Few works seem to encapsulate the turn-of-the-century mood as well as Victor Herbert's indestructible Babes in Toyland of 1903, a vaudeville-like musical stage play. The music is sweetly nostalgic and was famously incorporated in the 1934 movie with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. This suite from the stage play is performed rather well, highlighting the more universal romantic elements Herbert invested in the music. Included are the famous "Toyland" and "March of the Toys." But also here is the "Prelude" that Herbert couldn't use in the original staging (it was too long for the era). The Red Mill (1906) is in much the same vein as Babes, with sparkling marches and lilting melodies, and it at times resembles the fin-de-siècle works of Albert Ketelbay. --Paul Cook Amazon.com
This short cd is incomplete and thus a disappointment. The wonderful spider/forest music is missing among others - this can be heard all through the Laurel and Hardy and March of the Wooden Soldiers - and The Red Mill selection is a poor filler. Why the Red Mill? Since Mr. Brion showcased Babes so why not excerpts from Little Nemo or Wonderland? The OLO Red Mill is wonderful. These excerpts are unnecessary. The Decca Red Mill/Babes in Toyland is a better choice of these two shows if it can be found. Of Brion's three Herbert CDs, only the third - Columbus Suite, etc. - is good and that is disfigured by the choice of selections. Will John McGlinn's Magic Knight, Babes or Lady of the Slipper ever be released? And why no Richard Bonynge Mlle Modiste or Fortune Teller? Or anything Herbert?
July 3, 2005 |  | The Irish-American Massenet! |  |
"Babes in Toyland" was composed just a few years after Jules Massenet produced his ultimate children's extravaganza (1899) for the Paris opera stage, "Cendrillon". It also strived to emulate Frank L Baum's and native American composer Paul Tietjens's popular Broadway spectacle of 1903, "The Wizard of Oz". I mention this because it is evident from this collection of instrumentals that Herbert's symphonic colouring owes a lot to the European tradition of Massenet's orchestral works while adding to it a decidedly American idiom in the form of lilting Irish melodies tinged with syncopation. As this music is almost never performed in its original arrangements, this record is a revelation that has launched me into further exploration of this mysterious musical period sandwiched between Europe's grand Romantic tradition and the talking movie's first film scores. It is a must-own for any serious student of classical and popular music. Mercifully, it has almost nothing to do with the bland hodge-podge the Disney studio wrang out of this material in the early sixties for its film of the same name. This disc features an orchestral "Prelude" that is truly symphonic in scope and highly evocative. I can only presume it was meant to accompany the hero and heroine's shipwreck at the beginning of the play and their subsequent rescue. But whatever it was supposed to describe, it certainly keeps the listener "seeing things". The same goes for every selection of this wonderful recording, including the "Red Mill" medley. And a lot of the musical set-pieces are reminiscent of a somewhat relaxed or jazzed-up Tchaikovsky ballet score. Very highly recommended!
March 5, 2004| | | Beautiful and highly-nostalgic music. | |
Given what passes for music in our modern era, it's regretably understandable that the beautiful music of Victor Herbert has almost -- but, thankfully, not quite -- been forgotten. Victor Herbert was one of the truly great operetta composers and Babes in Toyland and the Red Mill were two of his finest works. If you have any memory of the great operetta music of the last quarter of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 20th century you will probably feel yourself transported back in time if you hear this CD. You may not remember the names of the songs but they will almost certainly invoke a delicious nostalgia in you when you hear them. Also I think that you will wish that this CD would never end and that music of this caliber would return to our lives -- not as just one special CD -- but as a daily part of our lives. Please treat yourself to this gem of a recording while it's still available.
August 2, 2002I just want to say I completely endorse the opinions expressed by the other two reviewers thus far. This recording is a revelation. To think that music of this quality was written for what was essentially a Broadway musical for children!
The opening Prelude (basically, a tone poem) was removed from the show during its long pre-Broadway tour. Thanks to Naxos, we can hear this again after nearly a hundred years! It raises my already high estimation of Victor Herbert up several notches.
One of the reviewers wondered if this recording includes all of the instrumental music from the score. Oddly enough, it doesn't, for there is a major piece in Act One (involving the children being terrorized by a giant spider!) which was omitted from the recording. I hope it's not because the original full score has been lost. I can't figure out why the "spider" music -- which sounds like it might be a highlight of the score -- was skipped over.
About the "Birth of a Butterfly" ballet -- what higher compliment can I pay it than to call it Tchaikovskian? As soon as it ends, I want to hear it again.
In a better world, there would be a complete recording of Babes in Toyland -- and all the other Herbert masterpieces -- not to mention complete recordings of works by Romberg, Friml, Kern, Gershwin, Rodgers, Porter, etc, etc. I only wish this music were more popular. Of course, if I may say what I truly think -- if it were more popular, then it wouldn't be as good as it is, if you know what I mean.
Now, I've noticed on the Naxos website that they claim there's a Victor Herbert Vol. 2 on the marketplace now, but if you're familiar with their website, there's a big gap between what appears there and what exists in the real world. But, if any of you at Naxos are reading this, I personally would appreciate many more volumes of Victor Herbert -- for real, not just to make an impressive looking website. November 9, 1999
| | | Music you think you know, but have never heard... | |
Keith Brion has done the cause of American theatre music a huge favor by recording a large portion of instrumental music from Victor Herbert's original 1903 "Babes in Toyland" a show largely known through 4 film adaptations, each of which played fast and loose with Herbert's score. Chief among the delights of this CD is the world premiere recording of the original Prelude/Prologue, an expansive tone poem which harks to Wagner and anticipates Copland in its 15 minutes. This marks the beginning of a suite covering instrumental pieces from the 3 acts, including a ravishing "Birth of a Butterfly" ballet piece.
Also included are "Selections" (contemporary potpourri pieces) from Babes in Toyland and Herbert's smash hit "The Red Mill", all conducted with an obvious love for the music. On the budget Naxos label, this surely is the best deal of the year in theatre music, and represents work of a quality in the same league as John McGlinn's Kern, Gershwin and Porter overture collections, if not better. I sincerely hope Brion will keep revisiting Herbert in the future, and perhaps be the one to give "Babes in Toyland" its first complete recording.
J. Doyle September 3, 1999
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