The Great American Songbook

I'm glad to hear that. I agree entirely.

Interesting that you mentioned recently the excellent Nonesuch series of Gershwin shows with the original orchestrations. I wonder whether they achieved the sales that they deserved? Talking of original Gershwin orchestrations, the EMI recording of Kiri Te Kanawa sings Gershwin ran into trouble at the recording sessions in New York.  It seems that the conductor John McGlinn, who had instigated the project, had not checked the set of the original orchestral parts before the sessions started and, to his consternation, it turned out that there were a lot of transcribing errors that had to be corrected as the sessions progressed and as it was not possible to arrange further sessions, they ended up recording fewer songs that had been originally planned. This benefited me personally in that when McGlinn came to record 'Annie Get Your Gun' he insisted on his usual 'rehearsal' session with the orchestra in which he played through the entire score to check the accuracy of the parts. On this occasion, Kim Criswell also attended the session and sang through the entire role of Annie, and I had a lovely time as an audience of one at my favourite musical! As a further thought, McGlinn did not want to record any Gershwin shows, perhaps because he knew the Nonesuch series had already done justice to Gershwin. What he did desperately want to record was Kurt Weill's 'Love Life' but EMI's marketing people felt that would not be commercial enough and so we got 'Brigadoon', 'Kiss Me, Kate' and 'Annie' as well of course as the fabulous complete 'Show Boat'.

For an explanation of my latest avatar, see 'Ban Hoodies from Shakespeare'. I expect I will change it fairly soon!

Yes, it's a very rich assortment of wonderful songs, and that's just Rodgers and Hart! Personally I like playing those songs with a bit of punch in them like 'Thou swell' and 'You took advantage of me' – speaking of which brings Elaine Stritch inevitably to mind, interpolated into the recording of 'On Your Toes' and of course 'Zip' in 'Pal Joey'. I've just checked 'On Your Toes' and that has a great original score and includes several of Hart's really clever lyrics like 'The heart is quicker than the eye', 'It's got to be love' and 'Too good for the average man'. How did Rodgers compose those brilliant tunes first before Hart wrote the lyrics? Was this really the way it happened? Well, however it came about, those songs are amazing, and I think even sharper than Porter.

Oh, and don't forget 'Ten cents a dance', a song with which Ruth Madoc and I used to bring the house down in a really punchy performance at the Pindar of Wakefield. I guess our version maybe lacked subtlety but boy did we tear up the boards. The other big song that I loved to do was 'I'm still here' but that's by some other composer!

A few more that I liked to play are 'It's easy to remember' and 'There's a small hotel'. But why has nobody mentioned that anthem for all female jazz singers 'The lady is a tramp'?

So Rodgers has already claimed his place as one of the big five and he hasn't even got to Hammerstein yet!

I always wondered why Norman Grantz didn't have a word with Ella about her breath in the middle of a word in Manhattan:

'Sweet push carts gently gli(breath)ding by.'

Yes I'd forgotten about 'Flicka.' She was always one of my favourite singers and I saw her at ROH the very few times she came. She is very good in Showboat and In the DG version of On the Town. This whole opera singers doing musicals can often be extremely embarrassing, I don't think Te Kanawa ever quite got it, but I do like Bryn singing R&H (and also L&L.)

One of my all time favourites for all the wrong reasons as it is so terrible, is Sutherland singing Coward. The final song on the CD, a duet with The Master, is a camp classic.

Kiri was much better in the South Pacific she did with Carreras. I think it was CBS cashing in on the success of DG's WSS who produced it. I thought this much more enjoyable than WSS, not least because it also had Mandy Patinkin and Sarah Vaughan both showing the two 'stars' how it should be done.

Oh and I wasn't at the Barbican for On the Town but, my God, I wish. I had been!

Rodgers and Hammerstein

It's very interesting that there's no falling off of Rodger's melodic gift when he composes to a pre-existing lyric; in fact, you could argue that his melodies are even more impressive with Hammerstein than with Hart. His tunes are definitely more expansive for Hammerstein, more operatic even. His harmonies, whilst still very sophisticated are simpler than with Hart. His ability to write a cracking Waltz, always there with Hart, now comes to the forefront.

