King of Stage

Track Listings

1. Girlfriend

2. Girl Next Door

3. Baby, I Wanna Tell You Something

4. You Ain't Been Loved Right

5. King of Stage

6. Love Obsession

7. Spending Time

8. Seventeen

9. Your Tender Romance

Editorial Reviews
New York Times, January 30, 2000
Lauridsen enjoys respect of music directors throughout America. Beauty, potency...grand/intimate works. Perpetual light shines on all the settings.

Los Angeles Times, December 20, 1998
Masterly works, both esoteric and accessible, simultaneously popular and deep, sung with passionate intensity. Give it to your best friend.

King of Stage

King of Stage,Bobby Brown,Mca,Club/Dance,Contemporary R&B,Dance-Pop,Hip-Hop,New Jack Swing,Pop,R&B,Soul/Reggae/Rhythm & Blues,Teen Pop,Urban

King of Stage

Tracks:

Shall We Dance?
Ohio
Luck Be A Lady
The Ballad Of Mack The Knife
There's A Small Hotel
Once In Love With Amy
The Yodel Blues
Lazy Afternoon
There Must Be Something Better Than Love
You're Just In Love
Now Is The Time

Customer Reviews:

STREISSAND LIVE IN CONCERT 2006.......2007-05-15

CONTENT WAS EXCELLENT BUT THE CD HAD TOO MANY GAPS IN TRANSITION FROM EACH TRACK.

György Ligeti Edition 4: Vocal Works (Madrigals, Mysteries, Aventures, Songs) - The King's Singers / Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen

Average customer rating:

An important modern composer for voice.
Another Entry into the Ligeti Library
Contains some good mature writing with some frankly dull early works
where's the dead weight?
Excellent in parts, but lumbered with much dead weight

György Ligeti Edition 4: Vocal Works (Madrigals, Mysteries, Aventures, Songs) - The King's Singers / Philharmonia Orchestra / Esa-Pekka Salonen
Gyorgy Ligeti , Esa-Pekka Salonen , Rosemary Hardy , Christiane Oelze , The King's Singers , Philharmonia Orchestra , Philip Lawson , Bruce Russell , Sibylle Ehlert , Phyllis Bryn-Julson , Omar Ebrahim , Irina Kataeva , David Hurley , Pierre-Laurent Aimard , Stephen Connolly , Malena Ernman , Eva Wedin , and Robert Chilcott
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000029P3
Release Date: 1997-01-21

Tracks:

Nonsense Madrigals: I Two Dreams And Little Bat
Nonsense Madrigals: II Cuckoo In The Pear-Tree
Nonsense Madrigals: III The Alphabet
Nonsense Madrigals: IV Flying Robert
Nonsense Madrigals: V The Lobster Quadrille
Nonsense Madrigals: VI A Long, Sad Tale
Le Grand Macabre: Mysteries Of The Macabre
Aventures
Nouvelles Aventures: Sostenuto
Nouvelles Aventures: Agitato molto
Der Sommer
Harom Weores-dal: I Tancol a Hold feher ingben
Harom Weores-dal: II Gyumolcs-furt
Harom Weores-dal: III Kalmar jott nagy madarakkal
Ot Arany-dal: I Csalfa sugar
Ot Arany-dal: II A legszebb virag
Ot Arany-dal: III A csendes dalokbol
Ot Arany-dal: IV A bujdoso
Ot Arany-dal: V Az ordog elvitte a financot
Negy lakodalmi tanc: I A menyasszony szep virag
Negy lakodalmi tanc: II A kapuban a szeker
Negy lakodalmi tanc: III Hopp ide tisztan
Negy lakodalmi tanc: IV Mikor kedves Laci batyam

Amazon.com

Rejoice! The world-premiere recordings of six Ligeti works are cause for celebration. Three of the pieces are recent (1988-93), and three were written during Ligeti's youth in Hungary. In the liner notes, Ligeti movingly describes the artistic climate under the Communist regime. One of the highlights, the third of six Nonsense Madrigals is a beautiful setting of the English alphabet. The other premieres are Mysteries of the Macabre sung by the brilliant Sibylle Ehlert, and a Hölderlin poem arranged for soprano and piano. The earlier premieres are settings of Hungarian poets, for one or three voices and piano. This is a stunning set, encompassing Ligeti's adventurous, polyphonic side and ample heartfelt poignance as well. --Robert Regile

