Average Rating:

.

The Pirates of Penzance

from: Elektra / Wea

February 24, 1998
This is a wonderful DVD. I got this as a stop gap until the VHS came out on DVD, but now I may not. Yes, the technical aspects are not the best. But it is the filming of an actual performance at the Delacorte Theater. It's not as slick as the production with Angela Landsbury, but Patricia Routledge, later to be Hetty Wainthrop and Hyacinth Bucket, more than holds her own, and the production has those small details that usually are left out of a much-edited and rehearsed film. You really get the feeling you are there watching a live performance. If you are a G&S fan, this is a DVD you must have. It is a gem of a performance, with wonderful actors/singers.

Average Rating:

.

Sunset Boulevard (1993 Original London Cast)

by: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Michael Bauer, Daniel Benzali, Meredith Braun, Gerard Casey, Nicolas Colicos, Anita Louise Combe, Don Black, Christopher Hampton, Patti LuPone, Kevin Anderson

June 10, 1996
When this CD was first released my partner and I listened to it every night and sometimes twice. We thought what a perfect vehicle for Patti and you could tell it was written for her vocal range. All the characters were fabulous and George Hearn as Max was cast in stone.~~~~~New Year's Eve and Glenn Close stopped into Andrew Loyd Weber's party where all were celebrating the success of Sunset Blvd. Close got up on the piano, cleavage showing, and sang one of Patti's songs. ~~~~~~~ Patti was replaced, handsomely, but with a slap from a girl who should have never left her side of the tracks. ~~~~~~~ So here we are with Patti soaring as she did from the start. She made this show. It was stolen. All that remains is her voice as Norma Desmond. ~~~~~ ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Brooklyn The Musical (2004 Original Broadway Cast)

by: Mark Schoenfeld, Barri McPherson, Eden Espinosa

December 14, 2004
Brooklyn has an amazing story, cast, and score. The music is AMAZING. Thier is not one song that i don't like. The 2 best songs are "ONCE UPON A TIME", AND "I NEVER KNEW HIS NAME". Alot of people have been taking alot of credit away from the show because the story is not as serious as RENT. Well that is ridiculious, I WILL SAY IN FULL CONFIDENCE THAT THIS SHOW HAS A BETTER MUSICAL SCORE THAN RENT AND SO WHAT IF IT IS NOT AS SERIOUS AS RENTS AIDS STORY. Brooklyn is extremely fun and powerful if you can appreciate it for what it is. Its an A+ feel good musical.

Average Rating:

.

Aria, Vol. 2: New Horizon

by: Paul Schwartz, Rebecca Luker, Steve Barton

August 10, 2004
I enjoy all of Rebecca Luker's albums, and this Aria series does not disappoint. It's soothing and relaxing, and her voice is, of course, lovely.

Average Rating:

.

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast)

by: Stephen Sondheim, Betty Buckley, Paul Gemignani, Patti LuPone, Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters

February 23, 1993
This is a wonderful double CD of fabulous musical numbers performed by theatre greats and directed by a legandary musical director.

Average Rating:

.

King Kong: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

from: Decca

December 13, 2005
You get what you want from this. All of the epic music from Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong film. Highly recommended to hardcore fans.

Average Rating:

.

The Essential Igor Stravinsky

from: Sony

March 25, 2003
Sony Music's "The Essential Igor Stravinsky" truly lives up to its title. This double-CD set includes nearly every important piece of work (either in part or in whole) by the great Russian composer. The set also presents the pieces in chronological order beginning in 1908 with "Fireworks" and ending in 1966 with his final piece, the short but simple "Owl and The Pussycat". In between, there are excerpts from Stravinsky's most famous works including the first part of "The Rite Of Spring" and highlights from the "Firebird" and "Petrushka" ballets. There are also lesser-known works included as well as his harmonically rearranged version of "The Star-Spangled Banner" (a rendition which caused a stir in the early 1940's). The entire collection concludes with a rare recorded ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

In Search of Syd: MOJO Presents 15 Mind-Bending Freak-Outs!

from: MOJO

2007
Well, as far as acid rock goes this is a mediocre collection, as far as a collection of "freak-outs" it's pretty tame too. I like the idea (wouldn't have plunked down the couple of bucks otherwise), but maybe I just don't know enough about Syd Barrett to hone in on his sound, and so I'm left thinking there is an ocean of Psycho-delic debris floating around in CD land that is better. Tellingly, and savingly, my favorite cuts are the old blues numbers from Blind Boy Fuller and Floyd Council and Pink Anderson (I'd never heard them, or of them before,and they make great authentic music). The only real freak-outs are Frank Zappa's Who Are the Brain Police (truely unique and revolutionary mid 60's recording) and Amm's Ailantus Glandulosa which sounds quite a bit like the Beatle's ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

The Musicals: The Best Of

from: Solid Gold

November 01, 2005
Well, as far as acid rock goes this is a mediocre collection, as far as a collection of "freak-outs" it's pretty tame too. I like the idea (wouldn't have plunked down the couple of bucks otherwise), but maybe I just don't know enough about Syd Barrett to hone in on his sound, and so I'm left thinking there is an ocean of Psycho-delic debris floating around in CD land that is better. Tellingly, and savingly, my favorite cuts are the old blues numbers from Blind Boy Fuller and Floyd Council and Pink Anderson (I'd never heard them, or of them before,and they make great authentic music). The only real freak-outs are Frank Zappa's Who Are the Brain Police (truely unique and revolutionary mid 60's recording) and Amm's Ailantus Glandulosa which sounds quite a bit like the Beatle's ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg

by: Richard Wagner, Georg Solti, Karita Mattila, Iris Vermillion, Herbert Lippert, José van Dam Ben Heppner, Richard Byrne, Alan Opie, Albert Dohmen, René Pape, Kevin Daes Roberto Saccà, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

February 11, 1997
This is the only Die Meistersinger I have, so unlike the first reviewer, I can't compare to any other recording.

What I will tell you is this: you've got to be a complete grouch to dislike this Solti version. Solti wasn't magic to everything he touched, but he had his enourmously sucessful moments, and this is one of them.

This was my first Wagner opera, and still one of my top favorite operas, second only to Berlioz's Les Troyen.

Considering the fact that the opera is four and a half hours long, this opera will hold your attention. I remember those evenings when I would sit with the libretto and read along. I learned the story and dialogue through and through, consequently I can enjoy the humor of it without looking to the libretto anymore. ... Read More: