Search - Mary Cleere Haran And Richard Rodney Bennett :: The Memory Of All That: Gershwin On Broadway And In Hollywood

Excellent performances. Choice of songs not the greatest

Eric L. Magnus | 12/11/1999

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Mary Clere Haran has one of those exceptional voices that can make you fall in love with her even though you may have never been in her presence. I cannot fault any of the performances on this album. I do have an issue with the choice of material. I would place the majority of the material in the novelty category --- cute, likeable, songs but not the kind of material you want to return to frequently. I wish they had chosen more of the classic Gershwin songs sung by Ms. Haran in her exquisite, simple, direct delivery. Then this would have been an album for the ages."

Gershwin is Gershwin

Eric L. Magnus | Olathe, KS USA | 05/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm rating this a little higher to bring up the overall rating. Mary Cleere Haran is a marevelous interpreter of all the material she chooses. To rate this set low because it doesn't have all the "classic" songs on it is an insult to the Gershwin catelog. Most of the Gershwin catelog is vastly superior to many other composers' best two or three popular songs. I chose this disc (a) because it was Mary Cleere Haran, and (b) because she doesn't choose just the most predictable numbers, giving the listener the opportunity to expand their familiarity with the Gershwin catelog. Certainly not as good as Maureen McGovern's tribute (it is one of the best), or Ella Fitzgerald's songbook (no one approaches her set), but it is a wonderful set, nonetheless."