It's probably best to discuss songs allied to the actual musicals so...

Oklahoma!

Not much to add to what's already been discussed re Proms performance. People will say we're in Love is probably the stand out song for me. I love how the middle section is the same tune as the opening but inverted. The best version of Surrey is Gordon McCrae but Bryn is superb in this in his R&H cd (it's really excellent all round.)

I loved the NT production.

Carousel

Probably the richest R&H score (although South Pacific is very close.) Where to start, it's absolutely packed with gems! The Carousel Waltz, with it's slightly dissonant harmonies so perfectly evokes, and sets off the fairground vibe but then the quality remains with song, after song.
When I marry Mr Snow
If I loved You (probably my favourite Rodgers ballad, until I think of another one!)
June is bustin' (what a superb rollicking tune with great drive.)
When the children are asleep
Soliloquy (others have commented more eloquently, but I'm just in awe as to how much musical richness the is in just 7 mins. - more than in a whole musical by ALW.)
What's the use of Wonderin'
You'll never walk alone (His first hymn-like tune,  that he then did once in all his subsequent hit shows.)

Again I loved the NT version but about two years ago there was a superb fringe production at the Arcola. I didn't go to the Coliseum because of my aversion to Jenkins. Surely this should be the next one to get the Wilson treatment at the Proms. You could do the Starkeeper scenes brilliantly at RAH by using the higher levels (the choir area, or, better stil, the gallery.)

I'll pause there,  but will return with South Pacific et al...

I should just add that the three film soundtracks of 'Oklahoma', 'Carousel' and 'The King and I' released on the Capitol label were amongst EMI's all time best selling LPs until the era of Rock and Roll and the Beatles, and they still continued on into the CD era as among the most successful albums in the film and show catalogue. The fact that all three were stereo did of course help their longevity.

South Pacific

Again this is so good (as Tony says) my favourites are all of them.

Twin Soliloquies - I think this absolutely exquisite, really touching, almost Puccini-esque.

Some enchanted evening - I love playing this on the piano, you can really give it wellie. Probably Rodgers's grandest melody.

Bloody Mary/There is nothing like a Dame - Rodgers was fantastic at these rousing chorus numbers.

I'm in love with a wonderful Guy - probably my favourite amongst his waltzes. This is an example of Rodgers having such a profusion of musical ideas he can almost afford to waste them. The verse alone has two cracking tunes; the first one, minor key 'I expect every one' and then the most expansive 'Fearlessly I'll face them' in the major and that drives so deliciously into the chorus 'I'm as corny,' all enhanced by the superb R.R.Bennett arrangement. I really admire this song!

Younger than Springtime - probably his simplest ballad musically but exquisite.

This nearly was mine - what a fabulously noble tune and in E flat too! This is a joy to play with a great middle section.


I've just listened again to the Kiri/Jose/Tunick version and it's way better than I remembered. Kiri is really excellent and so much more relaxed than on WSS. She had been working with Riddle in between and it shows. Jose is better too but his part was written for an opera singer, albeit a baritone. Sarah and Mandy are just sensational and the great LSO are conducted with real verve by Tunick.

Again loved the NT production (Philip Quast magnificent) more than the NY production that came to the Barbican.

I don't think there was that much of a premium on soundtracks, except that for Capitol they would have been on Capitol's most expensive popular label (probably SLCT) rather than the normal pop label ST, or whatever it was. But yes, there was certainly a premium. BTW, I see in the 1980 EMI UK catalogue that the surviving SLCT albums were the three mentioned above plus 'High Society' and Sinatra's 'Songs for Swinging Lovers' and looking further back, some of Nat King Cole's LPs were on SLCT as were some of Sinatra's so it couldn't have been that much of a premium price. I apologise on behalf of Capitol if that stopped you buying them, Mr Snow, but multitudes of other people did!

I think my pal Toni Palmer was in the West End production of 'Pal Joey' in 1954 and she was certainly very familiar with 'That terrific rainbow', including the verse, and we used to belt it out in the bar at Stratford East.