Do I Hear a Waltz? (Pasadena Playhouse Cast) [Cast Recording]

Richard Rodgers (Artist), Stephen Sondheim (Artist), Alyson Reed (Artist), Steve Orich (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 4, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005RZTX
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,185 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Overture

2. Someone Woke Up

3. This Week Americans

4. What Do We Do? We Fly!

5. Here We Are Again

6. Someone Like You

7. Lezione In Inglese

8. Thinking

9. We're going to The Lido

10. No Understand

11. Take The Moment

12. Moon In My Window

13. We're Gonna Be Alright

14. Do I Hear A Waltz?

15. Stay

16. Perfectly Lovely Couple

17. Everybody Loves Leona

18. Last Week Americans

19. Thank You So Much/Finale

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent recording of this underrated, terrific score, December 7, 2001

By 

Alan (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Do I Hear a Waltz? (Pasadena Playhouse Cast) (Audio CD)

I have long loved "Do I Hear a Waltz?" and have hoped that there would be a second recording to supplement the flawed original Broadway cast recording. But that seemed unlikely to occur any time soon.

Here it is, though. This recording represents the revised "chamber" version of the show, cutting back the several locales of the original to essentially one set, as in the source material, Arthur Laurents's "The Time of the Cuckoo." This causes the loss of one good (though not great) song and the revision of another. The second song, "Here We Are Again," is not as effective in the new version, at least outside the context of the show itself. On the other hand, this new version of the show has restored a song that was cut originally, "Everybody Loves Leona." And, of course, the famous original lyric for "We're Gonna Be All Right," unused on Broadway, is restored here (in a fine new orchestration by conductor Steve Orich).

The most important thing to say, however, is that this is a wonderfully vital, touching, alive performance of this terrific score. Also, several sections that were not included on the original Broadway cast recording are included here (including the neat overture), as well as a fair amount of lead-in dialogue, all beautifully performed, and some gorgeous underscoring. The decision to retain Ralph Burns's original orchestrations (except for "We're Gonna Be All Right," where a new orchestration was necessary because of differences in the song) is also something to be grateful for, especially as Steve Orich's conducting makes the most of Burn's rich work on this show, which was in a style very different from what Burns was best known for. The orchestra has fewer players than the Broadway recording did, and there are times when a more sumptuous string sound would be nice. For the most part, though, it's not a problem. In fact, in a couple of songs--"Someone Like You" and "Stay"--the lighter sound (and fleeter tempi) actually help, helping to make these two songs, which never quite worked, far more effective than on the original cast recording.

Although the voices in this cast are almost uniformly less strong than those of the original cast, the performances are so rich, so detailed and touching and funny, that it hardly matters. Allyson Reed and Anthony Crivello in the leading roles deserve particular commendation. (It is true, though, that in one song, a couple of the cast members make some less-than-beautiful sounds, which are briefly bothersome.)

I will always want the original cast recording as well as this one, but this one is, overall, a more effective listening experience and a fine record of what must have been a superb evening of theatre. Bravo to everyone involved in this unexpected and very welcome release!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Pleasant Surprise, September 27, 2005

By 

terroh "terroh" (OH) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Do I Hear a Waltz? (Pasadena Playhouse Cast) (Audio CD)

After hearing what a dud this was for years, I never bothered to buy the original recording. But after buying this newer version I was surprised how much I liked this! While it doesnt rank as the best of Rodgers or Sondheim, its much better than I was expecting. I even went ahead and bought the original cast recording after buying this one. If I had to choose, I would recommend this one as the better choice. It has an overture, the original lyrics to Its Gonna Be Allright and the song Everybody Loves Leona which isnt in the original. The lead ins and voice overs also help to establish character. But if you can swing it, get the original cast too (its cheap!) for Elizabeth Allen and Sergio Franchi

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars So close....so far., February 8, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Do I Hear a Waltz? (Pasadena Playhouse Cast) (Audio CD)

Here's a perfect example of the fragile brilliance of Sondheim's work. Without perfectly chosen casts (arrived at after rigorous casting sessions), who, after weeks of rehearsal, wholly inhabit their characters, a score like this, so exquisitely made, can founder, as it does whenever these principals sing. Leona, a harsh harridon, beats the hell out of the songs, displaying no yearning, no innocence, unlike the very adequate Elizabeth Allen on the original. The Renato fares even worse: anemic-voiced, reedy; there's none of the essential masculinity to his voice or delivery.

Also, the orhestrations are serviceable, but really could've used the subtlety, the emotional smarts, and the gorgeous musicality of Jonathan Tunick; in particular, in his current no strings 'chamber' phase, he would really have brought out the character textures and the sumptuousness of the music.

On the plus side: the reduction in the Burns orchestration for a smaller theater really helps the score; the faster pacing of the slower ballads, delivered, oddly, as dirges in the orginal, help those songs a lot. Sondheim's lyrics are so incisive and playful, to the point where the playfulness is an art form in itself--high art. The dialogue really helps explain the numbers here, and filling in the numbers that, in the orginal, are fragmentary, really brings out the beauty of this score.

One further qualm: the title number has no emotional impact whatsoever. It's an odd, writerly notion anyway, that she'll hear a waltz when she falls in love. But this one hits us without any preparation, no build up, and she delivers it as if she were trying to jump start an Ethel Merman revival.

Recast...get Tunick..bring to New York..it's a real, genuine, beauty!