Kismet (1963 Studio Cast)
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Music CD Cover Composer: George / Wright, Robert Forrest Conductor: Mantovani and His Orchestra Performer: Mantovani and His Orchestra Orchestra: Mantovani and His Orchestra Performer: Adele Leigh Performer: Ian Wallace Performer: Kenneth McKellar Performer: Regina Resnik Performer: Robert Merrill Edition: Music CD Format: Import, Original recording remastered CD Release Date: 2004-11-09 Music Label: Dutton Labs UK Soundtracks:
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Free Music Notes for Kismet (1963 Studio Cast) Album
Free Music Review: Not a first choice for "Kismet," but many good points
Hit: 4 Stars
This "Kismet" conducted by Mantovani probably shouldn't be your first or only "Kismet" because numerous small (and some not-so-small) changes are made to the score, but it has many excellent elements. Fans of the score who already have one or more recordings of it may find this an enjoyable addition to their collection.
This 1963 recording was part of London's Phase 4 series. Those recordings featured ostentatiously spectacular sound that sometimes bore little resemblance to what would be heard in a live performance.
Mantovani conducting theatre music may sound odd, but he had started as a pit conductor in London musicals and revues. His orchestra certainly plays beautifully and he achieves some gorgeous effects. Of course, he uses a far larger orchestra than you'd hear in the theatre, but that's mostly a positive in this score. If there are moments when you notice the orchestra more than you do on other recordings of "Kismet," most of the time it's pleasing rather than distracting. Exceptions occurs in "Stranger in Paradise" and "And This Is My Beloved," where additions to the score that show off the Mantovani strings (with engineering representing Phase 4 at its most unnatural) destroy the mood that the singers (and the orchestra up till that point) have created.
Of the five featured singers, three cover both a principal role and one of the smaller roles. Kenneth McKellar sings the Caliph and the opening "Sands of Time," while Regina Resnik sings Lalume and the "Zubbediya" solo, and Ian Wallace sings "He's in Love' in addition to the Wazir's music. This isn't a very theatrical choice (on what isn't a very theatrical recording), but getting to hear such superb voices in those numbers has its rewards. And the quality of the singing is what really makes this recording.
Robert Merrill may be the second-best Hajj on disc, after Alfred Drake. Merrill probably has the best voice of anyone who's recorded the role (which is saying a lot). To a greater extent than you might expect from an opera singer, he phrases the lyrics with naturalness and seeming spontaneity. Despite the splendor of his voice, he sounds like a bit of a doofus, but that makes some sense for the role. Drake's Hajj, in comparison, sounds like a brilliant guy who should have found his way out of poverty a long time ago. (Of course, Drake is still supreme in the role.) Merrill's diction is occasionally sloppy, he's a bit too low-key at points, and his Brooklyn accent sometimes comes through, but his strengths outweigh his weaknesses.
Some fabulous theatre singers have recorded Lalume. Resnik can't surpass the best of them, but she holds her own. She has more voice than any of them, and (even more than with Merrill) her words come across well and her phrasing is idiomatic.
Adele Leigh is not my favorite Marsinah on disc, but she's very good. She sometimes really pulls the vocal line out of shape, but given how lovely the results tend to be, I can't complain.
McKellar sings the Caliph's numbers very well, if not as passionately as some other singers who've recorded it. Where he really shines is in "Sands of Time," which is perhaps the best on disc. Rounding out the principal singers, Wallace delivers a "Was I Wazir?" that beats everyone except Henry Calvin (on the original Broadway cast recording and the Lincoln Center recording).
The chorus performs very well, and their words come through clearly. And despite a couple of moments of slight distortion and a few annoying stereo "effects," the sound holds up well (except for those two sections when the strings sound totally overblown).
I do wish this disc had a more theatrical feel and that fewer changes were made to the score, but the general vocal and orchestral splendor suit the score. I'd still go with the two Alfred Drake recordings ahead of this one, with the original Broadway cast first and the Lincoln Center recording second. I'd rank this one about equal to (although very different from) the more theatrical and complete Sony recording with Samuel Ramey's strongly sung but somewhat stolid Hajj and a generally good supporting cast
The most complete recording is the TER/JAY recording, but despite good conducting, the cast generally ranks behind the others, except for Judy Kaye's terrific Lalume.