Customer Reviews:

An important modern composer for voice........2006-08-26

'Gyorgy Ligeti Edition 4' composed by Gyorgy Ligeti and performed under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen is at least as entertaining as the second title in this series, even if it does not include any of Ligeti's works which were used on the sound track of '2001'. Like his 'a capella' works, this disk shows a great range of styles, going from central European folk dances to some phrases which sound as if they are being done by the Limelighters!. To the voices, the instruments add a lot of pops, whistles, and hoots which are beyond the range of the human voice, but the human and the mechanical sounds meld well to produce a really enjoyable sample of modern music.

Another Entry into the Ligeti Library.......2005-10-22

The solo voice and choral works of György Ligeti are rarely heard, with the exception of performances in some of the better university and college choral programs. This richly entertaining and fascinating recital once again survey's Ligeti's influence on contemporary music by scanning his career from early to current works, this time for the human voice.

The 'Nonsense Madrigals' as performed by the King's Singers are wildly funny and endearing. Here are compositional techniques that reflect the long career in instrumental composition that has influenced them. Esa-Pekka Salonen, long a devotee of Ligeti's music, conducts the Philharmonia when ensemble support is indicated ('Mysteries of the Macabre' excerpts form his opera "Le Grand Macabre" as perfectly intoned by Sibylle Ehlert; the various forms of 'Aventures & Nouvelles aventures' with soloists Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Omar Ebrahim and Rose Taylor). The remainder of the works are for voice and piano and are honored by the performances by the likes of pianists Pierre-Laurent Aimard and Irina Kataeva and vocalists Christiane Oelze, Rosemary Hardy, Malena Ernman and Eva Wedin.

The music recorded here may be new to many but it is fine, accessible Ligeti for the novice and true treats for the followers. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, October 05

Contains some good mature writing with some frankly dull early works.......2005-09-30

The fourth volume of Sony's "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition" series of the contemporary Hungarian composer's collected works is dedicated to vocal works, especially those that use instrumentation. Like with all installments in Sony's series, performances are by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Salonen with Aimard and Kataeva on pianos. The vocal performances here are by the King's Singers.

The earliest pieces on the disc were written before Ligeti fled to the West following the Hungarian uprising, and among these the "Harom Weores-dal" (Three Weores songs) were composed while Ligeti was still a student. Sandor Weores was one of the greatest Hungarian poets of the last century, and was especially skilled in writing poems that hid deep philosophical insights behind child-like verse. This makes his poems especially suitable to be set to music (Peter Eotvos has tackled some of his more complex poetry). Ligeti's settings are quite traditional, and for lovers of contemporary repertoire that can even mean dull; Aimard must have been bored by the simple piano writing when he's tackled the composer's later "Etudes". Still, the music does complement the imagery of Weores well. The following two works by "prehistoric Ligeti" were composed as a way out of the straitjacket of socialist realism. The first, "Negy lakodalmi tanc" (Four wedding dances) takes folklore as a refuge, and the second "Ot Arany-dal" (Five Arany songs) sets to music the poems of the pre-revolutionary and accepted poet Jozef Arany. These early works don't hold up well against the rest at all.

After Ligeti came to the West, his music changed greatly. "Aventures" and "Nouvelles Adventures" were composed in the mid-1960s and are very reminiscent of the theatrical project of the music avant-garde of that time. They use a soprano, contralto, and baritone backed by orchestra and articulating nonsense text (notated in the score with the International Phonetic Alphabet) seek to express all emotions without using words. I think the pieces have aged quite well, though I know that others disagree. I don't know if this performance was satisfactory to Ligeti for, although he allowed it to appear on this disc, another performance can be found on volume five of Teldec's "Ligeti Project".

"Mysteries of the Macabre" is a setting for chamber ensemble of the zany solo by the Chief of Secret Police (a coloratura soprano) from the composer's sole opera "The Grand Macabre". Even for those who dislike the opera--and it is a work that leaves no one ambivalent--this is an exciting work, perhaps the high point of the disc. The seven minutes of vocal acrobatics here have been called the most challenging piece ever composed for coloratura soprano, and yet Sibylle Ehlert carries it through gloriously. Note that an alternate setting using trumpet in place of soprano can be found on the first volume of Teldec's "Ligeti Project".

