Broadway Passion

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Ron Raines may not have appeared all that frequently on Broadway, but he's played most major leading roles in theaters around the U.S. In Broadway Passion, he applies his rich voice to a variety of songs--and what songs! "If Ever I Would Leave You," "Hey There," "The Impossible Dream," "Lonely Town," and Carousel's "Soliloquy" are only a few of the 15 selections that constitute a survey of the repertoire for baritone. If you're already a fan of Ron Raines, or if you just have a passion for Broadway, you'll enjoy this CD. --David Horiuchi

Broadway Passion, Music, Ron Raines, Pop, Popular Music, Showtunes / B'way, Vocal
Passion (1994 Original Broadway Cast)
Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
  • didn't play
  • Love Without Reason
  • I have got two defective Passion CD!!
  • Goregous Operetta
  • Original and Powerful Stuff
 Passion (1994 Original Broadway Cast)
Stephen Sondheim , Donna Murphy , and Marin Mazzie
Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Sondheim, StephenSondheim, Stephen | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Musical TheaterMusical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Contemporary MusicalsContemporary Musicals | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
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Similar Items:
  1. A Little Night Music (1973 Original Broadway Cast)
  2. Anyone Can Whistle (1964 Original Broadway Cast)
  3. Follies (Highlights from the 1971 Original Broadway Cast)
  4. Stephen Sondheim's Passion (Original Broadway Cast)
  5. Company - A Musical Comedy (1970 Original Broadway Cast)

ASIN: B000002SLC
Release Date: 2002-11-19

Tracks:

  1. Happiness
  2. First Letter
  3. Second Letter
  4. Third Letter
  5. Fourth Letter
  6. I Read
  7. Transition
  8. Garden Sequence
  9. Transition
  10. Trio
  11. Transition
  12. I Wish I Could Forget You
  13. Soldiers' Gossip
  14. Flashback
  15. Sunrise Letter
  16. Is This What You Call Love?
  17. Soldiers' Gossip
  18. Transition
  19. Forty Days
  20. Loving You
  21. Transition
  22. Soldiers' Gossip
  23. Farewell Letter
  24. No One Has Ever Loved Me
  25. Finale

Amazon.com

Based on the Italian movie Passione d'amore, Stephen Sondheim's Passion is a story of obsessive love. Giorgio (Jere Shea), a soldier, and Clara (Marin Mazzie), a woman with a husband and child, are deeply in love, but their idyllic happiness is disrupted when Giorgio is transferred to another post. Here, he meets Signora Fosca (Donna Murphy), a homely and ill woman who is the cousin of the regiment's commanding officer. Fosca soon falls in love with Giorgio and pursues him relentlessly, saying "Loving you is not a choice / It's who I am." He is repulsed and resists her advances, but eventually, he succumbs to the power of her love.

Rather than a succession of individual songs strung together by dialogue, Sondheim's score is a constant flow of gorgeous music. (The original theater program listed no individual songs.) The plot is conveyed by song, some dialogue, letters between the characters, and a group of soldiers that serves as a Greek chorus. The result is more of a chamber opera than a conventional musical. Passion won Tonys for Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Book of 1994, and Murphy also won a Tony for her powerful performance as Fosca. Mazzie is in glorious voice as Clara, and Shea brings a pretty voice and a wooden personality to Giorgio. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

1 out of 5 stars didn't play.......2007-02-21

received the cd in a cracked case which is always irritating. But when the cd didn't play, it was time to start shopping locally again.

5 out of 5 stars Love Without Reason.......2006-12-16

This is my favorite Sondheim musical. For me that's a big statement, but this musical is beyond brilliant. Based on a 19th century Italian novel that was later made into a film, the dark nature of this story might alienate some listeners at first. We open on a scene where Giorgio, a handsome young soldier is bidding farewell to his beautiful mistress, Clara- he has been sent to a remote outpost. They are young and in love but Clara is married. Still they are hopeful for their future. When Giorgio arrives at his new location he finds a remote, provincial town where his Colonel lives with his cousin Fosca, a repulsive, terminally ill woman. Fosca falls hopelessly in love with Giorgio and the love triange makes up the crux of the plot.

