 |  | Great songs and even greater artists |  |
Once you have heard Murray Head and the rest of the cast in the original version of Jesus Christ,Superstar, no other version of that rock opera will do. Similarly, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman *own* Phantom of the Opera. In this album Dorothy Kirsten and Gordon Macrae do such a superlative job with these Romberg songs, that even other great artists sound amateurish. Some of the most beautiful music ever recorded!
November 5, 2008| | | Beautiful voices, beautiful songs | |
Sigmund Romberg isn't in fashion today, but he was one of the founders of what became modern musical comedy, and in listening to this compilation of songs from three of his best-known operettas, you can understand why. Kirsten's soaring soprano and MacRae's rich baritone combine flawlessly to give the very feel that contemporary audiences must have gotten when they attended a performance of a Romberg work (MacRae also starred in the film version of "Desert Song"). The best pieces on the disc are the duets, some of which can give you authentic chills ("Deep in My Heart, Dear," "Wanting You"), and MacRae's thrilling solos ("Serenade," "The Riff Song," "Marianne," "Stouthearted Men," and the tango-esque "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise"), but Kirsten's renditions of "Romance," "The Saber Song," "The Girl on the Prow," "One Kiss," and the classic "Lover, Come Back to Me" are almost equally good. I've replayed this collection at least 20 times in the last month and I'll do it again. If hearing it doesn't it make you want more Romberg, your tastes are obviously not for classic operetta. Highly recommended.
October 6, 2006 | | Beautiful Music - Good Perfomances | |
Kirsten was a first class opera singer who sings this music with technique, voice and style. MacRae has a pretty voice- but I miss the true operatic baritone depth, volume of sound and range of Merrill, Tibbett or Nelson Eddy in this music.
March 24, 2006This album is not a "performance" but a studio recording of music from three operettas by the great Sigmund Romberg. The singing is superb. Gordon MacRae is a known quantity from his role in the movie version of "Oklahoma" and his voice is never disappointing. Dorothy Kirsten is less well known these days but her voice is well suited for operetta. This album is a deal as it contains most or all of the music of Sigmund Romberg and his lyricists for three operettas, "Desert Song", "New Moon" and " Student Prince". The only quibble with the album is that it begins with the weakest selection ("Student Prince") and if one plays it all the way through it's a long wait for "Desert Song" and the extraordinarily tuneful "New Moon". Most of the tunes are known these days (if at all) from instrumental "mood music" recordings. The singing of MacRae and Kirsten is enunciated well enough so one may enjoy lyrics as well, by the likes of Oscar Hammerstein III. The inclusion of all three operettas gives this album an advantage of the often mix-and-match approach to many available Macdonald & Eddy recordings.
May 11, 2005SUNG BY MARIO LANZA, HE IS AND WILL BE THE GREATEST TENOR OF THIS GENERATION AND THE NEXT GENERATION TO COME.THIS MANS VOICE WAS ONLY PARTIALLY DEVELOPED,IF ONLY AT THE HOLLYWOOD BOWL IN 1947,IF ONLY HE WOULD HAVE TURNED HIS BACK ON MGM AND CONCENTRATED MORE ON ORERA HE WOULD HAVE REACH THE HIS GOAL,OPERA.I HEARD HIS VOICE WHEN I WAS 6 YEARS OLD.I DOH"T THINK HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK,HE WAS HELPED.I AM 62 YEARS OLD, AND HAVE WAITED FOR ANOTHER VOICE LIKED MARIO LANZA BUT SO FAR NONE HAS MATERALIZED.
February 20, 2004More reviews at Amazon.com ...
(10 reviews)