"Nonsense Madrigals" for voices a capella (1988-1993) is the most recent work here, a collection of six English-language pieces based on favourite meaningless writers, such as Lewis Caroll, William Brighty Rands, and Heinrich Hoffmann. The finest of these is surely Ligeti's setting of the English alphabet, a diatonic but non-tonal "labyrinth" of polyrhythms. It combines the best of the micropolyphony sound of his 60s works with his newer interest in non-Western metrics. In the course of putting these together, he also set Hoelderlin's "Der Sommer".

The liner notes are fine, containing remarks on the pieces by Ligeti as well as the sung text and many photos. All in all, this is a three-star installment. If you are interested in the work of Ligeti but haven't gotten anything from "Gyorgy Ligeti Edition" yet, try the third volume (piano works) or the first (string works). Save this one for later.

where's the dead weight?.......2004-12-08

This is an amazing disc, one of the best in Sony's monumental Ligeti Edition series.

On Sony's Ligeti Edition 4, the _Nonsense Madrigals_ were premiered. These six pieces for six voices, composed in the late-80s/early-90s, are some of the composer's finest offerings. Writes Ligeti, "They are virtuosic works in which I have tried to create a non-tonal but diatonic harmony as well as rhythmic labyrinths." The songs set different pieces of strange poetry against each other in tightly meshed counterpoint, with humorous melodic lines and overwhelming musical imagination. Ligeti also colors the arrangement with nonsense phonetic sounds.

_Mysteries of the Macabre_ takes the three arias of the Chief of the Secret Police from Ligeti's wonderful opera (_Le Grand Macabre_) and rearranges them. This has been called the most difficult music ever written from coloratura soprano, but you wouldn't know it listening to Sibylle Ehlert. Amazing!

Contrary to another reviewer, I think the harsher, earlier avant-garde vocal works (_Aventures_ and _Nouvelles Aventures_) have aged very well. They are comprised of meaningless vocal sounds with chamber orchestra accompaniment. Their pure chromaticism was something Ligeti would later abandon, but even with the prevailing seriousness of the Darmstadt school, these pieces are quite witty and amusing and consistent with Ligeti's goal of composing idiomatically for instruments (including voice), given that the music is pretty much atonal.

This disc also features pieces for one or three voices and piano from Ligeti's early Hungarian days. Because of stifling artistic conditions under Communist rule, the pieces are consonant and accessible.

I assure you that there is no other avant-garde vocal music like Ligeti's. Very highly recommended!

Excellent in parts, but lumbered with much dead weight.......2003-11-26

Gyorgy Ligeti has not been greatly known for his music for solo voice--indeed it was not until 2000 that he completed his first mature song cycle--but this disc conveniently collects all his solo vocal music before then along with the Nonsense Madrigals for six voices, the Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures for three voices and some early socialist realism for three voices.

The Nonsense Madrigals are without doubt the highlight of the disc. These wonderfully witty a capella works were written for the performers on the disc, the King's Singers, who reward Ligeti with a wonderful reading of all six songs. Five of the songs are based on nonsense poems, with the remaining item being a setting of the alphabet. These vary wildly in style from the complex counterpoint of the first through the floating Lux Aeterna-like harmonies of the alphabet setting, to the bizarre backbeat in the finale.

Less worthwhile is Mysteries of the Macabre, a medley of the three coloratura arias from Ligeti's opera Le Grand Macabre, with reduced scoring arranged by the opera's first conductor, Elgar Howarth. While these are certainly entertaining, they don't add anything to the opera.

Aventures and Nouvelles Aventures are works from the 1960s, and to be honest it shows. Their verbal shrieks, contortions and phonetic texts--along with the fragmentary accompaniment--are very much of their time. They aren't devoid of musical interest, or humour, but nothing can hide the fact that they, unlike almost all of Ligeti's other avant-garde works, haven't aged well.

Der Sommer is a brief Hoelderlin setting for soprano and piano dating from 1989. Even though this song reuses the lamento motif prominent in the finale of the Horn Trio and the Sixth Etude, the general style and use of minimal material reminds me as much of Ligeti's countryman Gyorgy Kurtag as of Ligeti himself.

The rest of the disc is taken up with songs written from before Ligeti escaped from Hungary. The Three Weores Songs are from 1946 and 1947, during Ligeti's first year at the Budapest Conservatoire, and I'm sure they must have made it very clear that Ligeti was an outstanding student. Couched in a language derived from Bartok and Stravinsky, but going further than either, they have a splendid rustic feel. Sadly, the Stalinist ousting of the short-lived post-war regime made it impossible for Ligeti to continue along this direction and still be performed. Hence the Five Arany songs are pallid in comparison, and even if the last of the folk-song transcriptions that end the disc is infuriatingly catchy, the cycle as a whole is very minor Ligeti.

Tracks:

Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'
Summertime
I Could Write a Book
It Never Entered My Mind
I Can Cook Too
Make It Another Old Fashioned, Please
If I Loved You
My Heart Belongs to Daddy
Thou Swell
I Left My Heart at the Stage Door Canteen
There's No Business Like Show Business
South American Way

Tracks:

Shall We Dance
Ohio
Luck Be a Lady
Mack the Knife
There's a Small Hotel
Once in Love with Amy
Yodel Blues
Lazy Afternoon
There Must Be Somethin' Better Than Love
You're Just in Love
Now Is the Time

Tracks:

Impossible Dream
Love Makes the World Go 'Round
Try to Remember
Put on a Happy Face
I Say Hello
Happiness
She Loves Me
What Kind of Fool Am I?
Shy
Consider Yourself
Poor Little Person

Tracks:

Magic to Do
They're Playing My Song
I Don't Know How to Love Him
I Won't Send Roses
Good Morning Starshine
Don't Cry for Me, Argentina
Hard Candy Christmas
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Won't You Charleston with Me?
Applause

Tracks:

Phantom of the Opera
Memory
On My Own
Muddy Water
How Could I Ever Know
American Dream
I Know Him So Well
Dr. Jazz
Me and My Girl
Suddenly Seymour

Tracks:

Mamma Mia!
Popular
Seasons of Love
Oh, the Thinks You Can Think
Whatever Lola Wants
Crazy
How Deep Is Your Love
Stars
People Like Us
I Go to Rio

Average customer rating:

Excellent solo debut!
Good first album for him; several funk-driven songs here!
A nice try for Bobby's first CD

King of Stage
Bobby Brown
Manufacturer: Mca Special Products
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Bobby
Forever
Dance!...Ya Know It!
Don't Be Cruel
Hootie Mack

ASIN: B000006OFI
Release Date: 1998-05-19

Tracks:

Girlfriend
Girl Next Door
Baby, I Wanna Tell You Something
You Ain't Been Loved Right
King Of Stage
Love Obsession
Spending Time
Seventeen
Your Tender Romance

Customer Reviews:

Excellent solo debut!.......2006-04-21

Bobby Brown's departure from New Edition downgraded the quintet to a quartet. This 1986 solo debut of his spawned the Top 10 smooth smash GIRLFRIEND and later the Top 20 hit THE GIRL NEXT DOOR. New Edition continued as a quintet though,with Johnny Gill succeeding Brown. I always thought GIRLFRIEND was a beautiful slow love jam. Also,in '86,NE released their fourth album,UNDER THE BLUE MOON,filled with "oldies-but-goodies" covers. Brown rose to superstardom two years later with his second album DON'T BE CRUEL,a Grammy-winner. He also made headlines in publications like Star,National Enquirer,The Globe and National Examiner when he took the Grammy-winning diva Whitney Houston to be his lawfully wedded wife in 1992. The other songs are excellent.

Good first album for him; several funk-driven songs here!.......2005-04-08

I didn't hear this album until the mid-90s. I had been more onto Don't Be Cruel and the albums after it. But this album was a good first effort for Bobby Brown. I still like Girlfriend. But the rest of the album had some funky numbers. The Larry Blackmon songs for Bobby are heavy on the funk, a little of a Cameo sound added to Bobby's post New Edition style. There were some hints of the heavy funk that Bobby would give to Cruel two years later. Brown sounds more free form here than the limited appeal that he had in his former group.

A nice try for Bobby's first CD.......2000-12-06

B.Brown's first CD wasn't anything special. It was rushed and only had two singles Girlfriend and Girl Next Door. If this album had more ballads maybe it would have been better.

Average customer rating:

Highlights From Disney On Broadway
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005Y1ZM
Release Date: 2002-02-05

Tracks:

Beauty And The Beast: Belle - Susan Egan
Beauty And The Beast: Be Our Guest - Gary Beach
Beauty And The Beast: If I Can't Love Her - Terrence Mann
Beauty And The Beast: Beauty And The Beast - Beth Fowler
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Be Our Guest
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Amazon.com

Disney has been a relatively late comer on Broadway, but it's been hitting pay dirt since the stage version of Beauty and the Beast opened to critical acclaim and commercial success in 1994, followed by The Lion King and Aida. While Aida was the only original stage creation, the other two featured new songs that were not in the movies. In addition, Disney worked with some of New York's finest theatrical talent. In hindsight, hiring Julie Taymor to stage The Lion King was a stroke of genius, but it really was a daring gamble at the Time. Likewise, Beauty and the Beast gave talented theater singers like Terrence Mann and Susan Egan a chance to shine in meaty roles. Disney groomed talent as well: Heather Headley was cast in a supporting part in The Lion King before moving on to the title role in Aida. All three shows are represented on this CD (with a companion book due in October 2002), making for a perfect introduction to their best-known songs. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

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On Broadway [Hybrid SACD]

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ASIN: B00003ZA8O
Release Date: 2001-02-28

My Secret Heart - Songs of Parlour, Stage and Screen

Average customer rating:

Almost too much lavender and roses, but a delight anyway
Mr. Heppner Must Have A Large Parlour!
He can keep his secret to himslef
What a 'crossover' album should be!
This cd has left me speechless, wow!

My Secret Heart - Songs of Parlour, Stage and Screen
Ben Heppner , Vittorio Giannini , Ernest Charles , Ivor Novello , Sir Noel Coward , Eric Coates , Teresa Clotilde del Riego , Mana-Zucca , Ernst Seitz , and Haydn Wood
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Binding: Audio CD

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Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

Let All My Life Be Music
Sing To My Heart A Song
Let My Song Fill Your Heart
Love Is My Reason For Living
Someday My Heart Will Awake
I'll See You Again
We'll Gather Lilacs
Bird Songs At Eventide
Homing
I Love Life
The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise
Roses Of Picardy
I'll Be Seeing You
Serenade
Love Me Tonight
Be My Love
The Desert Song
I'll Follow My Secret Heart

Amazon.com

With his 1999 Met triumph as Tristan--the most taxing of all Wagner's tenor roles--Canadian singer Ben Heppner has fully earned his heralded position as the great new Heldentenor of our time. His Lohengrin is a signature role, while his album German Romantic Opera has been nominated for a Grammy. Yet Heppner also commands tremendous versatility--and of a much more engaging character than that of the typical crossover effort--using his powerful, bronze-tinged tenor to tender and charming effect in My Secret Heart. This is a collection of songs roughly from the period between the two world wars, when music began to reach mass audiences via radio and screen. Many of these are almost forgotten gems--emblems of a vanished era--but once had wide cultural currency: the World War II hit "We'll Gather Lilacs," the radio show Family Hour's theme tune "Let My Song Fill Your Heart," and the oft-recorded 1919 ballad "The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise." Heppner, with his sturdy beauty of tone and sweet, natural-sounding vibrato, breathes new life into this genre. He handles the idiom's unabashed schmaltz with charm and brings a lilting urbanity to two Noël Coward tunes, with especially bittersweet refinement in "I'll Follow My Secret Heart." --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

Almost too much lavender and roses, but a delight anyway.......2006-08-29

These are beloved popular songs from our grandparents' generation that are redolent of lavender an tears. Their sentimentality couldn't be more out of fashion, but Ben Heppner steps forward, like Mario Lanza before him, to offer thrills amidst the honeyed scents. He's totally sincere, and you'd have to be Alberich or Don Pizarro to react with anything but a melting heart. God, I'm falling into the same vocabulary as these songs. No need to blush, though, with such a great singer at hand.

Mr. Heppner Must Have A Large Parlour!.......2005-02-22

I purchased this CD after hearing Mr. Heppner in recital singing "Homing" for an encore. This small gem written by Teresa Del Riego is a haunting song about loneliness. We learn from the notes-- they are very informative with bios on the composers included here as well as the words to the lyrics-- that she composed this ballad in 1917, the year her husband was killed in France just before the ending of World War I. There are other lovelies here as well: "I Love Life", "We'll Gather Lilacs", "The World Is Waiting For The Sunrise" as well as music by Noel Coward, Sigmund Romberg and Rudolf Friml. Heppner also sings "I'll Be Seeing You." It's such a relief to hear someone other than Liberace do that number since it was the song that he always used to close his television show in the 50's and unfortunately made into a syrupy cliche.

Mr. Heppner says these are songs of the parlour, stage and silver screen. His glorious voice which appears to be a combination of steel and gold fills a recital hall easily. He would need a huge parlour to sing in as well.

This CD is quite wonderful. There are no dull cuts. Since the songs are all about love, this would make a great February 14 gift.

He can keep his secret to himslef.......2003-12-13

This is OBNOXIOUS, this dude should be in operas. i am speechless, he is one loud mouthed dude!

What a 'crossover' album should be!.......2001-09-01

In general, I hate it when classical singers make 'crossover' recordings. Usually the singer has no idea how to sing 'pop' material in anything like the proper style - even someone who is singing it because he or she genuinely likes the music and not just to milk cash from the unsuspecting masses. But there are always exceptions to a rule, and this CD is one of them. Ben Heppner here scales down his huge operatic voice and shows his 'secret heart', a more intimate side of his musical personality.

There is no question that Heppner is one of the greatest tenors of our age. He is often compared with his fellow Canadian Jon Vickers (with whom he shares much of his repertory) but especially here, he is beginning to remind me more and more of Jussi Bjorling, and I can think of no higher compliment. Part of this is because Bjorling actually sang quite a bit of repertory similar to what Heppner sings here, but more importantly, both voices have an ideal combination of power and sweetness. Heppner's is essentially a very lyric voice despite its large size, and he is capable of great tonal beauty and sensitivity. This not only makes his Wagner, Giordano, and Berlioz very special, but makes him equally adept with the gentle little gems he sings on this disc. He is helped somewhat by the fact that these songs, most of which were written in the very early part of the 20th century, are a lot closer to the 'classical' style than more modern pop. But what really makes Heppner perfect for this material is his total identification with the texts, his tenderness, and his utter sincerity. Also, his diction is superb - you won't need the printed texts to understand what he is singing. In the hands of a lesser singer, some of these old fashioned songs would be absolute treacle. But an artist like Heppner can raise up even 'substandard' compositions and give them the aura of greatness.

In the more upbeat songs, Heppner sings with the thrilling, heroic tone that has made him in demand in every opera house in the world. He makes 'Let All My Life Be Music' into his personal mission statement. 'Homing' was also a favorite of another great Wagnerian tenor, namely Lauritz Melchior. 'I Love Life!', complete with splendid high C, is sung with enough cheer and vigor to bring anybody out of a depression. But this repertory is often gentle and introspective, and Heppner can also easily fine down his voice to a splendid pianissimo, drawing you in and enticing you to pay attention as opposed to banging you over your head like many other tenors do. Ivor Novello's 'Love is My Reason For Living' and Ernest Charles' 'Let My Song Fill Your Heart' are light, gracious Viennese waltzes. The familiar 'Roses of Picardy', 'Bird Songs at Eventide' and 'I'll Be Seeing You' are also sung sweetly and caressingly. Two more Novello songs are among the best tracks on the album. 'Someday My Heart Will Awake', is soft, gentle, and nostalgic, rising to a passionate conclusion. 'We'll Gather Lilacs' is obviously a love song from Heppner to his wife Karen (to whom the entire album is dedicated), full of yearning and deeply moving.

The operetta selections are even more special. In the Serenade from 'The Student Prince', which is alone worth the price of the CD, Heppner makes something truly thrilling of the declaration 'Oh, hear my longing cry!/Oh, love me or I die!', and ends with not one but two spectacular high Cs. What a pity that the chances of him ever recording the entire operetta are so slim! The cajolingly sung title song from 'The Desert Song' is almost as fine, as is 'Love Me Tonight' from 'The Vagabond King'. Finally, the title song 'I'll Follow My Secret Heart', with yet another brilliant high C, makes a splendid finish to this very enjoyable album.