Many listeners may have a hard time understanding why Giorgio's affections turn from the beautiful young (albeit married) Clara to the sickly Fosca, but the lyrics and the score weave such a spell that you are caught up in it. Love here is not necessarily a happy thing. Yes, the opening song, a duet sung by Giorgio and Clara, is an ode to the joy of being in love, but Giorgio's idea of love progresses to something darker and deeper as he comes to know Fosca more and more. As Clara attempts to schedule her affair with Giorgio around her husband, Giorgio arrives at a conclusion that his feelings were something else:

Love isn't something scheduled in advance
Not something guarenteed
You need
For for fear it may pass you by
You have to take a chance
You can't just try it out
What's love unless it's unconditional?
Love doesn't give a damn about tomorrow and neither do I!

He comes to know his feelings for Clara as "Love within reason/ that isn't love". At the same time Fosca is literally staking him, which at first he resents and later relents to an idea of:

Love without reason
Love without mercy
Love without pride or shame
Love unconcerned with being returned
No wisedom, no judgement, no caution no blame

It is Fosca that loves him with this completeness, and he can't help but return it.

Many of the songs are letters written from one character to another and that stucture takes some getting used to. In fact it's hard to isolate individual songs here. Each one flows into the next to create the effect of a unified whole. At the end all the characters sing bits of each song in the show as Giorgio reads Fosca's final letter to him they come together in a musical climax before fading out, leaving only Giorgio and Fosca softly singing "your love will live in me"

Marin Mazzie is a gorgeous Clara who's voice shimmers in a luminious way. As Giorgio Jere Shea sounds fine but falls rather short emotionally. He hits all the notes but with little feeling (Michael Ball of the London cast is far better, I think). However as the doomed, dark Fosca Donna Murphy gives one of the most stunning performances I've ever heard. Her understated performance is devistating. Her voice is perfectly suited to the scare and we have one of those all too rare perfect combinations of actor and material.


4 out of 5 stars I have got two defective Passion CD!!.......2006-07-10

I ordered a Passion CD but when I tried to play on all my players (Computer, Bose) it would "screw-up" on the first 8 or 9 tracks. I returned and Amazon quickly replaced. But when I the second CD it also did the same thing. I returned the CD and Amazon would not send a replacement due the fact that all may be defective. They did refund my money. Hopefully the manufacturer will get this fixed.

5 out of 5 stars Goregous Operetta.......2006-03-26

If you're a fan of regular book musicals, this one is not for you!!! Passion is an operetta style love triangle that is complex, poignant, and beautiful. Stephen Sondheim's brillaint score ties the entrie musical together, which again helps him keep his genius status. The clever weaving of songs, scenes, and, most interestingly, letters, make for a great cast album.

As for performances, it's the females who own this show. Marin Mazzie is as glorious as ever as Clara (she's even better in Ragtime), and Tony-winner Donna Murphy brings all of the emotion forward in her portrayal of Fosca.

For those who are used to the usual Sondheim, this one may dissapoint. Others, however, will love this opera of love.

5 out of 5 stars Original and Powerful Stuff.......2005-11-20

I saw "Passion" on Broadway and was angry and at the time disappointed. There aren't any set pieces. It's one act and told with a seeming simplicity that is deeper than the deep, blue sea.
As a collector of Broadway Cast recordings, I made myself buy the OBC of "Passion" and only by listening to the score did I finally get what Sondheim was striving to accomplish. Every time he takes on a new show Sondheim goes where other composers fear to tread. And, because he is the foremost world-class composer of this generation, everything he writes causes quite a stir. And "Passion" is no exception. There is nothing like it, just like there is nothing like "Follies," "Company," "Pacific Overtures," "Merrily We Roll Along," "A Little Night Music," "Assassins," "The Frogs," and "Bounce." And there never will be because as long as he continues to write Sondheim will always expand the envelope of the American Musical form.

Thank God he does.
Broadway Passion
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Must Own
  • Broadway Passion
  • This is Ron Raines-not a Cast
  • It's A Grand Night For Singing
  • A great voice!
 Broadway Passion
Ron Raines
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
Traditional Vocal PopTraditional Vocal Pop | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
Traditional PopTraditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. So in Love With Broadway
  2. Broadway Classic
  3. Love Changes Everything
  4. On the Boards
  5. Centre Stage

ASIN: B00000DDO4
Release Date: 1998-10-06

Tracks:

  1. It's A Grand Night For Singing
  2. I Won't Send Roses
  3. If Ever I Would Leave You
  4. Hey There
  5. Oh What A Beautiful Mornin'
  6. The Impossible Dream
  7. I'll Never Say No To You
  8. Lonely Town
  9. My Defenses Are Down
  10. September Song
  11. This Nearly Was Mine
  12. On The Street Where You Live
  13. Make Someone Happy
  14. Dulcinea
  15. Soliloquy

Amazon.com

Ron Raines may not have appeared all that frequently on Broadway, but he's played most major leading roles in theaters around the U.S. In Broadway Passion, he applies his rich voice to a variety of songs--and what songs! "If Ever I Would Leave You," "Hey There," "The Impossible Dream," "Lonely Town," and Carousel's "Soliloquy" are only a few of the 15 selections that constitute a survey of the repertoire for baritone. If you're already a fan of Ron Raines, or if you just have a passion for Broadway, you'll enjoy this CD. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Must Own.......2007-05-20

Ron Raines' singing is out of this world. This tape showcases his amazing talent. Anyone who loves the Broadway hits will be more than pleased with his renditions.

5 out of 5 stars Broadway Passion.......2005-10-12

A Five Star rating is hardly sufficient to rate this magnificent performance of Mr. Raines. His extraordinary Baritone voice is even from top to bottom and his delivery is of the finest quality! If I had my preference of ratings, I would award his performance on this CD a solid TEN!!

5 out of 5 stars This is Ron Raines-not a Cast.......2004-06-14

I love this CD. Ron Raines has a beautiful voice, and a wonderful way of presenting a song. It's too bad he has to make a living on GUIDING LIGHT though he is excellent in the complex charater of Alan Spaulding. He should be singing all the time. Ron Raines, being a great actor as well as a singer, brings a lot of depth to his intrepretation of the songs on this CD. Why don't you buy it?

5 out of 5 stars It's A Grand Night For Singing.......2002-11-09

There are very few strong voices on Broadway of late that make you remember the days of Howard Keel, etc. and the great era of Broadway songs. Ron Raines pays tribute to all of your favorites and does not disappoint! His voice is rich and clear, and takes you back to the stage with just a few notes. For those who have the opportunity to hear him sing live -- definitely do not miss your chance. Ron is even better live, and is a treat to his fans off-stage as well. I saw him in October of 2002 last and he IS working on a new album to be finished in the spring. It will definitely be on my "pre-order" list!! Kudos Ron!! You are the best!!! Now if only we could get Guiding Light to let you sing this holiday season.....

5 out of 5 stars A great voice!.......2002-09-17

Ron Raines has down a beautiful job on his album, "Passion." He has a wonderful voice! His rendition of, "The Immposible Dream," is so beautiful. I recommend this album to anyone who loves great singing.
The Musicality of Sondheim
Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • Worth having because of Honey...
  • One of the best Sondheim compilation CD availiable
  • Honestly, Why Bother?
 The Musicality of Sondheim
Stephen Sondheim , Carolee Carmillo , Sean McDermott , Judy Kaye , Julia Migenes , Susan Egan , Emily Loesser , Stephen Bogardus , Elisabeth Welch , Caroline O'Connor , and Don Stephenson
Manufacturer: Jay Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Sondheim, StephenSondheim, Stephen | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Musicals | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Broadway & VocalistsBroadway & Vocalists | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. The Musicality of Kander & Ebb
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  5. Musicality of Lerner and Loewe

ASIN: B0000640NQ
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

  1. Broadway Baby (Follies) - Carolee Carmello
  2. Anyone Can Whistle (Anyone Can Whistle) - John Barrowman
  3. Lovely (A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) - Emily Loesser and Don Stephenson
  4. Being Alive (Company) - Stephen Bogardus
  5. Liasons (A Little Night Music) - Elisabeth Welch
  6. Wait (Sweeney Todd) - Judy Kaye
  7. Loving You (Passion) - Sean McDermott
  8. Honey (Cut: Merrily We Roll Along) - Jacqueline Dankworth, Maria Friedman, and Michael Cantwell
  9. Lion Dance (Pacific Overtures) - ENO Orchestra
  10. I Remember (Evening Primrose) - Julia Migenes
  11. Stay with Me (Into the Woods) - Caroline O'Connor
  12. Sooner or Later (Dick Tracy) - Susan Egan

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Worth having because of Honey..........2006-09-20

... the Lion Dance and the fact that some of these arrangements work well out of context. Some of these songs in their original arrangements are diffiicult to listen to on their own. Regretfully, some of these arrangements are a little cheesy (for example the saxophone solo in this version of Loving You).

All in all, this is an okay compilation of some Sondheim songs, but definately one to get after having bought all the original Broadway cast recordings.

5 out of 5 stars One of the best Sondheim compilation CD availiable.......2002-08-25

I love this CD, every track is a winner. Get it.

3 out of 5 stars Honestly, Why Bother?.......2002-07-31

All in all, this is a pleasant enough compilation. There are no embarassing moments. The performers all acquit themselves nicely. But in the long run, there's really little to recommend this above the rest of the many tributes and reviews recorded of Sondheim's music. No new interpretations. No amazing performances. No inspired song choices. Nothing special here, folks.
Andrew Gentile: Serious Broadway
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • Absolutely wonderful!
  • Serious Broadway is serious piano.
  • Excellent
  • Serious Broadway is SENSATIONAL
 Andrew Gentile: Serious Broadway

Manufacturer: Lyrian
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

ClassicalClassical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005OBCS
Release Date: 2001-08-17

Tracks:

  1. Tonight (Quintet)from West Side Story
  2. Fantasy On Themes From Les Mierables
  3. Blue/Valentine: Fantasy on Two Themes of Richard Rodgers
  4. Stardust
  5. Fantasy on Themes From The Phantom of The Opera
  6. All I Ask of You from The Phantom of The Opera
  7. Fantasy on Themes from Miss Saigon
  8. My Heart Will Go On from the motion picture Titanic

Album Description

Classic music from Broadway and film reinvented as dramatic virtuoso fantasies and arrangements for the piano. The moods run the gamut and change in kaleidoscopic fashion. Delicacy, tenderness, lyricism, passion, daring, storminess and even madness--it's all here!

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful!.......2004-03-23

Andrew Gentile is a brilliant pianist. The CD is more than wonderful-it is outstanding. We play it all the time and cannot get over how talented this man is. A great CD and we hope to see more of his work soon.

5 out of 5 stars Serious Broadway is serious piano........2002-02-11

I can't get over the playing on this CD. He has to be one of the world's great pianists. Add to that the talent found in the arrangements. They are remarkable. They give new life to Broadway music, taking those great themes uptown to a sophistication only found at Carnegie Hall. Highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2001-11-26

Those of use who love Broadway will be very familiar with the music on this CD, but not necessarily the way that it is presented. Gentile brings a novel insight into the music, creating a fusion between classical piano and modern theater music that is quite remarkable.

