Floyd: Susannah

Carlisle Floyd (Composer), Knud Anderson (Conductor), Knud Andersson (Conductor), New Orleans Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Alton Brim (Performer), Kay Long (Performer), Norman Treigle (Performer), Phyllis Curtin (Performer), Richard Cassilly (Performer), Thomas Carter (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alton Brim, Kay Long, Norman Treigle, Phyllis Curtin, Richard Cassilly, et al.
• Orchestra: New Orleans Opera Orchestra
• Conductor: Knud Anderson, Knud Andersson
• Composer: Carlisle Floyd
• Audio CD (December 12, 1995)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Video Artists Int'l
• ASIN: B000003LL1
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,767 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Susannah: Opening Music

2. Susannah: 'It's A Hot Night For Dancin' (Elders' Wives, Elder McLean)

3. Susannah: 'I Am The Reverend Olin Blitch ' (Blitch, Elders, Chorus, Mrs. McLean)

4. Susannah: 'Was Y'ever At Such A Nice Square Dance?' (Susannah, Little Bat)

5. Susannah: 'Ain't It A Pretty Night?' (Susannah, Little Bat, Sam)

6. Susannah: 'Sam, When Did Y' Come?' (Susannah, Sam)

7. Susannah: 'Ah! - That Crick Oughta Be Right About Here' (Elders, Susannah)

8. Susannah: 'I Ain't Surprised' (Wives, Elders, Susannah)

9. Susannah: 'Little Bat, What You Doin' Here?' (Susannah, Little Bat, Sam)

Disc: 2

1. Susannah: 'How Long's It Gonna Last, Sam?' (Susannah, Sam)

2. Susannah: 'Are You Saved From Sin, Ready To Meet Your Lord?' (Congregation, Blitch)

3. Susannah: 'I'm Fixin' To Tell Y' Bout A Feller I Knowed' (Blitch)

4. Susannah: 'Come, Sinner, Tonight's The Night' (Congregation, Blitch, Susannah)

5. Susannah: 'The Trees On The Mountains Are Cold And Bare' (Susannah)

6. Susannah: 'That's Mighty Pretty Singing', Susannah' (Blitch, Susannah)

7. Susannah: 'I'm A Lonely Man, Susannah' (Blitch, Susannah)

8. Susannah: 'Hear Me, O Lord' (Blitch)

9. Susannah: 'Brethren An' Sister'n' (Blitch, Elders, Wives, Susannah)

10. Susannah: 'Hey There, Little Robin, I'm Back Again' (Sam, Susannah)

See all 11 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating impression of an American classic, May 9, 2003

By 

S. McMillen "keyplayer123" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Floyd: Susannah (Audio CD)

Phyllis Curtin's voice is impeccably suited to this music. Listen for yourself to the opening sample from "Ain't It A Pretty Night?" and let the idiomatic quality of her clear diction convince you. It's like the homespun spoken voice of Aunt Eller or Auntie Em applied to the stylings and technical expertise of a master singer (who was responsible for some phenomenal master classes, by the way). The atmospheric qualities of a live recording add to the spontaneous, incidental, convincing delivery of her words. It is truly as though we are looking in. I never tire of listening to this recording.

26 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Very Interesting, February 23, 2000

By 

Eric Nelsen (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Floyd: Susannah (Audio CD)

This recording of Floyd's Susannah is one of only two available. The other recording, which stars Cheryl Studer, is a studio recording. This one, however, was recorded live. This is the main cause for the lack of quality sound. You can still hear everything, but it's not the most pleasent sounding all the time. Ms. Curtain gives a nice performance of the title role, although her vocal quality doesn't seem to fit the character. The orchestra is almost never with the singers - this even includes the climatic moment in Susannah's beautiful "Ain't it a Pretty NIght?", which leads to great dissapointment on the listeners part. It's a nice recording to have perhaps for it's historical context, but for overall enjoyment of one of the most beautful American Opera scores ever written, I highly recommend the other recording starring Cheryl Studer and Jerry Hadley. Even with Ms. Studer's consistant flatness in pitch, her performance is exhilerating.