At The Met - Barbara Cook

Advantages: Well performed with a great orchestra and brilliant singers
Disadvantages: Detailed music that needs a few runs before you get used to it

...This recording of Candide is definatelly the best one I've found! Bernsteins musical, originally from 1956, has a big score and needs good voices to come to it's right. Here, both the orchestra and the singers come through excelently, and the ensemble does a good jobb in the not entirely simply choral parts. The orchestra is exact, and executes the brilliant overture with lots of energy. The musical orignially premiered in New York 1956 with most notablly Barbara Cook in the cast. The show only ran for 73 performances, and suffered a simillarly short run in London a few years later (1959, 60 performances). Barbara Cook got her breakthrough with Glitter and be Gay, though, and almost 20 years later, 1973, the show got a new chance in a revival that ran for 740 performances, far more successfull than the original. The show has been very... Read review

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Advantages: Interesting selection of songs, lovely voice
Disadvantages: Some lesser-known songs didn't add a great deal to the album

...Barbara Dickson has a versatile smoky voice that can cope with anything from pop/rock/folk to the old jazz standards with no difficulty at all. "The Collection" gives her every opportunity to display her vast range. With classic pop 1960's tunes such as "Dancing in the Street" and "I Only Want To Be With You" usually sounding better from the original artist I was pleasantly surprised when I really enjoyed her versions. "The Crying Game" in particular is an especially difficult song to sing but Barbara managed it very well. There are some lesser-known songs in here by Alan Tarney (who also wrote for Cliff Richard) along with the hit "January February" which enjoyed a great deal of success in 1980. However, I have to reserve my biggest praise for her superb rendition of "Stardust" which is well phrased and beautifully sung. The piano... Read review

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Advantages: good songs
Disadvantages: just one cd, I wishe there were two or three

...This is an exceptional album that I really enjoy listening to. It is Barbara Streisand`s second live album and it was recorded long ago in 1972. If you own her first live album you will be able to make the difference between the two. It shows how much her music has grown and diversified. Although she hasn`t played at concerts for nearly 5 years Barbara Streisand has often played in Casino`s in Las Vegas. There is very funny monologue where she pretends to be smoking marijuana. Two interesting facts- 1. This was Barbra's final album with producer Richard Perry and 2. Barbara Streisand has release one live album for every decade she has performed in, probably unintentionally. The big showpiece in this album is "Where You Lead/ Sweet Inspiration." The album can nowardays be bought very cheaply, starting from 2.50 pounds.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful