripe, fresh and mature. Leona Gordon and Reuben Fuentes shine as the star-crossed lovers Tuptim and Lun Tha, bringing a melancholic quality to their brief numbers. It's really a treat to hear their renditions of the omitted songs My Lord and Master and I Have Dreamed. Rita Moreno as the real Tuptim acquits herself well when narrating the Uncle Tom's Cabin ballet sequence, presented for the first time on an official soundtrack recording. It's good to also hear Terry Saunders as Lady Thiang, in a heartfelt, humane and imploring rendition of Something Wonderful, and she is the icing on the cake of this superb soundtrack recording.

This EMI-Angel R&H soundtrack offers an extra benefit in addition to the extra musical sequences. Unlike the companion CDs of Oklahoma and Carousel, it presents the extra material from the original unmixed studio vault masters, except for the Prayer to Buddha and the Uncle Tom's Cabin ballet. This means that this reissue is blessedly free of the extraneous sound effects that plague the Oklahoma and Carousel CDs. I know that the sound effects and little snippets of dialogue drown out the music, but at least these reissues are a start in presenting comprehensive R&H soundtracks worthy of their films. What a pity that none of these R&H soundtrack reissues aren't 2-CD sets, otherwise we would have been able to hear the underscore.

In short, this is a superb presentation of a fine R&H film soundtrack.

great album.......2006-07-15

Great songs for kids to learn to sing along, instead of bubble gum fluff.

Average customer rating:

A Lingering Love
Great Music
You just might be tempted to waltz the night away...
Happy times!
Used this for our First Dance at our Wedding

The Lovers' Waltz
Jay Ungar , and Molly Mason
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Folk | Styles | Music

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Harvest Home
Civil War Classics
Waltzing With You
Song of Home
Relax Your Mind

ASIN: B000002SLZ
Release Date: 1997-01-28

Tracks:

The Lover's Waltz (Duet)
The Misty Dawn (Misty Molly/Foxy Mary/My Darling Asleep)
The Mountain House
Contradance Medley (The Road We Traveled/The Wizard's Walk)
Legends Of The Fall
The Lover's Lament
Prarie Love Song
Louisana Wedding Bells
The Montague Processional
Give Me Your Hand
There's Hone On The Moon Tonight
Metsakukkia
Chosen Challe Mazeltov
Tiptoe Alley
It's All In Your Mind
The Lovers' Waltz

Amazon.com

There are faster and flashier fiddlers than Jay Ungar, but he is almost without peer as a composer of fiddle tunes. Blessed with that rare knack for making his melodies move in ways that stir the listener's longings, he is best known for penning and performing "Ashokan Farewell," the evocative theme from "The Civil War" TV series. Ungar's 1997 album with his wife Molly Mason, The Lover's Waltz, takes its name from another striking fiddle theme, a slow-moving melody that seems to trace the rise of romantic desire and its satisfaction in each 32-bar section.

Customer Reviews:

A Lingering Love.......2006-11-06

The Lover`s Waltz is a beautiful CD of Americana music that difinately lingers on your mind. It is gentle,sweet,yet full of imagery that invokes strong memories of first love,dancing,and lingering love. The jaunty tune, There`s Honey on the Moon Tonight,adds that bit of backpourch fun that all ages will enjoy.Anyone from Louisiana will certainly believe Louisiana Wedding Bells was written for them.This is not all wedding music though. It is more about the belief of love,weddings,and sometimes lost loves.Jay Unger And Molly Mason are to be commended for the lovely memories the beautiful colaboration has produced.

Great Music.......2006-06-28

I bought this CD for one song, The Lover's Waltz duet, and love to listen to the whole CD. It is very calming but not elevator music. Jay and Molly are definately masters of their music!

You just might be tempted to waltz the night away..........2006-03-16

My wife and I love listening to Jay Ungar's Lovers Waltz. It seems that whenever we find ourselves on a long road trip we always take this CD along. We both love the simple and beautiful fiddle and acoustic guitar music Jay and Molly play. We have actually waltzed on our rear deck to "The Mountain House" and other beautiful songs from this CD. This is as I stated in another Jay Ungar Review, "Honest Music".

You just might be tempted to go to the fabric store and buy your wife some Calico Cloth and dig out your grandpa's corduroy jeans and suspenders before you waltz the night away with your special lady.

