Do you like musicals?

I saw Phantom of the Opera in one of the cinemas in Gothenburg - it was a filmed live transmission from the 25th Anniversary performed at Royal Albert Hall in London. It was an amazing performance with outstanding singers - it was still very popular here and the film was shown for many extra weeks. I think Andrew Lloyd Webber is a genius.

Originally posted by lolof
My favourites are West Side Story and Phantom of the Opera. What are your favourites, if any?

Musicals are gifts. The Oregon Shakespeare festival under its director Bill Rauch introduced musicals to the repertoire 3 or 4 seasons ago and we have seen 76 Trombones, She Loves Me and The Shop Around the Corner (OSF does about half Shakespeare and half new or other stuff.) We liked She Loves Me most, but all were good. We saw Cabaret put on by our local community college recently (a neighbor played the madame.) It was moving, to see mostly young women playing roles of women who were in heartbreaking situations. Wicked at a downtown house was fun but not compellingly so. On film of course I like American in Paris, West Side Story and JC Superstar which is a musical in the rock opera subcategory. I've seen Chicago on screen, but I think it needs to be seen live. (I've seen the precursor non-musical version at OSF.)

But an overall favorite? Not possible, and not important to me.

I love musicals, but mostly the old standards. The new ones leave me cold despite some having wonderful music like Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. Some of the themes of the new musicals simply are too unappealing and require incredible special effects to acquire a semblance of respectability. Harsh realities and evil do not repel me and opera is full of blood and gore but this is usually stylized. I have never been repulsed by any opera. The older musicals are quite wonderful, have incredibly witty lyrics and very clever music and dance numbers.

I recently say 'Sunday in the Park with George'. It's a musical inspired by Georges Seurat and his painting 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte'. I enjoyed the first half quite a bit. The second half less so.

As season ticket holders to Dallas Opera. We get a few freebies such as "Cabaret Night". It is always some regular singer from the opera singing Broadway standards with piano accompaniment. Quite delightful and entertaing.

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
As season ticket holders to Dallas Opera. We get a few freebies such as "Cabaret Night". It is always some regular singer from the opera singing Broadway standards with piano accompaniment. Quite delightful and entertaing.

Yes, mixing singers and genres often turns out quite well. I remember when the Swedish opera singer Birgit Nilsson sang "I could have danced all night", it was very much appreciated. 🙂

My parents used to take me to West End musicals when I was growing up. I saw Cats, Starlight Express, Hair, Les Mis, and probably several others. I remember loving Starlight Express, but since that time I've got more of an appreciation of classical and opera and tend not to go to see musicals. But there are many memorable tunes in all of the above. Do You Hear the People Sing? (from Les Mis), Memory from Phantom, and several tunes from Cats come vaguely to mind. My favourite now, which I've never seen (even on TV) is West Side Story. I've got the/a recording with Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo conducted by Leonard Bernstein, which is amazing.

Originally posted by lolof
Yes, mixing singers and genres often turns out quite well. I remember when the Swedish opera singer Birgit Nilsson sang "I could have danced all night", it was very much appreciated. 🙂

Almost always works well. I have heard some schlock by Placido Domingo singing with Mariachi. I also tend to detest attempts at pop music, but forays into Broadway work rather well. The singer did Gershwin, Kern, Berlin, Sondheim, and even did a Brad Paisley song quite credibly. Birgit Nilsson could never sing any song badly! She was awesome indeed!

Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
My parents used to take me to West End musicals when I was growing up. I saw Cats, Starlight Express, Hair, Les Mis, and probably several others. I remember loving Starlight Express, but since that time I've got more of an appreciation of classical and opera and tend not to go to see musicals. But there are many memorable tunes in all of the above. D ...[text shortened]... ing with Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo conducted by Leonard Bernstein, which is amazing.

I am like you. I prefer classical, yet forays into Broadway can be quite delightful. Last year's Cabaret Night was Patricia Racette. She's rather delightful and quite stunningly beautiful in an elegant, understated way.