I should also give credit to noted composer and orchestrator Jonathan Tunick for his warm, rich, and perfectly scaled arrangements of these songs. Like Heppner, he finds the perfect mood for each piece and never engages in schmaltz that one might expect from some of this material. The only complaint I have about this disc is the one I have about many contemporary CDs - why is there only 54 minutes of music on a medium that can hold almost 80 minutes? There are assuredly more than 18 songs Heppner could have recorded in this vein. I would have liked to have seen more operetta items in particular. Although I suppose they couldn't have recorded the Drinking Song from 'The Student Prince' as well as the Serenade without a chorus, it would have been nice if 'Deep In My Heart, Dear' had been included. Still, the quality of what is there far outweighs the quantity. The excellent documentation, in German and French as well as English, includes a personal note from Heppner, biographies of all the composers as well as Heppner and Tunick, and complete song texts. The cover shows Heppner surrounded by red velvet, designed, amusingly enough, by Red Herring Productions!

Whether you're an opera lover who wants to hear a great tenor in a lighter mood, or a fan of early 20th century popular music who is curious to see what it sounds like sung by a genuinely great voice, this disc is essential. It is an excellent introduction to Heppner's artistry if you haven't experienced it before, and after listening to it you might want to try some of his opera CDs, both solo recitals and complete recordings. There are few voices that could serve as a better introduction for a neophyte to the wonderful world of opera. If only more 'crossover' singers (both classical and pop) had Heppner's musical integrity...

This cd has left me speechless, wow!.......2001-02-18

Air give me air, I need lots of air, air, air.......This cd has caused me a lot of adverse breathing.

The things that I have read about Ben have been very true. He really is a lot more than I ever bargained for. He is THAT GOOD.

I need to go out on a limb and say that he is the best tenor I have ever heard. In my wildest dreams I never thought anyone could be that good.

For this cd Ben choose to sing a lot of standards. Bravo! This is my kind of music. Ben did an excellent job crooning us with his golden voice. He knew when to hold back and when to sing at full strength. This is marvelous how he worked each song to get the full meaning out of it.

The only complaint I have is there was not enough of the good olde songs that I wanted to hear Ben sing. I know it's hard to please all the people all the time and I understand where Ben was coming from.

Tracks:

Lament For James Moray Of Abercarney
Father Dollard's Favorite
The Flail
Guzzle Together
Isle De Madeleine
Point Au Pic
Jacques Cartier
Bavaglie's Plaid
The Cradle Song
I Won't Do the Work
Thousand Pipers
The Road To Skye
Man Of Constant Sorrow
Chinkapin Hunting
King Of Naples
The Belle Of the Stage
The Fairy Queen
High O'Donnell
Dry N' Dusty
Rochester Schottische
Frosty Morning
Shuffle About
The Wounded Hussar
Prince Charles'
The Prague
Mozart's Favorite
Northern March
Richard Dwyer's
High Road To Linton
Sleepy Waltz
An Irish Lullaby
Suo Gam

Customer Reviews:

He's one of a kind.......2000-10-12

Even if i did not used to take flute lessons from Mr. Chris, i would still be raving about this CD. A beautiful blend of the international music that has come to define his most well known style of playing, this recording is a must have. Having grown up in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but spent the last number of years living in Baltimore, Mr. Chris manages to combine the best of both worlds. From traditional Cape Breton reels to Scottish laments to the French music of Quebec and finally to the mastery of the great Turlough O'Carolan, he covers it all, leaving nothing untouched. He is supported by fellow Helicon member Robin Bullock (also an incredible soloist), as well as Ann Marie Morgan, and Pete Sutherland, and together they are brilliant. My favorite track is Rochester Schottische, but that may be because that is the first piece that Mr. Chris ever taught me. He is an incredible teacher, person, and musician, and this CD exemplifies this!

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.

