Search - Sigmund Romberg, Rodney Gilfry, Christiane Noll :: The New Moon (2003 Encores! Revival Concert Cast)

Classic Operetta : Lush and romantic

Mark Andrew Lawrence | Toronto | 05/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I suppose THE NEW MOON with its lush melodies and simplistic lyrics will baffle younger listeners - the ones who are just now discovering Broadway through shows like WICKED and AVENUE Q.



But THE NEW MOON was as big a hit in 1928 as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA was 60 years later and PHANTOM has equally lush melodies and even more simplistic lyrics and it has run for 17 years, so perhaps there is still a market for old fashioned operetta.



Older listeners are probably already familiar with many of the hits songs in Romberg's score: "Marianne", "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise", "One Kiss", "Lover Come Back to me" and "Stouthearted Men" have been frequently recorded over the years. But until now the complete score of NEW MOON has never gotten a full recording.



It almost didn't this time when plans to record the 2003 Encores Concert staging fell through, but thanks to the perseverance of Joel Moss, Kurt Deutsch, Ted Chapin and Jack Viertel the cast was re-assembled and the tracks laid down in July 2004 and the resulting CD is a pure delight.



As the heroine, Marianne, Christine Noll has a glorious voice that is perfectly suited to Sigmund Romberg's romantic melodies. She is paired with a robust Rodney Gilroy as Robert and their duets are passionate indeed. The rest of the cast is filled out with some of today's top musical theater performers handling the light comedy and offering full choral support to the grand finales. Rob Fisher does his usual masterful job conducting the Encores orchestra, respecting the original tempos as they play the original orchestrations.



Previous highlights recordings have concentrated on the love songs and duets, but here you also get a taste of the 1920s musical comedy style invading the operetta with a comic scene titled "An interrupted Love Song" in which the hero attempts to woo the lady fair only to be constantly interrupted.



The booklet includes a detailed synopsis and offers a link to a website where one can download the lyrics but the cast sing with such crisp precision that it is hardly necessary.



This is a terrific CD and a chance to explore an authentic operetta from a time when this type of music and theatre defined Broadway.



"

I've been waiting...

Brett Farrell | Cape May, NJ USA | 02/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been waiting for this piece to come out, but I half expected that it never would. I fell in love with some of the numbers on it from the Lesley Garrett CD 'Soprano in Red' where Softly and Lover Come Back to Me were sung.

Since then I could not wait to hear the whole thing and now that I have I love every bit of it. Every song is as great as the one before it. It is a true delight to listen to.

Thank god for the Encores and there devotion to releasing historical broadway, without them, a beautiful bit of history might have slipped away..."

A Beautiful Job

Stephen Peithman | Davis, CA USA | 01/11/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The last great American operetta of the 1920s, this masterpiece by Sigmund Romberg and Oscar Hammerstein is given a loving performance by the cast of the 2004 New York City Center Encores production, including Christiane Noll, Rodney Gilfrey, Lauren Ward, Burke Moses, and Peter Benson. This is the only available recording of the complete score, including "Marianne," "The Girl On the Prow," "Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise," "Stouthearted Men," "One Kiss" and "Lover, Come Back to Me." What a treat!"