Let Yourself Go

Editorial Reviews
JazzTimes
"Masterful from beginning to end...combining the blunt precision of Annie Ross and the polished timbre of Mel Torme..."

Album Description
Judi Silvano first established herself on the New York scene in the '80s as a formidable jazz singer favoring adventuresome situations. With the dynamic Let Yourself Go, Silvano takes a giant step in making her first all-standard album, embracing 11 classics of American popular song and making them hers.

New arrangements are by Michael Abene, internationally recognized for his charts for Liza Minnelli. Features outstanding solo contributions by many of New York's finest jazz musicians, including Ingrid Jensen, Dick Oatts and Rufus Reid.

Tracks:

Let Yourself Go
If
How Long Has This Been Going On?
My Funny Valentine
Hanging Around with You (with Jason Alexander)
The Girl in 14G
I'll Tell the Man in the Street
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
Nobody Else But Me
Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me/Why Can't I?
Should I Be Sweet?
He's Just an Ordinary Guy
Going to the Dance with You
On a Turquoise Cloud
You'll Never Know
Daddy

Amazon.com

Kristin Chenoweth won a Tony for the supporting role of Sally Brown in the 1999 revival of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, made a memorably vampy Lily in the 1999 television film of Annie, and had an NBC sitcom created for her, Kristin! Now she grabs the spotlight in Let Yourself Go, her first solo recording. She mixes torchy standards ("My Funny Valentine," "How Long Has This Been Going On?") with Faith Prince-style sauciness ("If"), gets to show off her operatic and scat chops in the miniplay "The Girl in 14G," and shares a light duet with Jason Alexander (reviving his musical theater career post-Seinfeld). Perhaps her "Stranger Here Myself" isn't the weightiest you've ever heard, but this is an enjoyable album with a good deal of old-fashioned class, expertly accompanied by Rob Fisher and the Coffee Club Orchestra. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews:

One of the best ever!.......2007-04-24

Do I mean the best album or the best singer? You are correct if you said both! I saw Kristin Chenoweth on a PBS show "Broadway's Best at the Pops," (though it was not the first time I had heard her) and decided to check out the offerings here. This is a collection of the kind of music and performances I love. She has a great range, a precise pitch, and a great style that is at the same time true to the music and to herself. In an era when singers try to outdo each other re-interpreting the composer's original work, not usually with great success, she is a blessing!

Kristen Chenowith.......2007-02-26

I bought this CD for the Girl in 14G. Yes, it's that good...

Has its moments.......2007-02-19

After watching Candide endlessly and going to see Ms. Chenoweth in The Apple Tree, I was hungry for something more portable to listen to. At times this fits the bill, but what surprised me the most is how thin her voice comes across on this recording. Perhaps it was the joy of seeing her live that has ruined this listener; perhaps I need to upgrade my aging music system. Then again, maybe the recording is just not as good as Ms. C singing Bernstein or as good as staring at Ms. C command a Broadway stage.

Great CD!.......2007-01-19

I truly enjoy listening to this CD. Kristin Chenoweth's vocal style and abilities are very well-matched to the songs selected for this album. If you enjoy classic, older-style Broadway/popular tunes, I would highly recommend this CD. Ms. Chenoweth has a bright, expressive voice and does a fantastic job with this material.

As with any full-length CD, there are a couple of songs I am not as crazy about, but that has to do with the songs themselves, not Ms. Chenoweth's vocal performance. Overall, I love this album and have listened to it several times now, since receiving it as a Christmas gift last month.

This woman has what it takes, and then some..........2007-01-12

Kristin Chenoweth brings new life to some timeless Broadways tunes while introducing a few wonderful new ones. This high pitched vocal goddess effortlessly provides for a nearly flawless and easy listening experience. I definitly recommend this CD for anyone who enjoys jazz vocals, showtunes, or just a new spin on some old classics.

Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire

Average customer rating:

upbeat Fred & Ginger
Homage to Blossom
Simply A Must-Have in Your Collection !
Soft and smooth
Fitting tribute to Fred's music

Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire
Stacey Kent
Manufacturer: Candid Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Boy Next Door
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Dreamsville

ASIN: B000035QA9
Release Date: 2000-08-12

Tracks:

Let Yourself Go (Irving Berlin)
They Can't Take That Away From Me (George/Ira Gerswhin)
I Won't Dance (Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields/Jimmy McHugh)
Isn't This A Lovely Day? (Irving Berlin)
They All Laughed (George/Ira Gershwin)
He Loves And She Loves (George/Ira Gershwin)
Shall We Dance? (George/Ira Gershwin)
One For My Baby (Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer)
S'Wonderful (George/Ira Gershwin)
A Fine Romance (Jerome Kern/Dorothy Fields)
I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan (Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz)
I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket (Irving Berlin)
By Myself (Howard Dietz/Arthur Schwartz)

Amazon.com

Grateful singers know that Fred Astaire virtually defined the Great American Songbook, beginning in the '30s with his legendary film collaborations with George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, and Jerome Kern. Stacey Kent pays tribute to Astaire in Let Yourself Go, the third stellar album for the London-based, New York-bred vocalist whose voice resembles a lighter version of Dinah Washington's. Kent shines on both gorgeous ballads ("They Can't Take That Away from Me") and solid swingers ("Shall We Dance"), and adds an easy bossa nova beat to "'S Wonderful." Trading lines with her is Kent's saxophonist-husband Jim Tomlinson, who fronts the solid band. Flexible with the rhythms yet never straying far from the melodies, Kent also pays perhaps the ultimate compliment to many of these songs by including the oft-neglected verses. Tony Bennett's 1993 Fred Astaire tribute was his breakthrough to the mainstream music scene. Perhaps Let Yourself Go will be the U.S. breakthrough for Stacey Kent. --David Horiuchi

Album Details

A Tribute to One of her Idols Fred Astaire. Interpretations of 'fine Romance', 'they all Laughed', 'i Won't Dance'etc.

Customer Reviews:

upbeat Fred & Ginger.......2006-08-04

This is the my most recent Stacey purchase and I like the song selection more than I thought I would before I got it. More up beat and happy than her more ballad albums.

A recent Washington Post article before Stacey Kent's appearance at Blues Alley said she had an "adult sexuality". I had to find out. Having listened, she has a coy, kittenish sexuality that come through most all her songs. A kittenish, cat-and-mouse quality. I have since seen her at Blues Alley and she does a great live show. Both her and Jim seem less pretentious than a lot of stars.

She has a small voice - she rarely, if ever, sings loud or with much dynamics. But the mix is always consistent and pleasant.

The fav song here is the sad "One for my Baby", but I really like the cheerful title track. You can imagine Fred and Ginger dancing across the screen. Jim Tomlinson on Sax sounds like Stan Getz back from the grave, yet again.

Stacey & Jim have made a number of albums. The differences between each are the songs, whether the selection is to your taste, the arrangements are pretty similar from album to album.

Homage to Blossom.......2006-04-06

Stacey Kent has a tiny, girlish voice, similar in some ways to the wonderful Blossom Dearie, but without, as far as I can tell, an iota of Dearie's transcendent wit and humor. Kent's album covers, with their glamour girl sheen, reinforce the idea that she takes herself very seriously. This album makes pleasant background music, but it's not a sit down and listen kind of album. The songs don't feel lived in, and she doesn't feel as if she has enough life experience to invest them with the requisite meaning. Still, pleasant sounds are better than unpleasant ones, and for that reason I give it two stars.

Simply A Must-Have in Your Collection !.......2005-05-01

Few contemporary vocalists interpret standards with new delight while keeping the original glory in tact. Stacey's voice is clear and warm; and unlike many recordings, the instrumentals accent the vocals instead of compete against them. Between Noah Jones, Diana Krall, Jane Monheit, and Stacey Kent, I enjoy Stacey Kent the most.

Soft and smooth.......2004-06-12

I don't know just where Stacey Kent came from, but the first time I heard her voice I thought it was an old recording of Joanie Sommers. But Stacey has a certain knack for great phrasing as well, and she hits all the right notes.

Fitting tribute to Fred's music.......2004-01-10

According to the liner notes written by Stacey, as a child she used to imagine herself in place of Ginger Rogers. Stacey shows her obvious enthusiasm for, and familiarity with, Fred's music in this, her third album. It is unusual for a singer to pay tribute to an artist from the thirties and forties, as tribute albums devoted to that era usually focus on the composer, but this is a brilliant album.