Average customer rating:

Simply Musicals

Manufacturer: Simply
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Simply Jazz
Greatest Songs from the Musicals

ASIN: B0002S303Y
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Comedy Tonight [From a Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Foru] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Circle of Life [From The Lion King] - National Symphony Orchestra, David Shannon, Martin Yates
Elaborate Lives [From Aida] - Vanessa A. Jones, Sean McDermott, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Patrick Vaccariello
All That Jazz [From Chicago] - Jan Horvath, Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra
If I Were a Rich Man [From Fiddler on the Roof] - John Owen Edwards, Jerry Lanning, National Symphony Orchestra
On the Street Where You Live [From My Fair Lady] - John Owen Edwards, Gary Mauer, National Symphony Orchestra
Luck Be a Lady [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Younger Than Springtime [From South Pacific] - Graham Bickley, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
What I Did for Love [from a Chorus Line] - National Symphony Orchestra, Catherine Porter, Martin Yates
Anything You Can Do [From Annie Get Your Gun] - Mark Adam, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
Impossible Dream [From Man of La Mancha] - John Owen Edwards, , National Symphony Orchestra
Try to Remember [From the Fantasticks] - Graham Bickley, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Oklahoma! [From Oklahoma!] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra

Tracks:

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang [From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang] - Simon Bowman, , National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, , Martin Yates
What Kind of Fool [From Saturday Night Fever] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Caroline O'Connor
Memory [From Cats] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra,
Anthem [From Chess] - Andrew Halliday, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Phantom of the Opera [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Graham Bickley, Claire Moore, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
What Kind of Fool Am I? [From Stop the World I Want to Get Off] - Holloway/Gold/Yates, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Dancing Queen [From Mamma Mia] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Caroline O'Connor
Sun and Moon [From Miss Saigon] - Graham Bickley, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Anything Goes [From Anything Goes] - John Owen Edwards, Louise Gold, National Symphony Orchestra
As Long as He Needs Me [From Oliver!] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett
People's Song [From Les Miserables] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Time Warp [From the Rocky Horror Show] - National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
We Are the Champions [From We Will Rock You] - Dean Collinson, , Jim Graeme, Paulette Ivory, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Tonight (Quintet) [From West Side Story] - John Owen Edwards, Paul Manuel, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor, Tinuke Olafimihan
Good Mornin' [From Singin' in the Rain] - Craig Barna, Michael Gruber, National Symphony Orchestra, Randy Rogel,
Summer Nights [From Grease] - John Barrowman, Shona Lindsay, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious [From Mary Poppins] - Jim Graeme, , National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Make Believe [From Show Boat] - John Owen Edwards, Teri Hansen, Doug LaBrecque, National Symphony Orchestra
You'll Never Walk Alone [From Carousel] - Muriel Dickinson, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Woman in Love [From Guys and Dolls] - Gregg Edelman, John Owen Edwards, Emily Loesser, National Symphony Orchestra
Deadwood Stage [From Calamity Jane] - John Owen Edwards, Debbie Gravitte, National Symphony Orchestra
Maybe This Time [From Cabaret] - National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates
New York New York [from New York New York] - Craig Barna, Sean McDermott, National Symphony Orchestra
If Ever I Would Leave You [From Camelot] - Gerry Anderson, Robert Meadmore
Nowadays [From Chicago] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
76 Trombones [From The Music Man] - National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates

Tracks:

Macavity [From Cats] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
With One Look [From Sunset Boulevard] - Kim Criswell, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Whistle Down the Wind [From Whistle Down the Wind] - Jim Graeme, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Martin Yates
All I Ask of You [From The Phantom of the Opera] - Andrew Halliday, Katrina Murphy, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Only You [From Starlight Express] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra Ensemble, Grania Renihan
Another Suitcase in Another Hall [From Evita] - John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra, Grania Renihan
King Herod's Song [From Jesus Christ Superstar] - Christopher Biggins, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Music of the Night [From The Phantom of the Opera] - John Owen Edwards, Jim Graeme, National Symphony Orchestra
Buenos Aires [From Evita] - Julian Kelly, National Symphony Orchestra, Caroline O'Connor
As If We Never Said Goodbye [From Sunset Boulevard] - National Symphony Orchestra, Jacqui Scott, Martin Yates
Unexpected Song [From Song and Dance] - Clare Burt, National Symphony Orchestra, Martin Yates
Close Every Door [From Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat] - John Barrowman, John Owen Edwards, National Symphony Orchestra
Our Kind of Love [From the Beautiful Game] - National Symphony Orchestra, Sally Ann Triplett, Martin Yates

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