YouTube

And Rod Gilfrey night before last: YouTube

Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
My parents used to take me to West End musicals when I was growing up. I saw Cats, Starlight Express, Hair, Les Mis, and probably several others. I remember loving Starlight Express, but since that time I've got more of an appreciation of classical and opera and tend not to go to see musicals. But there are many memorable tunes in all of the above. D ...[text shortened]... ing with Kiri Te Kanawa and Placido Domingo conducted by Leonard Bernstein, which is amazing.

Some years ago, Swedish television showed a studio recording with Leonard Bernstein conducting West Side Story with José Carreras - I remember he had problems with the rhythms (Bernstein sighed) ... and Kiri Te Kanawa's throat was threatened by the London air...(Bernstein loved her voice).
It was all very relaxed and great to watch.

Originally posted by lolof
Some years ago, Swedish television showed a studio recording with Leonard Bernstein conducting West Side Story with José Carreras

Apologies – I just checked and my recording has Carreras singing Anton, not Domingo. He doesn't sound fully convincing as a Jet but his voice is good enough for it not to matter.

Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
Apologies – I just checked and my recording has Carreras singing Anton, not Domingo. He doesn't sound fully convincing as a Jet but his voice is good enough for it not to matter.

Sometime when music is performed by other artists than the original singers and musicians, it is revitalised. And maybe, if we are used to one interpretation of the music and it doesn't touch us so much anymore, hearing it done in another way, opens our ears and hearts again.

Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
Apologies – I just checked and my recording has Carreras singing Anton, not Domingo. He doesn't sound fully convincing as a Jet but his voice is good enough for it not to matter.

Carreras most definitely more at home in operas and oratorios. My version of the Verdi Requiem has Carreras singing the tenor part and Ruggiero Raimondi the bass, lesser luminaries signing the soprano and mezzo parts. However, Claudio Abbado brings out the best in all these singers. Perhaps what I sometimes dislike about crossover singing is the lame arranging done for pop music. What I find better is the reverse with pop standards arranged for full orchestra and a bevy of pop singers redoing these songs. Years ago I had an album of Beatles songs done by the London Symphony. Very enjoyable indeed. I detest instrumental versions of pop music!

Originally posted by scacchipazzo
Carreras most definitely more at home in operas and oratorios. My version of the Verdi Requiem has Carreras singing the tenor part and Ruggiero Raimondi the bass, lesser luminaries signing the soprano and mezzo parts. However, Claudio Abbado brings out the best in all these singers. Perhaps what I sometimes dislike about crossover singing is the lame ar ...[text shortened]... done by the London Symphony. Very enjoyable indeed. I detest instrumental versions of pop music!

I think my parents still have the LSO Beatles LP. I remember playing it, aged perhaps 11-13, and being really impressed. To me, most if not all other pop arrangements sound pretty pretentious or just inappropriate somehow. I agree with you about pop instrumentation and arrangements – I always reach for the mute button, change the channel or leave the room if I can.

On musicals again, I have an album of Bryn Terfel singing Rodgers & Hammerstein which I listen to every now and then. As someone who used to (sort of) follow Liverpool FC, it's quite a tonic to hear him singing You'll Never Walk Alone.

Recently, I've found a little bit of pop/rock/folk listenable – I quite like some of Laura Marling's songs (a young British folk musician), and I heard Beck's Goddamn Right (It's a Beautiful Day) on the radio recently and quite enjoyed it (enough to try and get it with the five monthly music downloads I get with my bank account). Unfortunately, to hear the good stuff you have to endure a lot of rubbish and poorly played/sung music, whereas with classical the opposite tends to be true.

Originally posted by NoEarthlyReason
I think my parents still have the LSO Beatles LP. I remember playing it, aged perhaps 11-13, and being really impressed. To me, most if not all other pop arrangements sound pretty pretentious or just inappropriate somehow. I agree with you about pop instrumentation and arrangements – I always reach for the mute button, change the channel or leave the ...[text shortened]... ubbish and poorly played/sung music, whereas with classical the opposite tends to be true.

Without question! Classical requires lots of training and hence the uniformity. Pop tends to be delightfully eclectically different. Lots of non-entity singers get away with awful voices like Taylor Swift, but I do admit her tone is pleasant indeed. My favorite songs outside of great opera arias are the jewels to be found in Schubert lieder and Hugo Wolff's! Brahms' are not bad as are Schuman's!