Stacey chose mostly well-known songs including such classics as Let yourself go, They can't take that away from me, Isn't this a lovely day, S'wonderful and A fine romance. Of course, Fred had many more classic songs that Stacey didn't include (such as Putting on the Ritz, The continental, Cheek to cheek, Fascinating rhythm, Nice work if you can get it, Night and day), but the thirteen songs chosen offer a good representation. Irving Berlin composed three of the songs here, while there are five by George and Ira Gershwin. Between them, those three men were responsible for the majority of Fred's classics so it is no surprise to find they have the majority here. All the songs here suit Stacey's style perfectly, and all are suitably updated for modern listeners while respecting tradition.

Tracks:

Let's Face The Music And Dance
You Are My Lucky Star
You And The Night And The Music
Younger Than Springtime
You Leave Me Breathless
You're And Old Smoothie
Then I'll Be Happy
I Get Along Without You Very Well
I Can't Escape From You
Have You Got Any Castles, Baby?
Darn That Dream
Let Yourself Go
Jeannine, I Dream Of Lilac Time
Without A Song
September In The Rain
S'Posin'
Am I Blue?
Rain
I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
Diga Diga Doo
For All We Know
Time Was (Over Me)
Something To Remember You By
Get Happy

Album Description

'Hey... Let Yourself Go!' and 'C'mon...Get Happy!' on one CD. Both albums hit #20 on the charts for Capitol in 1957 & 1958, respectively, but the label never released them. Now the first time on CD, 24 tracks by ace arranger Nelson Riddle. Standard jewel case. 2000 release.

Customer Reviews:

Nelson Riddle Forever.......2002-01-13

Well, lessee here: My library holds (on cd) "Hey...Let Yourself Go,""C'mon...Get Happy!""The Joy of Living,""Love Is A Game of Poker,""The Best of Nelson Riddle" (Capitol),"The Best of Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra" (Curb), and on LP: "The Riddle Touch,""Route 66 Theme and other TV Themes," (mono),"The Best of Nelson Riddle" (a promotional copy for radio stations never issued for sale), and "Witchcraft."
That Frank Sinatra could not decide on who "his" orchestra - that of Nelson Riddle or Don Costa, was to be is testament alone to the greatness of Nelson Riddle even without hearing a single arrangement. Not many arrangers come with the trombone as their root instrument (Riddle, Miller) or guitar (Costa). That too ought to tell you of the greatness of Nelson Riddle, ie., he could arrange so many "voices" of an orchestra from the soul of a trombone! Costa did it from the even the more limited range of a guitar!
This is a great album!
Buy it!
Then get the others!
Add to your collection Don Costa, Hugo Montenegro, Andre Kostelanetz, Hugo Winterhalter, Percy Faith, late Lawrence Welk, Bert Kaempfert, and Ray Conniff (especially "Conniff Meets Butterfield"), Jackie Gleason, and any of Stu Phillips' "Hollywood Strings" albums and you'll have a mighty library of contemporary instrumental artists who will fill your home with modern arrangements from the classics to the Beatles. As I said in the title - Nelson Riddle Forever! Enjoy!
Like the commercial says, "Are these guys good, or what?"

Riddle is a member of the GREATEST GENERATION - nuff said.......2000-11-03

This is basically "Nelson Riddle-The Best Of The Capital Years" reissued. For those who have never heard a Riddle arrangement (sans vocalist), you have missed out! But here is your chance to re-discover what the USA was listening to when the "Greatest Generation" was at its best. Sinatra may have been (and still is!) all the rage in the 50's & early 60's, but THIS is the music that help make his legacy so great. If you've had a busy day at the office, or want to relax during the weekend, listening to Nelson Riddle's arrangements on this CD is better than any medication! Although, there is one side effect! You'll find yourself craving more of this delicious sound!!

