Audra McDonald, Patrick Wilson - Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording)
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Audra McDonald, Patrick WilsonEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2009-02-03
Music Label: SONY CLASSICS
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Overture
- Opening
- I Know It Can Happen Again
- Pudgy Legs
- Dialogue - One Foot, Other Foot
- One Foot, Other Foot
- Children's Dance
- Grandmother's Death
- Winters Go By
- Dialogue - Poor Joe
- Poor Joe
- Diploma
- A Fellow Needs A Girl
- Freshmen Get Together
- Dream Sequence
- Pas de Deux
- End of College Dance
- Wildcats
- Jennie Reads Letter
- Scene of Professors
- So Far
- You Are Never Away
- You Are Never Away (Encore)
- Dialogue - Poor Joe (Reprise)
- Poor Joe (Reprise)
- Marjorie's Death
- What A Lovely Day For A Wedding!
- It May Be A Good Idea
- Finale Act I
- Entr'acte
- Opening Act II
- Money Isn't Everything
- Dance (Money Isn't Everything)
- Dialogue - Poor Joe (Second Reprise)
- Poor Joe (Second Reprise)
- You Are Never Away (Reprise)
- A Fellow Needs A Girl (Reprise)
- Yatata
- The Gentleman Is a Dope
- Dialogue - Allegro
- Allegro
- Allegro Ballet
- Come Home
- Finale Ultimo
Free Music Notes for Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording)
Free Music Review: A superb recording of a pretty darn good show
Hit: 5 Stars
Like one of the other reviewers, I'm listening as I type. I've been listening to this since I got the album four days ago, as soon as I discovered it was actually out. I've been waiting for this one for much of my life, ever since I discovered that R&H actually had some flops, and the cast recordings were hard to come by. I eventually did get the 1970's reissue of the Allegro original cast (had to wait 'til the 1990's CD reissues for Pipe Dream and Me and Juliet). Even though I always liked the original cast album, and developed a strong affinity for the show based on that recording, I was aware that it was missing a fair amount of the music, and even I could tell the sound quality was poor.
So, you ask, now that you've got it, are you happy with it? The answer is unequivocally yes. This is a sumptuous and nearly perfect recording. The voices are teriffic and uniformly well cast. The singing styles may not be quite 1940's but they're close enough. The album includes all of the music, and a lot of excerpts of the Greek Chorus doing its thing, and really gives you a sense of how the show sounded and worked. From the standpoint of sheer production values and respect for the source material, this is as fine a studio cast album as one could ask for. The sound is crystal clear and gorgeous. It was obviously a true labor of love for all concerned.
In addition to familiar songs I have loved for years, some of that music I never heard before is genuinely wonderful. The standouts in this category are "It's a Darned Nice Campus," "It Wouldn't Be Good for Me," "What a Lovely Day for a Wedding," and the opening verse of "So Far." The "Mountain Greenery" variations used to represent a dance taking place in the 1920s are spot on and hilarious, and a clever nod to Rodgers' earlier incarnation as the music to Lorenz Hart's lyrics. The orchestral interludes are good enough to give one a sense of Rodgers' genius as a composer.
I have just two quibbles, one small and one miniscule. The small one is the album's take on "You are Never Away," which may be the best song in show. They have speeded up the tempo noticeably from what was on the original cast album (and quite likely heard onstage in the original), and Patrick Wilson's singing is a little too stalwart and confident. His voice is clearly stronger than John Battles' was, but it doesn't seem to work as well for the scene and the number. The overall effect is that the song is missing some of the tenderness that shone through in the original and gave it emotional punch. That said, the version here, along with the reprises, is still pretty satisfying.
My even smaller quibble is the cover art, which is just plain grim and offputting. It features a black and white photo of what is presumably a small-town depression-era Midwestern doctor, walking through the landscape under an impending storm, and looking very careworn himself. The cover art of the various reissues of the original cast album were based on (or in some cases taken directly from) the poster art for the original production, and featured cutesy drawings of male/female couples surrounding the title. This was probably too cute for a show that was ultimately serious and intended as serious art. The cover on this one, though, implies that even after his self-realization at the end, Dr. Joeseph Taylor Junior may not be all that happy.
Finally, having heard this recording, I'll add my two cents on the overall merit of the work. First of all, I'll admit I've always had a soft spot for the R & H "flops," and they rank higher in my affections than the more acclaimed and popular R & H "hits." If pressed, I'd also have to admit that even Allegro (let alone Me and Juliet or Pipe Dream) doesn't have quite the artistic heft of South Pacific or Carousel. Nevertheless, this recording confirms my previous opinion that Allegro was a very, very worthy piece of theater art that should be seen and heard a lot more than it has been. This recording demonstrates just how innovative it was in a musical sense. By all accounts it was equally innovative in its visual presentation. I'd concur with Brooks Atkinson's assessment (reviewing the original production in the New York Times) pointing out that the first act is an emotionally powerful work of art, and something like an Our Town in musical form. The wedding sequence had me misty-eyed the first time I played the album through. If the rest of the work were as good as Act I, Allegro would probably rank right up there with the most acclaimed Rodgers and Hammerstein pieces.
The flaw in the piece is the second act. It has some good numbers, but it is musically weaker than Act I. But what really falls apart here is the authors' realization of their message. The book accompanying the album, and other accounts, indicate that Hammerstein was trying to make a statement about what can happen when the demands of success overwhelm a man's ability to remain true to himself. Unfortunately, this is not the message that is actually conveyed. It comes across instead as an indictment of shallow urban values and lifestyles contrasted with the purity of small town virtues. You get the impression that if R & H were still around, they would have voted for the McCain/Palin ticket in the last election.
Overall, I would still say that Allegro is a better work than much of what passes for a Broadway musical nowadays. It may not be Rodgers and Hammersteins' masterpiece, but it is a work of considerable merit. This new recording goes a long way towards rehabilitating the show and giving it the place it deserves in the history and cannon of the American musical theater.
[...] This was aired during a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein shown on TV, probably around 1955. Although the video's in fuzzy black and white, it gives a good picture of just how glorious Allegro was at its best.
Now will someone, please, do a complete recording of Jubilee?
Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording) Poster
New Studio Cast Recording featuring Tony Award-winners Audra McDonald, Laura Benanti, Norbert Leo Butz, Tony Award-nominees Patrick Wilson, Judy Kuhn, Liz Callaway, Danny Burstein and opera sensation baritone Nathan Gunn.Written in 1947, Rodgers & Hammerstein's ALLEGRO was preceded by OKLAHOMA! (1943) and CAROUSEL (1945), and followed by SOUTH PACIFIC (1949) and THE KING AND I (1951), a period when R&H were at their creative zenith. An original musical, it tells the story of an earnest country doctor, Joseph Taylor, Jr., following his life from cradle to adulthood, and his journey - both literal and moral - from small town to big city, and back again. The score is unconventional: fragments of song move in and out of the action like passing thoughts; melodies flit by in one scene only to take hold and blossom in the next. Major songs are given to minor characters, while the central character has comparatively little solo work; at the same time, a chorus provides spoken commentary and sings aloud their inner thoughts. Original director/choreographer Agnes de Mille's extended ballet sequences are reflected in intriguing orchestral pieces alongside such songs as "The Gentleman is a Dope," "So Far," "A Fellow Needs a Girl" and the spirited title song.
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