Also as previously stated it would be a safe assumption that if Jay Ungar and Molly Mason (Jay's lovely wife) are involved in the music in any way... buy it...

The Lover's Waltz includes:

The Lover's Waltz (Duet)
The Misty Dawn (Misty Molly/Foxy Mary/My Darling Asleep)
The Mountain House
Contradance Medley (The Road We Traveled/The Wizard's Walk)
Legends Of The Fall
The Lover's Lament
Prairie Love Song
Louisiana Wedding Bells
Give Me Your Hand
There's Hone On The Moon Tonight
Metsakukkia)
Chosen Challe Mazeltov
Tiptoe Alley
It's All In Your Mind
The Lovers' Waltz

Happy times!.......2006-02-25

This recording brings some of the best of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason who together make great American music. I loved listening to it.

Used this for our First Dance at our Wedding.......2005-06-12

We found this album online while looking for music for our first dance. We chose Mountain House because it was just the perfect little waltz to dance to. We took some waltz dance lessons and choreographed dance moves to it. It was lovely. And, best of all, we shocked all our guests beacuse they didn't know we were taking dance lessons!

Average customer rating:

A Song Of Home
A little too slick and a little too much Galway
Very Compelling Classy Classical Appalachian
Is it the music or the musicians?
A National Treasure

Song of Home
James Galway , Jay Ungar , and Molly Mason
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Harvest Home
The Lovers' Waltz
Civil War Classics
Waltzing With You
James Galway ~ Meditations

ASIN: B00006IGQ0
Release Date: 2002-09-24

Tracks:

My Cape Breton Home
Foster's Ladies
Presidential Hornpipes
A Roving On A Winter's Night
The West Texas Waltz
Oh Shenandoah/Shenandoah Falls
The Lovers' Waltz
Bound For California
Heart Of The Heartland
Pretty Saro
The Mountain Ranger
Themes From 'Harvest Home Suite'
Amazing Grace

Customer Reviews:

A Song Of Home.......2005-07-09

You can feel his pride in his heritage in the way he plays on this CD

A little too slick and a little too much Galway.......2004-01-16

Based on the reviews I read about this album, I had high expectations. I am sorry to say that the album leaves me a little cold. The performances are superb, but unspontaneous. Another difficulty is with the orchestrations. In most cases on this album I think the flute just doesn't work. A case in point is Lover's Waltz, which is near perfect in the original Ungar/Mason version. Galway's flute just doesn't exude the same warmth. Another disappointment is Heart of the Heartland, which could have been an interesting conversation between Galway's flute and Ostroushko's mandolin. Instead we get another showcase for Galway with Ostroushko relegated to backup musician--what a shame! The only track I think that works well on this album is The West Texas Waltz, where we get a taste of how a really collaborative album might have sounded. I guess this album makes good easy listening, but it is certainly not the engaging album I would have expected of these folks.

After a year or two of owning this album, I have to say that the performances are even more stale that when I first reviewed it. I wish they'd let me take a star back.

Good for folks who like "easy listening". I like musicians who aren't afraid to challenge each other and themselves. This album had that potential, but falls flat.........

Very Compelling Classy Classical Appalachian.......2003-02-08

I get home from a hard day at the office and put on my headphones and am transported to heaven. If I had only two hours left of life on earth, I would want to listen to this album for one of them and we won't discuss the other hour please! Galway, Ungar, and Mason are superb. My wife and I were already of fan of Galway. Garrison Keillor's recommendation of "Waltzing with You" by Ungar and Mason (Sony) turned me on to Jay and Molly. Then on to "The Lover's Waltz" and "Harvest Home". The subtle blending and play between Galway's Flute, Jay's Fiddle, and Molly's Guitar . . . . God, there is nothing like it. If you buy this CD and don't like, I'll buy it off you and give it to a friend! ... Thanks Sir James, Jay and Molly.

Is it the music or the musicians?.......2002-12-07

During the many times I have listened to this album, I have posed myself the same question: is it the music I like best or the musicians that perform it? The music is compellingly rich for sure, music that makes the home a resonant place to live in the same way that a dancing wood fire speaks to the eyes of the soul. But the music sings with a penetrating warmth because of the seasoned artistry of the musicians who perform it. I have to give the tilt to the musicians who will forever haunt me with the flickering flames of their performance.

A National Treasure.......2002-10-20

This meeting of musical minds was a stroke of creative matchmaking by RCA. James Galway, the renowned flutist blends but does not blur with two of American folk music's more deeply rooted musical thinkers -- Jay Ungar & Molly Mason. Right from the start, "My Cape Breton Home," the art and craftsmanship, the painstaking selection and arrangement is evident. And this CD continues to delight the mind with an hour of the most beautiful music. All tunes, whether old favorites, like Stephen Foster's "Gentle Annie," or new and original, like "West Texas Waltz" by Jay Ungar, come together as naturally as the confluence of many streams. It seems as if you know these songs so well, which in my case is surprising, but perhaps not so surprising from a CD with Jay Ungar on it, composer of the evocative song for all time, "Ashokan Farewell." This piece has become a de facto theme for millions of people who heard it played again and again in the Ken Burns documentary on The Civil War.

The instrumentation, as you might expect, is the main feature of the CD. Flute, fiddle, piano, mandolin, guitar. But at what seems to be exactly the right time, Molly Mason and Ruth Ungar (Jay's daughter) voices sing out in harmony. And there is a deep understanding of the music here too, and therefore, much beauty in the sound. The rendering of "Pretty Saro" could stand alone as a classic, but when you hear it in order and against the background meticulously prepared by these musicians, it has a presence that is truly haunting.

Tracks:

Oklahoma!
Carousel
State Fair
South Pacific
The King And I
Cinderella Waltz
Flower Drum Song
The Sound Of Music

Customer Reviews:

Irresistible.......2005-07-29

From beginning to end this CD is pure delight. A great recording has great music, a great performance, and great sound; this one scores on all three counts.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals dominated Broadway in the 1940s and 1950s, and American musical theater has produced no more consistently eloquent and durable voice than Richard Rodgers. From his fertile genius flowed a surprising number of memorable songs, many of which have passed into and become an accepted and beloved part of modern American culture.

This well-filled CD (77:36) features symphonic arrangements (all but two by Robert Russell Bennett) of the music from Oklahoma (1943), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). All the great tunes are here in suites from each musical that average 10-12 minutes in length. The arrangements are expert: rich, varied, and colorful. The performances are polished, idiomatic, and irresistible; Kunzel and this orchestra are thorough masters of this kind of material. And Telarc's sound (recorded 1991) is state-of-the-art (engineer Michael Bishop deserves to take a bow).

In short, there's nothing here to cloud your listening pleasure (the only quibble I can imagine is that some of your favorites may not last long enough), so it's hard for me to envision anyone with ears and a taste for music who wouldn't enjoy this CD. Warmly recommended. Finally, if you like this one as much as I do, you might want to know that the same team has produced a companion volume, the Lerner & Lowe Songbook for Orchestra.

"Some Enchanted Evening" with Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.......2003-12-26

Erich Kunzel's Rodgers and Hammerstein anthology with the Cincinatti Pops Orchestra is one of the best and most ravishing instrumental Rodgers and Hammerstein albums of all time. With sumptuous arrangements and warm, natural Telarc recording, this glorious 77-minute CD presents sweeping, melodic arrangements of over 60 Rodgers and Hammerstein selections, spanning eight scores, and Kunzel allows the Pops to play with a characterful and polished understanding of the Rodgers and Hammerstein idiom. The disc is enough to cheer you up on a dull day and make you smile, and it might even want to make you feel like a convert to Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

This CD has all the scores arranged chronologically. The OKLAHOMA! suite that opens this disc promises a feast for the senses, Kunzel ably evokes the territory's "bright, golden haze" in the way he conducts the various excerpts, until you feel the atmosphere of the country charm of the show, and the love-affair between Curly and Laurey. Then, in CAROUSEL, he ably evokes the pathos of this tragic R&H masterwork, especially in the truncated Waltz, but he leads a wonderfully melodic "June is Bustin' Out All Over" and a devotional "You'll Never Walk Alone." Although this suite does not include Billy's pivotal Soliloquy, it includes "If I Loved You" as an expression of his love for Julie, and within minutes you could be soaked in the ups and downs of the show's mood.