Let Yourself Go: The Making of Elvis the Comeback Special

Average customer rating:

For Collectors: ***** / For Casual Fans **

Let Yourself Go: The Making of Elvis the Comeback Special
Elvis Presley
Manufacturer: Sony / Bmg Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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His Hand in Mine
Made in Memphis
Elvis Presley
Unchained Melody
50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can't Be Wrong: Elvis' Golden Records, Vol. 2

ASIN: B000IY0FYY
Release Date: 2006-10-23

Tracks:

Trouble/Guitar Man [Opening Takes 6, 7]
Nothingville [Takes 5, 6]
Let Yourself Go [Pt 1-Takes 5, 6 + Part 2-Take 2 + Part 3-Take 6]
Guitar Man [Escape Section 1[Fast Takes 1, 2, 5]
Guitar Man [Afer Karate Section 2-Take 1]
Little Egypt [Take 8]
Trouble/Guitar Man [Atfer Karate Section 3-Take 2]
Big Boss Man [Take 2]
It Hurts Me [Pt 1-Take 5 + Part 2-Take 3]
Guitar Man [Escape Section 1 (Remake)-Take 6]
Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child/Where Could I Go But to the Lo
Up Above My Head/I Found That Light [Gospel Section 2-Take 7]
Saved [Gospel Section 3-Take 4]
If I Can Dream [Takes 3, 4]
Memories [Alternate Vocal Track]
I Got a Woman
Blue Moon/Young Love/Oh, Happy Day
When It Rains, It Really Poirs
Blue Christmas
Are You Lonesome Tongiht?/That's My Desire
That's When Your Heartaches Begin
Peter Gunn Theme
Love Me
When My Blue Moon Turns to Gold Again
Blue Christmas/Santa Claus Is Back in Town

Album Details

Collectors Label Follow that Dream's in Depth Look Into the Making of his Acclaimed 1968 "Comeback" TV Special.

Customer Reviews:

For Collectors: ***** / For Casual Fans **.......2006-11-24

The packaging is exquisite, including the attractive framing of the songlist, but "Collectors" and "Casual Fans" beware: "Blue Moon", "Young Love", "Oh, Happy Day", probably the titles mostly likely to entice buyers are small fragments, not even long enough to be considered parts of a medley. The longtime Collector will get some enjoyment from "Blue Moon"; "Oh, Happy Day" doesn't sound like much more than the song title itself. It looks great in print, but for the uninitied it could be a serious disappointment.
Another title "I Found That Light" is not the "new" song buyers who are not familiar with Gospel music might expect. It's actually a medley element - "Up Above My Head" apparently should have been listed as "Up Above My Head"/"I Found That Light" on the original release. Having said that, it's still a stirring number.
Previously unreleased "Dressing Room" performances of "I Got A Woman" and "When It Rains, It Really Pours" are two of the most exciting things Elvis ever cut - and these tunes were for *personal reference*! For the serious fan/collector, these two tracks are worth the price of the whole CD.
Add "Memories" to that. It's an "alternate vocal" to the familiar music bed. The shoulda-been-number-one-Pop Valentine should be included in any future Presley collection where his "art" is the theme. It's quite an experience for a fan who values a tune over time, to be moved *again* by the same song (with a different "feel").
The CD title tune is another amazing alternate of the E.P. semi-hit from '68; the backing isn't as tight but the lead vocal is even stronger than on the TV Special remake. The famous B-side, "It Hurts Me", another shoulda-been, is at least as good as the original from the show (originally not included in the first two telecasts).
Most of the rest have their "moments" - the tracks are for those who just love to listen to Elvis. Example: an outtake of "Trouble" will leave you "Breathless"! JLL might agree!!

Average customer rating:

Doesn't work for me.

Sing Irving Berlin

Manufacturer: Import [Generic]
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Christmastime

ASIN: B00008YGWJ
Release Date: 2003-07-28

Tracks:

Top Hat, White Tie and Tails
How Deep Is the Ocean?
It's a Lovely Day/Isn't It a Lovely Day
Blue Skies
Always
They Say It's Wonderful
No Strings
Song Is Ended
Stepping Out With My Baby
Let Yourself Go
Cheek to Cheek/Let's Face the Music and Dance
Marrying for Love/The Girl That I Marry
What'll I Do
Puttin' on the Ritz
Abraham
Change Partners
Heatwave
I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm
Count Your Blessings
White Christmas

Album Description

Quality music at a great price, this collection features 20 tracks including 'How Deep Is The Ocean', 'No Strings', 'Puttin' On The Ritz' & 'Heatwave'. The Swingles have, unusually, incorporated electric keyboards, horns and drums into their usually acappella approach, resulting in some thoroughly modern interpretations of Berlin's classics. Castle Pulse. 2003.

