Search - Sigmund Romberg, Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach :: The Desert Song / The New Moon

Stupendous Operettas Finally Available

Francis M. Hough Jr. | Charlotte, NC USA | 10/18/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"THE DESERT SONG/THE NEW MOON reissue on Decca Broadway Operettas series is as welcome as a spring day. Despite the limited range of the mono sound of both releases, the CD double play should make a welcome addition to any theater lover's music library.Of the two, THE NEW MOON comes off best with absolutely stunning baritone singing by Lee Sweetland on "Marianne" and "Stouthearted Men" and finer but less impressive work by Jane Wilson and Thomas Hayward on the other familiar numbers. And they are very familiar. Even if you've never seen this show (or the altered film version with Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy), you'll have heard many of these songs as background music or featured in the film DEEP IN MY HEART, the story of composer Sigmund Romberg.THE DESERT SONG gives a nice representation of its score hampered only by Kitty Carlisle's tremulous soprano waverings. Wilbur Evans and Felix Knight carry off the male roles with great artistry.With these shows almost never being revived (except for their film versions, the latter made in 1953 with Gordon MacRae and Kathryn Grayson), this CD is a most welcome treat."

Two classic operettas on one CD

Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 02/03/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Decca Broadway's operetta series providing remastered reissues of eight classic recordings from the 1940s/50s is most welcome. Many of these operettas have no other available recordings on Cd, and these Decca albums have been out-of-print since the late 1960s.This set offers a classic DESERT SONG recording with Felix Knight, Wilbur Evans and Kitty Carlisle. Some of the dialogue is hysterical: "I Can't kill you" says Kitty before she sails into "I Love You" in the first act finale. It's silly but it's fun.THE NEW MOON is a more or less straight reading of seven numbers from the score (plus a nicely arranged Overture conducted by Victor Young) performed by a solid cast.Sound quality on both operettas is quite good considering the age of the original masters: DESERT SONG is 60 years old now."

The Desert Song/The New Moon

Gloria Little | 10/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have loved the music of The Desert Song since I first saw it, starring Dennis Morgan, in the cinema many, many years ago, and then the Gordeon McCrae version on TV. I think the Dennis Morgan one was better, or perhaps I may be prejudiced as I have an unfortunate tendency to prefer original versions (how many subsequent productions have proved superior? Not too many).

However, back to the CD. To listen to this super CD is pure pleasure, a real nostalgia trip. Although I had never heard of the musical The New Moon, I was very surprised to realise that the music was almost a familiar to me as from The Desert Song. Aha, the joys of listening to the old fashioned wireless when I was a little girl!

Gloria Little,

Queensland, Australia"