After a brief STATE FAIR suite, with sweeping renditions of "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing", we are brought into the disc's showstopping highlights. These highlights are the excerpts from SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. But yet Kunzel conducts the rest of the disc until the various suites amount to a series of showstoppers. These three suites present wonderfully-arranged versions of their many familiar classic songs, with well-played solos. The SOUTH PACIFIC suite presents the songs in chronological order, yet preserves the atmosphere of the show at the same time. Kunzel ably brings out the romance in "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime," and contrasts it with the exotic and dreamlike "Bali Hai'i" and the comic "There is Nothing like a Dame" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair". Although the suite ends quietly with a reprise of "Dites-Moi" rather than the reprise of "Some Enchanted Evening," within minutes we are swept into the KING AND I suite. Kunzel ably brings out the Oriental pathos in this score, and he captures the warmth of Anna's rapport with the King's Siamese children in "Getting to Know You", and with the King himself in "Shall We Dance." There is also romance in the love ballads "I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in a Shadow." Similarly, in the selection from THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Kunzel conducts this until the orchestra soaks itself in the atmosphere of this Austrian R&H score. This SOUND OF MUSIC suite has more of a feel of the score compared to the bonus track on Sony's reissued version of the Broadway recording. You can almost feel as if you are following the progress of the Trapp family and how it lifts its spirits with the joy of music. Kunzel gives us a soaring version of the title song, and spirited versions of "Do-Re-Mi" and "My Favourite Things." He balances it with the open-air quality of "Edelweiss" and "The Lonely Goatherd." Although this suite could have included "Something Good," the love ballad written for the film, the three recollections of the songs that were cut from the movie only last for a while. And, the towering version of "Climb Every Mountain" crowns this portion of the disc, and this sumptuously-produced recording. But, I should also mention the infectuous FLOWER DRUM SONG medley, where Kunzel turns this underrated score into a work of art, until it convinces you to buy the cast recording. And, don't forget about the brief CINDERELLA WALTZ, too, when Kunzel conducts it magically, until you feel like you are in the company of Cinderella and the Prince. He is able to show how this R&H score marked a comeback for R&H after the failiures of Me and Juliet, and Pipe Dream.

Overall, this glorious Rodgers and Hammerstein recording is guarunteed to make you want to pucker your lips out for a whistle or sing along (to paraphrase another revew for Kunzel's Disney Spectacular disc) - even if this recording is music only, and as long as you know the words to the songs (and you might know a large handful of them already.) There is always a certain magic in this fine CD that makes you feel like you're sitting in the theatre watching these musicals, until it makes you feel like it is truly, to borrow two R&H song titles, "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Something Wonderful" to be in Kunzel's company for this R&H offering. It would certainly be one recording that could make you feel willing to buy the complete cast recordings of the shows. And I guaruntee that it will make you feel willing to pull out your existing copies of the cast recordings to listen to them again. I also guaruntee that it will be a cornerstone in any Rodgers and Hammerstein collection, just as it is in mine. Recommended heartily to any Rodgers and Hammerstein enthusiast and to fans of Erich Kunzel's work. And, you can play it while reading the Richard Rodgers biography, Musical Stages, until Rodgers himself would count this as his favourite disc in the afterlife.

By the way, most of the arrangements for the suites on this CD were done by the veteran R&H orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett, and it surely adds to the appeal of this recording. This itself is enough to amount to the icing on the cake, since Kunzel conducts them well on here, and since this recording still allows the suites to have the original theatrical atmosphere. And, although this recording is like the Mauceri collection of the Rodgers & Hammerstein overtures in compiling orchestral suites of Rodgers & Hammerstein, I think that I like the Kunzel recording even more because Kunzel has more magic in his conducting of these suites.

Excellent!.......2003-04-08

This is one of the best Erich Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops collections we own! A must for Rodgers and Hammerstein fans, too.

Great Arrangments.......2001-09-02

This is a first rate album with great arrangments and orchestrations. If you're a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, you can't afford to miss this specatacular album

Average customer rating:

Fantastic
a pianist's pianist performing musical gems...
Exquisite,elegant,nostalgic pieces we seem to have ignored

Stephen Hough's New Piano Album

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Stephen Hough Piano Collection
Stephen Hough's English Piano Album
The Piano Album
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York Bowen: Piano Music

ASIN: B000031WGH
Release Date: 1999-11-16

Customer Reviews:

Fantastic.......2007-06-12

Stephen Hough plays with such heart that it's amazing he's still in one piece. His mastery of both lyrical and athletic genres is incredible. His recordings never fail to move me.

a pianist's pianist performing musical gems..........2002-08-15

While not as well known to the world at large, Stephen Hough is well known among pianists. He's had the knack for finding music that has been neglected and bringing it to light. The music on this CD is a collection of gems -- whose luster Hough brings to light. If you enjoy piano music, this is a "must have" disc.