Customer Reviews:

Doesn't work for me........2006-05-04

I LOVE the Swingle Singers. The first time I heard them sing Bach back in the 60's I was driving a car and I was so blown away that I had to pull off the road. And I LOVE Irving Berlin's music; his message is simple and direct and tuneful. And therein lies the rub. To me, the jazz vocal styles, the contemporary harmonies and the whimsical utterances of the Swingle Singers go together with Irving Berlin's music like oil and water; they just don't mix. The words and melodies are those of Irving Berlin but the end result isn't Irving Berlin. Admittedly this is one man's opinion, and others might take great pleasure in the Swingle Singers' unfailing virtuosity and inventiveness. But if you anticipate the straighforward tunes and emotional directness in Berlin's music, you are apt to be disappointed.

Let Yourself Go: Fred Hersch at Jordan Hall

Average customer rating:

Beautiful, sophisticated, original, inventive piano playing.
Complete Communion
Breath Taking!
Hersch's lion heart
Fred Hersch "bores you to tears"

Let Yourself Go: Fred Hersch at Jordan Hall
Fred Hersch
Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Live at the Village Vanguard
Passion Flower
Dancing in the Dark
Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 31

ASIN: B00000IPXO
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Black Is The Color/Love Theme From 'Spartacus'
Speak Low
My Old Man
I Loves You, Porgy
Moon & Sand
...Departed
Let Yourself Go
Blue Monk
The Nearness Of You

Amazon.com

Pianist Fred Hersch's once-in-a-lifetime combination of prowess and patience not only endeared him to musicians like Stan Getz and Jim Hall, but it also enabled him to become this generation's reigning poet laureate of the piano. This 1998 live recording, done at his alma mater, the New England Conservatory of Music, offers the perfect format to display his gifts. A keyboard descendant of Ahmad Jamal and Bill Evans, Hersch delivers stunning interpretations of some time-honored standards, including a fabulous funereal take on the traditional song "Black Is the Color" and Alex North's immortal "Love Theme from Spartacus." Hersch's performances of "The Nearness of You" and "I Loves You Porgy" are imbued with pastel-like harmonic hazes and lyrical lines, while his rendition of Joni Mitchell's "My Old Man" retains the composer's cool, visual imagery. The piano player's own spectral offering "Departed" could be the jazz canon's new addition we've all been waiting for, while "Speak Low" swings with a snappy, interlocking fugal introduction. Hersch's reading of "Blue Monk" recasts it in a revival-era mood, complete with down-home chordal clusters that evoke that upright piano in the corner of the church. --Eugene Holley Jr.

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, sophisticated, original, inventive piano playing........2005-07-30

Fred Hersch is one of the best solo jazz pianists in recent memory. His playing is original, yet versed in the classical and jazz tradition. It is poetic and inventive in a way that makes it almost impossible to mistake Fred for any other pianist.
The recording quality on is not great, as it was not a planned release. Fred decided to release it because he felt it was a special performance.
The first track, "Black is the Colour/Love Them from Spartacus" is sublime: Fred's use of space is flawless, his harmony is sonorous and appropriate, the melodic line flows smoothly through the entire track, and the climax is one of the best in recorded jazz.
The second track, "Speak Low", is full of inventive counterpoint and several exciting devices, such as an exciting ostinato montuno pattern
I won't describe all of the tracks, but every single one is a unique gem. After a while, you may notice Fred repeating some of his ideas from other tracks, but this is almost impossible to avoid in a whole night of solo improvisation.
I highly recommend this disc to solo jazz piano fans, to pianists looking for new ideas, or anyone looking for some beautiful and modern, yet easily-appreciable music.

Complete Communion.......2003-02-24

The title of mine is the famous record of avant garde Jazz, however, we can feel that from this CD. His concentration was excellent, and that of the audience was too. We can feel the intense atmosphere of music at that night.
The concept of Mr. Hershe's performance was not aggressive and progessive, but modereate one, however, his deep insight into the music tonight reflected the mode of his play, and, probably contageous to the audience at that night. Mr.Hershe may not be a gigantic figures of Jazz, however,@this night's perfomance of him was outstanding in the historiy of Jazz, at least in that of Piano Jazz.
@

Breath Taking!.......2000-03-24

Along with John McArthur's, "HIDDEN", Let Yourself Go: Fred Hersch at Jordan Hall may be the most breath-takingly beautiful album I have ever heard. Buy this CD, you will not regreat it.

