Customer Reviews

Barbara Cook In Mostly Sondheim

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What a treat to see Barbara Cook on DVD. I was very lucky to have a front row seat to "Mostly Sondheim" when it played Benaroya Hall in Seattle last October. Hearing and seeing Ms Cook in person was a very wonderful experience.
It isn't quite like seeing her live in concert but this wonderfully packaged DVD is the very next best thing. Filmed at SUNY in Purchase, NY last October and November it is beautifully photographed and presents the entire show. Having been a big fan of hers for many years it is wonderful to watch her artistry over and over.
As a bonus, there are scenes from a Master Class she gave at the Kennedy Center last August. She is so endearing and warm to the students that she can correct them and they love her for it. A young man named Tim Tourpin gave an amazing rendition of "Sailing" that had Barbara Cook visibly stunned.
Don't hesitate a moment longer to get this brilliant piece of theatre.

It's hard to put into words how wonderful this DVD is. Ms. Cook is absolutely peerless in expressing the heart and soul of a song. She can sing anything brilliantly, but when the song is Sondheim's it's as if she's writing it as she goes, her beautiful voice and expressive face telling the story with so much emotion it can only be her own.
This DVD has laughs, too. She's not only a fabulous singer but a very warm, charming and funny woman.
This DVD is for anyone who loves Sondheim, Broadway, the American Popular Song and truly great talent.

I've been a longtime Barbara Cook fan...having purchased the CD of this concert with featured star Malcolm Getz. I've found hours of pleasure with the CD. So I was quite taken aback to find the DVD to be SO extraordinary. It adds all kinds of wonderful between numbers patter...and shows this artist in finest form. And many new songs (who knew she was a fan of Reba McIntire)! I just cannot take my eyes off the screen.
She truly CAN drive a person crazy.

Rush...don't hesitate...buy this.

This DVD is perfect!!Anyone who loves great singing, acting and storytelling will adore it. Ms. Cook is one-of -a-kind. I saw her in She Loves Me and Something More! as a teen and she sounds just as great now as she did then. She just has an amazing voice!
This DVD would be perfect as a birthday or Christmas gift. The recipient will truly thank you! Barbara Cook is truly amazing!What a wonderful woman and artist!

Barbara Cook continues to delight her audiences world wide. This album is another in her element, which is entertaining people. Her voice is still wonderful and she is fantastic on any stage.

This beautiful DVD appears to contain all the songs I heard Barbara Cook sing in concert several years ago as she paid tribute to Stephen Sondheim by singing his music as well as songs he wished he had written. In both the accompanying Master Class footage and interview included with the DVD, Ms. Cook says that she as an audience wants to be "let in" by the performer. She certainly lets in her audience here with her warmth and honesty. Although she jokes about being a bit more careful now with her B naturals, she owes no apology to anyone for the quality and beauty of her voice although she was well into her seventies when she made this DVD. Her long-time accompanist and music director Wally Harper, who sadly died not long after the release of this DVD, is just as perfect in his own way as well.

So much wonderful music is included here. Does anyone do "Send in the Clowns" better? "Losing My Mind" always moves me as her standard "Anyone Can Whistle." And she now sings "The Trolley Song," as she tells her audience, for this first time with this collection of songs since it for a long time belonged to another singer.

Such a fine performance from an American legend who will release a new CD in early November, an event to make all of her fans happy.

There will never be another like Barbara Cook. For anybody who loves vocal music, I highly recommend this DVD.

A great show and a good extra's, Tim Tourbin especially is a wonderful singer to discover on the mastereclass.

For those that love Barbara Cook's splendid vocal ability, and the music of Sondhim, this is a real treat. This is as close as one can get without being at a live concert.

Barbara Cook is a phenomenon. This DVD is so wonderful it is simply hard to describe. Of course, her performance is first rate but what really makes this disc a cut above is the master class available in the bonus features. How fascinating to get into the mind of a show business genius! And just by the shots of the crowd, it is obvious that all are totally mesmorized by the experience. She takes the kids from being talented to being stars right before your very eyes. I cannot recommend this any higher. Go Barbara!