Some anthologies, become tiresome. Not this one. This is an album you can put on and listen to -- and then listen to the whole disc again...and again. Then I've gone back and listened to some individual tracks still again. The music is compelling, and the performances are masterful.

Let's hope for another disc such as this from the great Stephen Hough.

Exquisite,elegant,nostalgic pieces we seem to have ignored.......2001-01-02

If you have thought the loftier magnetic emotive fields of postmodernity, its conceptual excesses as having abandoning the virtues of obvious enchantments,contentment and reveries as flowing backwards this selection here is an ardent affirmation. All the selections are a celebration of the lost world of piano elegance, of a deeply thought through timbral curiosity reserved for the character piece. We often have simply placed on the shelves of music history these elegant particles of emotion in search for loftier weightier heights via the symphony or concerto. I dare say that time has been wasted. The sentimental the lost time is here evidenced in all these selections, Schubert/Liszt Soirees de Viene easily transports one back, nostalgically for we are escaping here the turmoils of the Hapsburg and Hollenzollerns kingdoms. Likewise the ardent piano composer Leopold Godowsky here his "Alt Wien" is like a New Years celebration. You will find neglected parts of the repertoire as well here pursued by Hough. The Moszkowski is like a crosshanded tribute to Scarlatti, little impeccably crafted textures and pianistic colours are here in Etincelles. Hough's arrangement of Kalman's "Was weiss ein nie gekusster Rosenmund" is simply for seriouslovers of any persuaion, like Marlene Dietrich's "I am driven to you like a moth to a flame". Hough plays all this music with the visionary reserve the music needs, I can easily see this music being romanticized where certain chord progressions certain emotive inflections at the ends of phrases,are(rubatisized) milked for all their worth. Hough here keeps/maintains a discipline.

The character pieces here of the Russian soul has also been neglected,We wanting the East to only join the West in loftier subject matter. Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky,in pairs of Humoresques have inspired memorable experiences based on simple melodies. There are as ever bit as a challenge to create as their colossol concertos. It is a skill of a different sort,but one just as vigorous creativily and challenging.

Tracks:

Canon In D Major - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Piano Concerto No.21 'Elvira Madigan': Andante - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Pagliacci: Vesti la giubba - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Madame Butterfly: Un bel di - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Romeo And Juliet: Fantasy Overture - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Polovstian Dances 8 And 17: Prince Igor - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Tristan And Isolde: Overture - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Symphony No.3, 'Organ': Poco adagio - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS

Tracks:

Air For The 'G' String - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Moonlight Sonata: Adagio sostenuto - Dubravka Tomsic
Swan Lake: Suite - Scene: Enchanted Lake - London Festival Orchestra
Piano Concerto No.2: Adagio sostenuto - Garrison Kent
Clair de lune - Anna Lelkes
Aida: Celeste, Aida - Jose Perez
La Boheme: Che gelida manina - Jose Perez
Symphony No.9, 'From The World': Largo - Berlin Symphony Orchestra
Martha: Ach, so Fromm - Jose Perez
The Planets, Op.32: Venus (The Bringer Of Peace) - Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Bolero - Radio Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

'Peer Gynt' Suite: Morning Song - Slavonic Philharmonic Orchestra
Xerxes: Largo - London Festival Orchestra
Piano Concerto No.20: Romance - Svetlana Stanceva
The Nutcracker Suite: Arabian Dance - Berlin Festival Orchestra
Pavan - London Festival Orchestra
The Afternoon Of A Faun: Prelude - London Festival Orchestra
Giselle: Adagio: Waltz - Philharmonia Orchestra Of London
The Carnival Of The Animals: The Swan - London Festival Orchestra
Eine kleine Nachtmusik: Romanze: Andante - Camerata Academica
The Tales Of Hoffman: Barcarolle - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Cavalleria Rusticana: Intermezzo - London Festival Orchestra
Daphnis And Chloe - Slavonic Philharmonic Orchestra

Tracks:

The Sleeping Beauty Suite: Pas d'action: Andante - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Scheherazade: The Young Prince And Young Princess - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Clarinet Concerto In A Major: Adagio - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
On The Beautiful, Blue Danube - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Dawn Until Noon On The Sea: La Mer - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmen: Intermezzo - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmen: Seguidilla - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmen: Habanera - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmen: Nocturne - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmina Buraba: Omnia sol temperat - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmina Buraba: Amor volat undique - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Carmina Buraba: Dies, nox et omnia - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS
Symphony No.6, 'Pathetique': Adagio lamentoso: Andante - CLASSICS FOR LOVERS

Customer Reviews:

Greatest Collection of Classical I have........2006-12-14

I don't care much for compilation CDs. Usually they are someone else's favorite set of songs from that genre or composer. I usually like the songs, but when I get into listening to the other songs in the genre or by the same composer I find songs that I'm more fond of.

This collection is different.

I try not to be too generous with my top ratings in iTunes for songs, I don't give out a four or five stars to just anything, but many of the songs from this collection make up a good chunk of my top rated songs. I just love this collection.

This is not a good digital recording.......1999-07-27

There is a 'record player' hum in the background when you try to listen to various tracks on these CDs. The compilation is wonderful. The Quality of the recording is very disappointing. The outside of the album cover reads DDD which I thought to mean clean and clear all digital recording. Don't be deceived by the cover.

John Gay: The Beggar's Opera; Edward German: Tom Jones (Highlights)

Average customer rating:

Enjoyably 'Inauthentic,' Authentically 1950s Version

John Gay: The Beggar's Opera; Edward German: Tom Jones (Highlights)

Manufacturer: Class. for Pleas. Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000089HAZ
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Tracks:

Overture - John Wills
Thro' All The Employments Of Life - Owen Brannigan
'Tis Woman That Seduces All Mankind - Alexander Young
If Love The Virgin's Heart Invade - Constance Shacklock
A Maid Is Like The Golden Ore - Constance Shacklock
Virgins Are Like The Fair Flower - Elsie Morison
Our Polly Is A Sad Slut - Constance Shacklock
Can Love Be Controlled By Advice? - Elsie Morison
O Polly, You Might Have Toy'd And Kiss'd - Elsie Morison
I Like A Ship In Storms Was Tossed - Elsie Morison
A Fox May Steal Your Hens, Sir - Owen Brannigan
O Ponder Well - Elsie Morison
Pretty Polly, Say - Elsie Morison
My Heart Was So Free - John Cameron
Were I Laid On Greenland's Coast - Elsie Morison
O What Pain It Is To Part - Elsie Morison
Fill Every Glass - Alexander Young
Let Us Take The Road - Alexander Young
If The Heart Of A Man - John Cameron
Youth's The Season - Dance - John Cameron
Before The Barn-Door Crowing - Dance - Anna Pollak
At The Tree I Shall Suffer - John Cameron
Man May Escape From Rope And Gun - John Cameron
App. 1. How Cruel Are The Traitors - Monica Sinclair
App. 3. When You Censure The Age - Owen Brannigan
How Happy Could I Be With Either - John Cameron
I'm Bubbled, I'm Bubbled - Monica Sinclair
Cease Your Funning - Elsie Morison
Melodrama: The Escape Of Macheath - John Wills

Tracks:

The Modes Of The Court So Common Are Grown - Alexander Young
In The Days Of My Youth - Owen Brannigan
Entrance Of Lucy - John Wills
I'm Like A Skiff On The Ocean Tost - Monica Sinclair
Come, Sweet Lass - Monica Sinclair
Hither, Dear Husband - Monica Sinclair
Which Way Shall I Turn Me? - John Cameron
The Charge Is Prepared - John Cameron
Macheath's Soliloquy - John Wills
Would I Might Be Hang'd - Monica Sinclair
Thus I Stand Like The Turk - John Cameron
Introduction - Don't You Find The Weather Charming? - Gilbert Vinter & His Orchestra
On A Januairy Morning In Zummerzetsheer - Nigel Brooks Chorus
West County Lad, What Is't Ye Lack? - Nigel Brooks Chorus
To-Day My Spinet, Closed And Idly Still - Cynthia Glover
Wisdom Says 'Festina Lente' - Shirley Minty
Madrigal: Here's A Paradox For Lovers - Shirley Minty
Dream O' Day Jill - Cynthia Glover
As All The Maids And I One Day - Shirley Minty
A Soldier's Scarlet Coat - Nigel Brooks Chorus
Love Maketh The Heart A Garden Fair - Cynthia Glover
Morris Dance - Gilbert Vinter & His Orchestra
Gavotte: Glass Of Fashion, Mould Of Form - Gilbert Vinter & His Orchestra
The Green Ribbon - Shirley Minty
If Love's Content Lie In The Spoken Word - Frederick Harvey
Recitative And Waltz Song: Which Is My Own True Self... - Cynthia Glover
Recitative And Waltz Song: For To-night Let Me Dream Out My Dream Of Delight - Cynthia Glover
Hark! The Merry Marriage Bells - Shirley Minty

