Not quite all
Rodney R. Jones | Sydney, Australia | 12/18/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Congratulations to Sepia Records for finding old, deleted studio cast recordings, cleaning them up and releasing them on CD for us show music tragics!! This 2 CD set celebrates the music of Frederick Loewe and Alan Jay Lerner. The mere mention of their names brings immediately to mind their greatest scores for My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon and Camelot. Sadly this set does not include any music from Camelot. What it does contain is a wonderful 1958 double LP recording called An Evening with Lerner and Loewe,along with other rare deleted recordings. The 1958 recording features Johnny Green conducting the RCA Victor Symphony Orchestra and chorale with singing sensations, Jan Peerce, Robert Merrill, Jane Powell and Phil Harris. They perform selections from Brigadoon, Gigi, Paint Your Wagon and My Fair Lady. The sound quality is excellent and the orchestra is also stunning.
The set also includes three songs (pop versions?) from Paint Your Wagon by Tony Bavaar, who was a member of the original Broadway cast, along with vocal selections from Brigadoon included on a 1953(?) Ice Capades LP(?). Also included are instrumental and vocal selections(1957)from My Fair Lady featuring Norrie Paramor and his orchestra featuring vocals from Patricia Cark, Bill shepherd and others. Maurice Chevalier features on one track with a strange rendition of Almost Like Being In Love from Brigadoon.
The CD booklet contains ample information about the composers, shows and the recordings used along with photographs of the composers and performers.
Sepia Records must be commended for their ability to find these rare LP recordings and the beautiful presentation and quality of sound produced for these CD's. I hope the company continues to explore the vaults and collections to provide musical theatre fans with these gems from the Golden Age of Broadway and the West End. This set is truly a celebration of the magic of Lerner and Loewe."
An Evening with Lerner and Loewe
Bruce K. Hanson | Petersburg, VA | 02/01/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sometime in the early seventies, while I was still a teenager, I shelled out forty dollars for a two record set, An Evening with Lerner and Loewe. This was an extraordinary amount of money for a student in college with a part time job at Pantry Pride, a then popular supermarket. For years I hoped in vain that it would be reissued in the stereo format as my copy was in mono. So you could imagine what a pleasant surprise it was for me to find out that this record set was not only released on CD but also in its original stereo.
The sound on these two CDs is amazing, especially when you know that Sepia used original records as the source. And what a treasure to listen to! The orchestrations are magnificent with Johnny Green's conducting just as sumptuously and lively as those old MGM musicals he worked on. In fact, he conducted the soundtrack for the film version of Brigadoon just a few years before he worked on these recordings.
Jane Powell is a delightful Lerner and Loewe heroine as she does wonders with "The Parisians", "Say a Prayer for Me Tonight", "Wouldn't It Be Loverly" and "I Could Have Danced All Night". It makes me wish that I had been old enough to see her on the summer circuit performing "My Fair Lady". But then, all of the singers add a theatrical flair to the proceedings making this recording sound like an original cast album. Jan Peerce also particularly effective in his contributions, especially with "On the Street Where You Live". And Robert Merrill is equally exciting singing "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" and "GiGi". Most of these recordings are in stereo except for "A Toujours" and "The Rain in Spain" which were only on the mono release album. And, as always, there are exeptional extras on this CD set including some rare British releases. The liner notes are interesting and the photos are handsomely laid out."
Hurrah for this double set!
Melissa Jordan | Louisville, CO USA | 06/05/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I once owned this really extraordinary Lerner/Loewe LP and have been trying to find a replacement, preferably CD, for the past few years. I even contacted a Jane Powell fan club to find out what the name of the album was. No one knew. I am so grateful that this wonderful music with these exceptional performers is again available. I have to believe the other reviewers' comments on the quality, since I placed my order for my double disk set only yesterday. But given their reports, I await the pleasure of enjoying a truly great musical evening again."
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1