Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (The New Broadway Cast)
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Free Music Notes for Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific (The New Broadway Cast)
Free Music Review: there is nothin' like a good revival
Hit: 5 Stars
it is too easy to judge a revival of a golden broadway hit by the template of the original and find the newer show wanting; this one is not, believe me. i can understand how frank rich of the new york times burst into tears in response to the opening night show; i almost did, too, when i listened to this cd for the first time. this edition of south pacific -- only the second on the broadway stage in 60 years -- is simply sublime. i found it better than the original in many ways. it is the best revival since guys and dolls with nathan lane, better than the recent revivals of the music man (close) kiss me kate (not so much) and pal joey (get oudda here...).
and folks who say this recording is insipid or lacks energy or that certain songs are "too well sung" are all wet. the orchestrations are true to the original ones, so the music will immediately sound familiar and comfortable, but now with 21st century technology and crystal clear sound so you can hear what the music sounded like to folks back in 1949.
kelli o'hara is out of sight as nellie forbush; her voice is pure and clear and pitch perfect and conveys all the energy you'd want and she interprets the lyrics "correctly" (read: as we have come to understand from mary martin and mitzi gaynor). she even affects a southern accent, and exudes way more in good looks and femininity than mary martin ever did, and is more energetic and more of a real singer than mitzi gaynor in the movie. they can mail kelli the tony right now.
paulo szot as emile de becque fills up the music hall with his baritone-bass voice on his big songs, especially twin soliloquies and this nearly was mine. some enchanted evening was a little softer than ezio pinza's and that song needs to be boomed out. i was as satisfied with his voice overall, however, as with pinza's or rossano brazzi's -- and paulo has a sort of robert goulet look about him, with a mustache no doubt meant to instantly convey the french planter look.
the only voices i found wanting and suffering in comparison with the originals were loretta ables sayre as bloody mary -- she is not juanita hall and sounds too much like a middle-aged lea salonga and not gravelly and rough enough to convey bloody mary's edge and cynicism as hall did so well especially on bali ha'i or even happy talk
-- and matthew morrison, as joe cable, who has to strain to hit the high notes on younger than springtime, which william tabbert in the original show never had any problem with. springtime, along with some enchanted evening, are the male arias in this opera and need big voices to carry them off and morrison's is too thin. even on my girl back home he seems to be straining a bit. he does convey more youth than tabbert or john kerr, who played joe cable in the movie, did, which may be what R & H had in mind for the character.
the ensemble numbers -- there is nothin' like a dame, wash that man right outta my hair and i'm in love with a wonderful guy -- are strong and energetic; certainly no complaints there; every bit as good as the original.
one advantage of cds is that you can get more material on them than on lp records so there is some dialogue, which especially is effective when emile introduces his two children to nellie and she reacts as only a carefully taught bigoted southern belle would; you get more context for the drama and progression of the story in the songs.
the show is edgier and more up front and in your face re the race issue than the movie was; anyone who thinks rodgers and hammerstein were all warm and fuzzy fluffmeisters need only watch this show or listen to this cd -- and take a harder look at flower drum song to see that they had courage to confront, sometimes with seriousness and sometimes with humor, the race issue. finian's rainbow, which came out at about the same time, addressed it, too, but only showboat -- which came out 20 years before -- when done right and in its entirety with its full gravity and not as a minstrel show, confronts the race issue more and better than does south pacific.
i think there was an idealistic, optimistic (but not cockeyed) feeling in 1949 that it was a new world after the war and we all had a chance for a fresh start, under new rules, and the old rules, including of racial discrimination, were fair game to be overturned,, in polynesia as well as on main street usa, so R & H saw the opportunity to use michener's story as their soapbox to lend their voices to that movement.
if you are only going to buy one south pacific and want the best and most enjoyable one to listen to, i would buy this one rather than the original cast recording or the movie; i had both of those already, but from now on, this is the one i will mainly listen to -- it is that good.
Free Music Review: Should Be the Standard Recording Now
Hit: 5 Stars
I've been listening to this recording with great pleasure for the last two months, and yesterday I decided to return to the original 1949 recording to see how the two compared.
It was a bit of a shock, because I used to enjoy listening to the old recording. Yes, it sounds like they were all singing through a wind tunnel, but I can put up with outdated technology if the performances are worth it. But after listening to the 2008 recording, it's going to be hard to go back.
The biggest difference between the two is in something that is rarely discussed in Broadway cast recordings--the conducting. Salvatore dell'Isola, on the 1949 disc, plods through Rodgers' glorious score like he is doing homework. His heavy, dreary, monotonously regular beat weighs down the music like a barnacle. This is most noticeable in "I'm in Love With a Wonderful Guy." The music is a waltz, and dell'Isola takes it like a clodhopper with a metronome--bump ditty bump ditty bump ditty bump.
Luckily, the 2008 revival has Ted Sperling leading the orchestra (which was expanded for the recording with additional violins). His conducting is much lighter and more graceful than dell'Isola's, and he is more sensitive to the different moods of the music. It makes me wonder how other famous musicals would sound with better conductors. The difference is major; I'll never overlook musical direction in a musical again.
Another argument for this being the standard recording is the much greater amount of music (and some important snippets of dialog) it contains. In some cases the inclusion of reprises can be gratuitous, a sop to modern audiences who expect more bytes for their dollar. But in others the extra music really contributes to the feeling that you're getting the show in miniature audible form. On this disc, that is accomplished by the inclusion of Nellie's and Emil's duets. (Actually, they are not duets, which are songs sung by two people at the same time; instead, they alternate singing lines. That's because Mary Martin was afraid of singing with Ezio Pinza, who had a much bigger voice.) We hear the full arc of their relationship, from the tentative coming together to joyous acknowledgement of their love to shock and separation, to lonely longing and finally, to reconciliation. Other reprises let us hear Cable's abandonment of Liat, the lure of Bali H'ai for the Seabees (in a reprise of the song sung by the female chorus, in French), and the American military embarking on Operation Alligator. And on the OCR, Pinza inexplicably omitted two lines in "This Nearly Was Mine"--one of the grandest and most moving songs in all of musical theater.
(Here I should add that those fanatics who won't be happy unless they possess every scrap of sound recorded should check out Barnes & Noble, which offers a special edition of this recording with a couple of extra minutes of music.) As for the performances, that will probably be a matter of taste. Personally I find Kelli O'Hara more expressive than Mary Martin, even if her acting sometimes sounds calculated, and Paulo Szot sounds younger and sexier than Pinza (well, he is 20 years younger). However, William Tabbert on the OCR had a much sturdier tenor than Matthew Morrison, whose voice sounds thin and who has trouble with the high notes in "Younger Than Springtime," even though it appears that amplification or something similar was used to help him there. And while it's true that Juanita Hall also had a bigger voice than Loretta Ables Sayre, I enjoy Sayre's interpretation as much as Hall's.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the vastly superior conducting. This is a South Pacific for the ages.
Free Music Review: A Terrific "South Pacific"
Hit: 5 Stars
After all the hoopla and hosannas thrown at what's been called the finest Rodgers and Hammerstein revival in a generation has now settled, along comes this hotly anticipated Original Cast Recording. While nothing could live up to the hype (it doesn't), this is still a recording to be treasured. This is the first revival on Broadway for "South Pacific", and it's about time. A more complete recording than the 1949 original, this version offers some remarkable singing from the two leads, Kelli O'Hara and Paulo Szot, with sterling support from Matthew Morrison and Danny Burstein. While O'Hara's accent is not quite right, hers is the best sung Nellie Forbush ever (sorry Ms. Martin). Always great in the ballad department, O'Hara really shines in the uptempo "Cockeyed Optimist", "Wonderful Guy" and "Honey Bun". She's a hoot. Paulo Szot may not be an experienced actor, but he brings gravitas and romance to the part of Emile and nails every one of his songs, especially the (overripe) classic "Some Enchanted Evening". Matthew Morrison brings his always welcome presence to the somewhat bland role of Lt. Cable and Danny Burstein is a real find as everyone's favorite seebee, Luther Billis. The one miss in a fine cast is Loretta Ables Sayer as Bloody Mary. She croons her songs in a girlish and bubbly manner that's more appropriate to a cheap cabaret than a Broadway stage. "Bali Hai", in particular, suffers in the translation. Too bad...it's the greatest song in a show filled with great songs.
Anyone familiar with the Broadway musical knows this score through and through. "There is Nothing Like a Dame"..."Younger Than Springtime"..."Happy Talk"..."You've Got to Be Carefully Taught"..."This Nearly Was Mine"..... There's not a bummer in the bunch. True, the score is overly familiar by now, but that's a testament to its staying power. This version does the material proud. And the clarity of the recording itself is stunning. Crisp and clear but also lush and full, it's a delight to savor. If you're not a fan of the show or of R & H, you'll pass this one by...but if you're a fan of either, or of the traditional Broadway musical, it's a must have. And a welcome visit from a very old friend.
Free Music Review: Brilliant creation of perhaps the best score ever
Hit: 5 Stars
Just buy this cd and let it take you away to the timeless beauty of this stunning music, supported by a full orchestra. It is filled with song after song of masterpieces, from the fun of "I'm gonna wash that man right out of my hair" and "Honey Bun" to the thoughtful "You've got to be carefully taught" to the simply gorgeous "Some enchanted evening" and "Younger than springtime" -- it's priceless.
This production, which gives enough dialogue to fill out some of the essentials of the story, will make you smile and perhaps, as it did me, cry. The voices are perfect; the orchestra is fantastic; the music and lyrics of Rodgers and Hammerstein just shine. They took great pains to do justice to this fantastic music. The voices transport you to another time.
The cast also brings new depths to the story and the music. It is set in a time of war and is imbedded with racial and cultural tensions. Rodgers and Hammerstein were way ahead of their time on the race issue. "You've got to be taught" is a statement.
Loretta Able Sayre brings new depth to the role of Bloody Mary, the Tonkinese woman who wanted to secure her and her daughter's future by enticing Lt. Cable to marry Liat.
Actually, all the leads have voices of angels. Close your eyes and listen.
BUY AND ENJOY! You will get your money's worth in one week.
Free Music Review: Old Classic Given Facelift
Hit: 5 Stars
Before going to NYC in the spring I was least excited to see the musical South Pacific. Remembering only the low-quality film version I had seen as a child I thought the musical would be dull. I could not have been more wrong. The musical echoes of classic Broadway with an outstanding pit orchestra dressed to the nines in tuxedos and black dresses, it was a welcome change from the lax behavior often seen in orchestras with the tubas doing crossword puzzles and absentmindedly listening to the show. The voices of the two leads were absolutely amazing, especially Kelli O'Hara's crystal clear voice. The CD remarkably captures her clarity as well as the beauty of the original sweeping orchestrations. The CD also has a few numbers not included in other cast recordings, songs like "My Girl Back Home" especially show off the voice of Matthew Morrison, previously seen in the "Light in the Piazza." This recording is differs from prior recordings in tone and sound quality. The quality really brings a lot of energy to the CD that had been lost in the other CD's. The cast and orchestra are extraordinary and no matter how many of the other recordings you already own or how jaded you are by Broadways somewhat drift from classical musicals you should purchase this recording.