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyably 'Inauthentic,' Authentically 1950s Version.......2005-05-14

By rights, this 1955 version of John Gay's much-adapted 1728 'ballad opera' should sound antiquated beyond redemption: the musical version used is Frederick Austin's well-worn, prettified (& verbally expurgated) 1920 arrangement, subjected to the indignity of being blown up from chamber ensemble to full orchestra; Sir Malcolm Sargeant's tempi are impossibly 'inauthentic' (ie. slow); there are numerous cuts even beyond Austin's omissions; & the 2 separate casts, of opera singers & actors, recorded in different months, are not always convincingly 'matched up.' Yet it's one of the most enjoyable recordings I know of.
A quick scan of the cast list(s) will tell you why: the singers include Elsie Morison, John Cameron, Monica Sinclair, Ian Wallace, Owen Brannigan & Alexander Young & the actors Zena Walker, John Neville, Rachel Roberts, Eric Porter & Paul Rogers. In other words, these are top pros & strong audio personalities who grab their every opportunity. The musical performance is sumptuous & sheer pleasure to listen to, the actors & dialogue 'production' brisk, funny & sharper than you might expect. And the sound for both music & dialogue is of demonstration quality, one of the best of the period.
Those who find this version too musically ponderous or dramatically reactionary can find antidotes in the Bare Baroque Basics one by Jeremy Barlow & The Broadside Band (Hyperion), word & note complete, & the radical & often inspired 1948 Benjamin Britten arrangement (complete on Argo, abridged with the original cast on Pearl). They'll be missing some good 50s fun, though.
They'll also be missing the only available excerpts (15 numbers) from Edward German's tuneful 1907 operetta 'Tom Jones.' This really IS 'cleaned up' 18th century, genteel beyond the call of duty, but for those who respond to musical theater of the period, highly recommended. The 1966 recording is lively & accomplished. As Miss Jean Brodie would say, For those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like. And a good thing too.

Average customer rating:

Chill out or.....have a ball!

Encores - Best of the Pops
Houston Symphony Orchestra , Denver Symphony Pops , and Rochester Pops
Manufacturer: Intersound Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Waltzes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Swing General | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

Contemporary Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music

General | Pop | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000000BML
Release Date: 1994-05-19

Tracks:

In The Mood
April In Paris
Misty
The Girl From Ipanema
The Typewriter Song
Easy Winners
I Got Rhythm
Star Dust
Bugler's Holiday
A Fifth Of Beethoven

Tracks:

Stompin' At The Savoy
Satin Doll
Syncopated Clock
Cheek To Cheek
Send In The Clowns
Skater's Waltz
Laura
Wives And Lovers
Lover
Alexander's Rag Time Band
Stars And Stripes Forever - Ever And Ever ... Amen

Customer Reviews:

Chill out or.....have a ball!.......2000-06-05

When I bought this album, I was a swinging grad student. The music accompanied me when I was working on my experiments (organic synthesis!). I never got bored, it really got me in the mood! So when I was planning my wedding banquet a few years later, I used some of the tracks (from number 6 onwards) during the event. This album will help me chronicle at least the past 3 years of my life. Buy it, you won't regret it. It will inspire you to move on with your life

Average customer rating:

A bargain collection of showtunes

Golden Greats: Greatest Broadway Hits

Manufacturer: Golden Greats
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Nostalgia | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

Traditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

Easy Listening | Compilations | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005USEJ
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Tracks:

Ouverture - Orchestra
Something Wonderfull - Dorothy Sarnoff
Doin' What Comes Natur'lly - Ethel Merman
Life Upon the Wicked Stage - Colette Lyons
So in Love - Patricia Morison
You'll Never Walk Alone - Jan Clayton, Christine Johnson
Bill - Carol Bruce
Hello, Young Lovers - Gertrude Lawrence
Bloody Mary - Male Chorus
I Can't Say No - Celeste Holm
This Was a Real Nice Clambake - Jan Clayton,
Oklahoma! - Alfred Drake
Sue Me - Vivian Blaine, Sam Levene
Woman Is a Sometime Thing - Edward Matthews
Some Enchanted Evening - Ezio Pinza,
I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' - Todd Duncan, Todd Duncan
Guys and Dolls - Douglas Deane, Stubby Kaye, Johnny Silver
It Ain't Necessarily So - Lawrence Tibbett
Make Believe - Jan Clayton
Wonderful Guy - Mary Martin
They Say It's Wonderful - Ethel Merman
When the Children Are Asleep - Jean Darling, Eric Mattson
More I Cannot Wish You - Pat Rooney, Sr., Pat Rooney, Sr.
Puzzlement - Yul Brynner
I Got Lost in His Arms - Ethel Merman

Tracks:

Overture...Summertime - Anne Brown
Why Can't You Behave? - Lisa Kirk, Harold Lang
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man - Carol Bruce
There's No Business Like Show Business - Chorus
If I Were a Bell - Isabel Bigley
People Will Say That We're in Love - Alfred Drake, Joan Roberts
Bess, You Is My Woman Now - Anne Brown
Luck Be a Lady Tonight - Robert Alda
Shall I Tell You What I Think of You? - Gertrude Lawrence
Girl That I Marry - Ray Middleton
Nobody Else But Me - Jan Clayton
Carousel Waltz - Orchestra
Dites-Moi - Barbara Luna
Ol' Man River - Kenneth Spencer
Summertime
Many a New Day - Joan Roberts
Blow High, Blow Low - Murvyn Vye
It Takes a Long Pull to Get There - Edward Matthews
You've Got to Be Carefully Taught - Billy Tabbert
We Open in Venice - Alfred Drake
I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair - Mary Martin
Who Do You Love, I Hope? - Kathleen Carnes, Robert Lenn
I've Never Been in Love Before - Robert Alda
Tom, Dick or Harry - Lisa Kirk
I Whistle a Happy Tune - Gertrude Lawrence

Tracks:

New York, New York - Lynn Murray, Lynn Murray
Almost Like Being in Love - Marion Bell, Dave Brooks, David Brooks
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - Vivienne Segal
Beat out Dat Rhythm on a Drum - June Hawkins
How Are Things in Glocca Morra? - Ella Logan
Old Devil Moon - Ella Logan
South American Way - Carmen Miranda
September Song - Walter Huston
This Is the Army, Mister Jones - Irving Berlin
Takin' a Chance on Love - Ethel Waters
My Heart Belongs to Daddy - Mary Martin
Anything Goes - Jeanne Aubert & The Four Admirals
You're the Top - Jeanne Aubert & The Four Admirals
I Get a Kick Out of You - Ethel Merman
Night and Day - Fred Astaire
I Got Rhythm - Red Nichols & His Orchestra
Someone to Watch Over Me - Gertrude Lawrence
Fascinatin' Rhythm - Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire
Strike Up the Band - Red Nichols & His Orchestra
Makin' Whoopee - Eddie Cantor
Heatwave - Ethel Waters
Easter Parade - Clifton Webb
She Didn't Say Yes - Peggy Wood
I've Told Every Little Star - Mary Ellis
Johnny One Note - Lynn Murray, Lynn Murray

Album Description

Import exclusive, budget price compilation featuring Broadway classics like 'You'll Never Walk Alone', 'Summertime', & There's No Business Like Show Business', performed by Ethel Merman, Gertrude Lawrence, Celeste Holm, & many more. 75 tracks in all. Standard double jewel case. Disky. 2001.

Album Details

3 CD set

Customer Reviews:

A bargain collection of showtunes.......2005-08-19

This bargain collection of showtunes is highlighted by the composition of Kurt Weill and the uniquely rolling tongue of Colette Lyons. I have a complaint about this compilation. It includes "Ol' Man River", but it excludes Al Jolson's rendition of "Ol' Man River." Otherwise, this collection gives you ample bang for your buck.