5 out of 5 stars Serious Broadway is SENSATIONAL.......2001-09-13

Gentile is not only a brilliant pianist but he adds new dimensions to great works by some of the most talented composers in the world. He brings their most wonderful compositions to heights that were never reached before. This CD can definitely be enjoyed by all. It takes the listener on a musical journey that one will never want to end. The music is timeless and the piano playing is extraordinary. Not only does Gentile wholeheartedly capture the spirit of the original composers but he leaves the listener with no choice but to listen to the music over and over again. Gentile is magical! The music is amazing and Gentile's artistry will leave one breathless.
The King and I and Other Broadway Favorites
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		The King and I and Other Broadway Favorites

    Manufacturer: Passion Music Corp
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD
    ASIN: B000A7B4Q2

    Product Description

    10 tracks include; Getting to Know You/Hello Young Lovers/Shall We Dance/I Whistle a Happy Tune/March of the Siamese Twins/I Have Dreamed/What I Did for Love/We Kiss in Shadow/A Modern Major General/42nd Street
    Home
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      		Home
      Bradford Newquist
      Manufacturer: Bradford Newquist
      ProductGroup: Music
      Binding: Audio CD

      GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
      ASIN: B000CA3794
      Release Date: 2005-02-08

      Tracks:

      1. Come and Journey with Me
      2. Music Is the Anwer/With a Smile and a Song
      3. Grateful
      4. I'll Know (I Have Succeeded)
      5. Eternal Love
      6. Nature Boy
      7. Here's to Life
      8. Open Up My Eyes
      9. No One Is Alone/Move On
      10. Never Never Land
      11. Into the Light
      12. Homeward Bound/Home
      13. Best Seat in the House
      Broadway Hits
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        		Broadway Hits

        Manufacturer: passion music
        ProductGroup: Music
        Binding: Audio CD
        ASIN: B0009PV37K

        Product Description

        included tracks 1: Annie medley 2:fame medley 3: gypsy medley 4:camelot 5:jesus christ superstar medley and more
        Saint Judas Passion
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          		Saint Judas Passion
          Steve Engle
          Manufacturer: Steve Sngle
          ProductGroup: Music
          Binding: Audio CD

          GeneralGeneral | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
          ASIN: B000CA9YWS
          Release Date: 2002-11-19

          Tracks:

          1. Overture
          2. Prologue
          3. Blessed Are They
          4. Three Years on the Road/Pleasantries
          5. What Could I Give Him
          6. Encounter/Try Not
          7. Mad, Mad, Mary
          8. Weep, Mary, Weep
          9. I've Watched Him Changing
          10. Everybody's in Town This Week
          11. Meeting
          12. Wonder Who I'd Be
          13. Apostle Talk/When We Get to Jerusalem
          14. Jerusalem
          15. Last Supper
          16. Gethsemane
          17. Arrest
          18. Shalom
          19. Pilate & Spouse
          20. Claudia's Song
          21. Caesar's Horses Reprise
          22. Read All About It
          23. Crucifixion
          24. Judas Before Death/Finale
          Broadway Medleys
          Average customer rating: Not rated
            		Broadway Medleys

            Manufacturer: Passion Music
            ProductGroup: Music
            Binding: Audio CD
            ASIN: B00076W0UU

            Product Description

            Broadway Medleys is a long play of medleys from three different plays, Man of La Mancha, South Pacific and Fiddler on the Roof.
            Broadway Passion
            Average customer rating: Not rated
              		Broadway Passion
              Various Artists
              Manufacturer: ANG
              ProductGroup: Music
              Binding: Audio CD

              GeneralGeneral | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
              ASIN: B000023XE3
              Release Date: 2005-12-31

              Music:

              1. By Jeeves (2001 American Premiere Recording) [Cast Recording]
              2. Cabaret (1999 Studio Cast) (First Complete Recording) [Cast Recording]
              3. Candide: The New Broadway Cast Recording (1997 Revival) [Cast Recording]
              4. Carmen Jones (1943 Original Broadway Cast) [Cast Recording] [Original recording remastered] [Soundtrack]
              5. Chicago - The Musical (1998 London Cast) [Cast Recording]
              6. Christmas Spirit in the Air
              7. Classic Broadway
              8. Cocktail Hour: Fred Astaire
              9. Company ... In Jazz
              10. David Gurland

              Music

              Music