George Forrest, Robert Wright - Kismet (1953 Original Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Kismet (1953 Original Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: Joyous vitality!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have loved this recording since I was nine years old, and will never tire of it. The combination of Borodin's wonderful melodies and the wittiest lyrics that ever graced a musical are simply irresistible. This is one of those recordings to play on a gloomy day - its joyous optimism will cure any depression.I've always regretted that Alfred Drake did not star in the film version of this musical. Good though Howard Keel was in the 1955 movie, no one has ever sung the lead role with such commanding vocal presence and attention to the lyrics as Alfred Drake. His Shakespearean background no doubt contributed to his superb enunciation, and he brings such wit and mischief to his portrayal that the listener is utterly seduced by his charm. What a shame he only made one major film appearance!
Henry Calvin and Joan Diener as the wicked Wazir and his wife are equally impressive, and Diener displays exactly the right combination of beauty and steel in her rousing Not Since Ninevah. Calvin enjoys himself immensely in the wickedly clever Was I Wazir?
Among the other players, Doretta Morrow and Richard Kiley provide solid support as the young lovers. Kiley struggles with his upper register, but produces a sweet falsetto in Night of My Nights.
But what makes this recording a masterpiece is the contribution of its star Alfred Drake - surely the ultimate Broadway performer. Forget the 1991 remake with the dull Samuel Ramey, this is the definitive performance.
Free Music Review: The ne plus ultra of cast albums
Hit: 5 Stars
Let us not beat around the bush: Goddard Lieberson made this show. It opened to nearly unanimous pans from the "critics" -- but happily during a newspaper strike, and beforehand the Columbia star Tony Bennett had a hit with "Stranger in Paradise"; but if "Kismet" had to do with mere luck or its spectacle or its hoary if familiar book it would surely not have survived. Not even the inspired rewrites of Borodin by a couple of former MGM "hacks" named Wright and Forrest, or the suitably triumphal arrangements of Arthur Kay, saved the day. No, it was the sound of Lieberson's production -- a bombastic, barbaric sound, a sound even digital remastering hasn't totally wiped away -- that made it a perfect presentation of a musical already perfectly cast and sung, that made it immortal. This "Kismet" not only inspired innumerable rerecordings (the most recent, sadly, in '91) but also a sequel of sorts, the NBC spectacular "The Adventures of Marco Polo," ably set to Rimsky-Korsakov, which reunited Alfred Drake and Doretta Morrow and got a fine Masterworks studio album of its own (happily reissued several years ago by DRG), and further proved just how superb these two were, as if further proof were needed.
Possibly Vegas and political correctness have killed "Kismet" as a going property, but they can never kill this album, a supreme monument among all recordings.
Free Music Review: More-Than-Oriental Splendor
Hit: 5 Stars
When I was very young (about six) we had the original vinyl of this 'track, and it became such a favorite of mine that I made a good start toward wearing it out. Years later I literally had to buy a new record. Now, at last, the CD is available, providing a virtually immortal archive of gorgeous Alexander Borodin music, witty Wright & Forrest lyrics, delicious Arthur Kay arrangements, and splendid voices. Alfred Drake's strong baritone and crystal enunciation, Doretta Morrow's sweet soprano and Joan Diener's soaring delivery, and the unexpected ability of Richard Kiley and Henry Calvin blend perfectly in tunes both classically familiar ("Baubles, Bangles, & Beads," "Stranger in Paradise") and those that should be ("And This is My Beloved," "Fate," "He's in Love"). "Bazaar of the Caravans" and "Zubbediya" add a lush Arabian-Nights feel. If you love Broadway shows, you need this CD in your collection.Free Music Review: A contemporary Kismet that would be hard to beat
Hit: 5 Stars
This is a beautiful rendering of this musical. Borodin's music was done a good justice by Robert Wright's arranging and inter-connecting of the tunes. I bought this Original Cast recording at the same time I bought the newer one with Ramey, Svenson, and Hadley. (I did so partly because I just love the music, but also because I wanted to have Richard Kiley's renderings. I first became acquainted and came to admire Richard Kiley's voice through The Man of La Mancha recordings, so I wanted to see what he did in this music.) The soloists and ensemble had a fine feel for the ebb and flow of the musical line, and the Ramey's, Svenson, and Hadley's singing was ravishing - and Dom DeLouise was quite characterful as well. I highly recommend BOTH recordings and would not be able to pick one over the other - YOU must do that (if you choose to purchase only one), and I do not purpose to say anything here that would sway you one way or the other as to which to buy.
Free Music Review: One of the best musically directed orchestrations ever.
Hit: 5 Stars
This recording is a masterpiece. You will be brought right back to the glory day era of "special musicals" in time. This is one that should not be missed. The original musical lasted a incredible 588 performance from 1953-1955 at the Ziegfeld theatre in NY. It is right up there with the top musicals of all time. The musical direction & condution is if not the best ever. Louis Adrian won the Tony Award for musical direction/conduction for Kismet in 1954. http://www.ibdb.com/awardperson.asp?id=97747
This is the same man who conducted the "orignal" Peter Pan and a host of others. Adrian during the period was one of if not one the biggest musical talents of the era inside the musical world. Couple that with the incredible melodies and lyrics of Borodin you have one incredible performance.
Once you listen to it you will understand.