Hersch's lion heart.......2000-01-10

If James Hillman is right when he writes about the necessity of imagination as a real thinking device, we can say with him that pianist Fred Hearsch makes a very good job in that way. His renderings of standards are (not surprising) endowed with amazing images of almost new landscapes. I found it astonishing brilliant and open-minded. Bravo for Mr. Hearsch (again).

Fred Hersch "bores you to tears".......2000-01-06

After reading a review of this album in the San Francisco Chronicle, I immediately ordered it from Amazon.com. I salivated when it arrived today and immediately played it. I couldn't get completely through even one of the nine cuts on this album. To call it boring would be a compliment. Non-melodic, no accompianment.. tempo slower than a chinese water torture...this is an album to avoid like the plague. The five stars awarded on Amazon's website must have been compiled from reviews from the "artist's" family. A real stinker.

The Columbia Albums of Irving Berlin, Vol. 1-2

Average customer rating:

The Columbia Albums of Irving Berlin, Vol. 1-2

Manufacturer: Collectables
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000AHEU8
Release Date: 2003-09-02

Tracks:

It's A Lovely Day Today/Blue Skies
Maybe Its Because I Love/I Got Lost
You'd Be Surprised/I'll See You In Cuba
Always/Remember
Shaking The Blues/Play A Simple/Alexander's
Here's No Business/Got The Sun/Girl I Marry
Say It Will Music/Cheek To Cheek
It's A Lovely Day Tomorrow/ Now It Can Be Told
This Year's Kisses/Be Careful! Its My Heart
Lady Of The Evening/ Better Luck Next Time
Steppin' Out With My Baby/ You're Just In Love
Let's Face The Music/Say It Isn't So
How Deep Is The Ocean/I Never Had A Chance
Change Partners/Mandy
You Can't Brush Me/Everybody Step/Waiting At The End
Soft Lights/They Say It's Wonderful
Puttin' On The Ritz/Marie
I've Got My Love To Keep Me/Top Hat
What'll I Do/All Alone
A Pretty Girl/Isn't This A Lovely Day
Lazy/I'm Getting Tired So I Can Sleep
I'm Playing With Fire/Let's Have Another Cup
Heat Wave/Let Yourself Go
The Piccoline/No Strings

Album Description

Full Title - The Columbia Albums Of Irving Berlin Vols. 1 & 2. Composer, conductor, arranger Frank DeVol scored more than fifty movies and is best known as the composer for the theme songs for the TV series 'My Three Sons', 'The Brady Bunch' and 'Family Affair'. In the 1940s DeVol was an arranger for Dinah Shore, Tony Bennett, Rudy Vallee, Vic Damone and Doris Day. Frank DeVol received multiple Emmy Awards and Academy Award nominations for his extensive body of work. Irving Berlin's medleys featured are 'Always/Remember', 'A Pretty Girl/Isn't It A Lovely Day' and 'Say It With Music/Cheek To Cheek'. 24 tracks. Collectables 2003.

Average customer rating:

English is an asset and a drawback
You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English
A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!
I love Carmen!

Carmen (Sung in English)
Bizet , Bardon , Gavin , Plazas , Magee , and Parry
Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mozart - Don Giovanni / Garry Magee · Cullagh · Banks · Plazas · Shore · Tierny · PO · David Parry

ASIN: B00007JGRN
Release Date: 2003-03-11

Tracks:

Prelude
In The Plaza
Just Look At That Delicious Morsel
Here Come Our New Soldier Boys
Jose! There Was A Girl Here Looking For You Just Now
Off With You Old Soldier Boys
Corporal! Sir!
We Have Heard The Bell Summon Us To Meet Here
Ah, Just Look!
But Why Hasn't She Come, Our Carmencita?
Love's A Bird Wild As Any Rebel
Carmen! We Will Follow You High And Low!
The Cheek Of It!
Give Me News Of My Mother!
Your Dear Mother And I Were Leaving Church This Morning
I See My Mother's Face!
Wait A Moment - I'm Going To Read The Letter
Come And Help
So, Corporal: Tell Me What Happened
Well, Carmencita: What Do You Have To Say For Yourself?
Where Are You Taking Me?
There's An Old Bar In The City
Careful - It's Lieutenant!
Entr'acte
From Far Away Mysterious Sounds
Bravo, Bravo! More! Keep Dancing!
Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
Who's That? It's Escamillo, The Bullfighter From Granada
Hurrah! Hurrah! The Torero!
You're Most Kind
We'll Come With You, Senor Torero
Toreador, Be Ready!
At Last! We Got Rid Of Them As Quickly As We Could
There's A Little Job That We're Starting!
Being In Love Is Not A Reason

