The Ballad of Baby Doe
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Music CD Cover Composer: Douglas S. Moore Conductor: Emerson Buckley Orchestra: New York City Opera Orchestra Performer: Beverly Sills Performer: Frances Bible Performer: Walter Cassel Edition: Music CD Format: Original recording remastered CD Release Date: 1999-04-20 Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon Soundtracks: Music CD 1
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Free Music Notes for The Ballad of Baby Doe Album
Free Music Review: Welcome back, old friend!
Hit: 4 Stars
Since the advent of the CD format, every "Baby Doe" afficianado has dreamed of having this classic recording in the new format, and at last it's here.True, the clarity of the CD format does remind us that this recording's sound quality wasn't even state-of-the-art 40 years ago. But sometimes you have to listen *through* crude sound to hear a magnificent performance, and this is one of those cases. And, to be honest, the sound isn't quite as bad as many of us have made it out to be over the years.
Most of all, we have new access to three heartfelt portrayals. Beverly Sills probably never had a finer role than Baby Doe: it suits her voice perfectly, and she recorded it at just the right moment in her career. Walter Cassel vividly portrays Horace Tabor's obssessive devotions to silver and to his "Baby." And Frances Bible, nominally the "villain" of the piece, reminds us that Augusta Tabor, more than the others, is actually the wronged character here. All three show us real human beings who make mistakes that bring tragedy down upon them, and it's all the more compelling for being drawn from the pages of America's history.
Emerson Buckley's conducting has forward thrust, and if the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus are more than a little scrappy, they at least have energy. And since the composer attended rehearsals, performances, and recording sessions, we can assume that this version carries Moore's blessing.
There is a newer recording available in better sound, but the performance there pales in comparison to this version. Newcomers should give this folksy American score a try, and old-timers should quickly embrace the chance to welcome this old friend back into the active catalog.