Tracks:

To Bid You Welcome To Our Bar
La La La La La La La La...
Back To Camp!... Go At Once!
That Flow'r You Threw To Me I Treasured
No, It's Not Love At All!
Hello! Carmen!
Lieutenant Fair, It's True
The Sky Above The Open Road
Entr'acte
Keep Going, Dear Old Friend, Kep Going!
Right! Let's Stop For A While
Shuffle! Cut Them!
In Vain You Would Avoid The Bitter Things They're Saying
You're Back!
As For That Man, It Should Be Easy!
Is This The Place?
I Say That There's Nothing To Fear
It's Him! I'm Sure It's Him Over There!
Escamillo Is My Name, And I Come From Granada
She Had A Lover Here
Hola! Hola! Jose!
You Should Take Care, Carmen
Alas! Jose, Your Mother Is Ill
Entr'acte
A Few Cuartos! A Few Cuartos!
Here They Come! Here They Come!
If You Love Me, Carmen
It's You! It's Me!
Viva! Viva! What A Corrida!

Customer Reviews:

English is an asset and a drawback.......2004-07-20

The best thing about this recording of Carmen is the libretto. Conductor David Parry penned this facile and dramatic English translation. He avoids the pitfalls of literal translation to achieve an idiomatic flow that matches the rhythm of the original lyrics. I use this as a reference libretto for any of the French Carmens.

Unfortunately, the performance suffers from being sung in English. The singers declaim their parts with such proper British diction that Carmen comes across as a school marm. The spoken dialog is delivered beat for deliberate beat and is dripping with reverb. It makes the plaza, tavern and mountain pass all sound like a sewer pipe.

This is a good first Carmen for someone trying to understand the work. The libretto itself is a good investment for further listening. For an enjoyable performance with an emphasis on character and action, I recommend Regina Resnik on the London Double Decker set.

You Will Love Opera After Hearing Carmen In English.......2004-02-09

What a perfect introduction to opera. This newly released recording will surely get you hooked into opera. Carmen, a French opera by Georges Bizet, is the most recognizable and most popular in the opera world. It's famous melodies- the overture, the Habanera, The Toreador Song have all been featured in everything from cellular phone ring tones to Superbowl Commercial (last year's Superbowl with The "Opera In English" label has been making Italian operas into English for a number of years now. Also on the market are Verdi's La Traviata in English (with soprano Valerie Masterson as Violetta) Handel's Julius Caesar with Janet Baker and even Wagner's epic Ring Of The Nibeling sung in English. This is a terrific recording and I highly recommend it if you want to get into opera. Listen to this version first and then try the real, original French version Bizet had written. Patricia Bardon is sensational, sexy and dramatic as Carmen.

The real strength of this version is the dynamic drama. With the advantage of being sung in English, we get better insight on characters' emotions and motives, and we understand the drama a lot better. Carmen is all about great drama. Bizet drew the plot from the French writer Prosper Merimee's dark short story. Carmen is the ultimate femme fatale- a devil-may-care, sexy Gypsy living in Spain, seduces the conservatively raised soldier Don Jose, stealing him away from his fiancee, the passive Micaela, living a life of underground smuggling and rowdy taverns. "Habanera" and "The Gypsy Song and Dance" are very expressive of Carmen's extraordinarily liberal lifestyle. Don Jose, however, has fallen deeply in love- as he shows us in his song/aria "The Flower Song". But Carmen soon becomes tired of his constancy. Don Jose wants a committed, monogamous relationship with Carmen. But Carmen will not submit to love, since she is first and foremost a carnal creature. Eventually, she falls for the handsome Toreador Escamillo. Don Jose, consumed by jealousy, stabs Carmen at a bullfight after Carmen declares her love for Escamillo and rejects Don Jose's love. Don Jose's crazed, obscessive personality shines through in the English version as well. This tragedy has been done in English before so don't think this is the first time. Back in the 50's, there was a film, starring black actors "Carmen Jones" which was treated the same way as this opera- more like an English Broadway musical and with the dubbed singing voice of Marilyn Horne as Carmen. All in all, this recording is excellent.

A wholly credible "Carmen" -- finally!.......2003-09-17

This recording really sells "Carmen" as a drama. Although I have two other recordings of this opera and have seen it performed several times, it never quite worked for me dramatically. But thanks to the fine performances, conducting, and translation here, I've become a "Carmen" convert. Producing a good English-language performance of a foreign opera, especially a warhorse like "Carmen," is much more difficult than it might appear. You need performers who not only can sing the parts (of course) but also can sing *English* and make it halfway intelligible and make it sound like English and make it dramatically convincing to English-speakers. The singers on this recording do an excellent job all around. Don't be put off if you don't recognize their names -- they are up to the task musically and (especially) in their acting. Admittedly, as with *all* English-language recordings, some passages are very hard to understand without reading along, but most of the time the words are clear and effective. I would recommend this recording to any opera beginner or opera lover, even those who normally turn up their noses at performances in translation.

I love Carmen!.......2003-08-15

I do. I can think of no other opera with more melodic inventiveness, and few others with so sure a dramatic pulse. Carmen is popular and it thrills me to say that it is also a very good opera - not always true of popular things.

And what of this recording? Carmen sits well in English, so it is good to hear in translation, although some of the detais in the text jar. Escamillo refers to Jose as "my dear", which sounds rather peculiar, and the guide's line to Micaela: "it's not exactly inviting, is it?" sounds distinctly Middle England rather than Rural Spain. Some of the performers, not least Carmen herself, make the words work, although there are long tracts, especially with the chorus, where the language is distinctly indistinct.

The soloists are, by and large, strong. Patricia Bardon's deep, Handel-friendly voice adapts well to Carmen and she colours the music with phenomenal detail, sounding sexy and provocative from the start with an edge of pride and anger that emerges as the show goes on. She is out of her depth above the stave, though, and some extra top notes in the second act don't show her off to her best advantage. I have previously said that Julian Gavin is poorly served by recordings, though here he sounds much more even and gives a thrilling and musical performance (but his wooden spoken lines let him down). Mary Plazas is a lovely Micaela, rich-voiced and sincere (and word-perfect), but Garry Magee sounds miscast as Escamillo, lacking the ballast at the bottom of the voice to do justice to this tricky role.

The supporting cast is good (Mary Hegarty seems to do nothing but Frasquita these days!) but the really treasurable thing is the conducting. Stepping out of Italian Ottocento, David Parry turns his hand to this French Comedie with an appropriate lightness of touch. His pacing and handling of the set pieces is exemplary and the enrtractes go with a real swing.

Tracks:

Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Opening - Introduction
Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Opening - How You Were! How You Are! (Octavian, Marschallin)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Conclusion - Ah, There He Goes... (Marschallin, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Conclusion - Ah! You Are Back Again? (Marschallin, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Conclusion - For Time Is A Mysterious Thing (Marschallin, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Conclusion - My Dearest Love, Why Do You Torture Yourself... (Marschallin, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act I. Conclusion - I'll Go Now, Go To Church, And Pray (Marschallin, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act II Opening - Introduction: A Solemn Day, A Wondrous Day
Der Rosenkavalier: Act II Opening - In This Most Wonderful And Serious Moment (Sophie)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act II Opening - It Is An Honor, An Enchantment (Octavian, Sophie)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act II Conclusion - Here I Am
Der Rosenkavalier: Act II Conclusion - Here (Ochs)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act III (Conclusion) - Leupold, Let's Go (Ochs)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act III (Conclusion) - Oh God! The Story Was A Masquerade And No More (Sophie, Octavian, Marschellin)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act III (Conclusion) - Now Or Tomorrow; If Not Tomorrow, Very Soon (Marschallin, Sophie, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act III (Conclusion) - Marie Theres', How Good You Are (Marschallin, Sophie, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act III (Conclusion) - Bliss Is Too Deep To Understand (Marschallin, Sophie, Octavian)
Der Rosenkavalier: Act III (Conclusion) - Bliss Is Too Deep To Understand (Octavian, Sophie)