Customer Reviews

Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"My life is music. It has always been music, and it will always be music. ~ Michael Feinstein ~

"Michael Feinstein with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra" received a nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in the 2003 Grammy Awards and although this album didn't get the ultimate Grammy nod, it's still one of the best recordings from Michael Feinstein.

Recorded in Tel Aviv in 2001 with additional recording at Capitol Studios in California, he is ably supported by Avishai Cohen on bass, Albie Berk on drums, and backed by an 88-piece orchestra - the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Alan Broadbent, whom I've watched in live performances and I can truly say that he's such a fine and talented arranger/conductor/pianist all rolled into one. Mr. Broadbent did a splendid job in arranging all the selections with the exception of "Laura" and "I Won't Send Roses," arranged by David Raksin and Larry Blank, respectively.

Being a dedicated interpreter of the Great American Songbook, Michael Feinstein is dubbed as the "Ambassador of the Great American Songbook" and he is an active member of the Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board, an advisory group chaired by Marilyn Bergman aimed at bringing together a number of professional organizations and expert individuals who are passionate about the perpetuation of musical recordings.

This is a showcase of Feinstein's effortless singing and piano artistry and made beautiful by Broadbent's grand orchestral works that utilized almost all the musical instruments you can think of -- from piano to percussions, violins to oboes, and trumpets to timpanis.

Feinstein creates an old-fashioned enchantment on all of the twelve tracks, but the focal point of this treasure of an album is his take on "Love Is Here To Stay." This track is absolutely lovely from the first note to the last, and it is one of the most magical moments in my listening experience. "How Deep Is The Ocean," "On A Clear Day" (You Can See Forever) and "The Best Is Yet To Come" are also highlights. For an added drama, he cries his heart out in "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out To Dry," a tear-inducing-song. And the most stirring moment is his eloquent and heartfelt take on a poignant song written by Frank Loesser, "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year."

"As if to say that spring will be a little slow to start
A little slow reviving that music it made in my heart
Yes time heals all things, so I needn't cling to this fear
It's merely that spring will be a little late this year"

For music lovers like me, nothing adds more joy to any day or night than listening to the finest music ever created and this CD is such a good example so please give it a listen and enjoy!

With my heartfelt recommendation.

What an incredible CD. I am used to great CD's from Michael but he really outdid himself with this one. He took some great standards such as The Best Is Yet To Come and Stormy Weather and breathed new life into them. He has also shown how much he has grown as an artist and a singer. In so many of the songs, he used his voice in full force with added depth to the songs and his voice. This is a must get CD.

"Extraordinary how potent cheap music is." -Noel Coward

Like Coward, Mr. Feinstein seems to understand the power of popular, romantic song when flung into the void of an apparently cold universe by an all too human, understated voice...I first heard Michael Feinstein sing and play the piano umpteen years ago in the mad, bad '80s. At that time, I found his choice of material from the great 20th Century American composers refreshing & interesting, his skills as a pianist were good, and his diction to be above average. Yet his voice at that time was a bit weak--there was too much bravura nonsense, too much vibrato and he may have been too young for some of the songs that he sang at the time.

Well, we've both matured, (I hope), and Mr. Feinstein has delivered a remarkably smooth, yet heartfelt performance on this album. I'm particularly impressed by his vocal smoothness and emotional restraint, especially on "Love is Here to Stay", "How Deep Is the Ocean", "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year" & "I Won't Send Roses". Mr. Feinstein appears to really understand the depth of feeling that these words and music evoke in him and us. The vibrato is there when needed, but the ripeness of a mature singer is beginning to be heard on his recordings and the Israeli Philharmonic simply gives his singing wings. The only song that doesn't seem to fit is "Stormy Weather"--I kept hearing Lena Horne in my mind's ear, rather than a polished cabaret singer. I hope that Feinstein continues to grow in vocal power and subtlety as he does here. A lovely album for sophisticated romantics.

Feinstein has done as much or more than anyone to keep the classics of Tin Pan Alley alive and well for the past 15 years. For this alone he deserves much credit.

His coupling with the Israeli Philharmonic is an interesting departure from his usual cabaret style performances. It is not an unqualified success but a success nonetheless. His voice is in good form even if slightly overwhelmed by orchestration on a few occasions. He strains here and there as he is not a natural "belter" and is more at home in the softer confines of the cabaret.

That said, there are far more pluses than minuses on this CD and it will satisfy both the faithful and the new listeners. He is in excellent form on the ballads (as usual) and his performance of I WON'T SEND ROSES would by itself make this a worthwhile purchase. This Jerry Herman song from the broadway flop MACK and MABEL is one of the best songs too few people have heard. If anyone can perform it better than Feinstein does here let them have at it!

So listen and enjoy...

A beautifully recorded cd with a great selection of songs! I bought this for my Mother's Day gift but decided to keep it myself and buy another for her!

This is by far my favorite album by Michael and he's in the great voice! The arrangements are lush and beautiful and Feinstein gives them each a distinct and dreamy treatment.
I never thought I'd ever care to listen to another rendition of "Maria", but it's sung like it was the first time I've ever heard it. The same with "Laura", another often recorded song, but arranged beautifully. As on every album by Michael, there's an obscure ditty here and there, like Cole Porter's "The Folks On The Hill" But that's part of the fun....discovering something new by great composers!
Fine recording to add to your collection!

I love this album!! The arrangements are lush and romantic and beautifully orchestrated. Kudos to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra! Michael Feinstein has whittled out a niche in American music that few can rival--Michael Buble' comes to mind, but NO ONE does "classic" American songs by the early songwriters like Berlin, Gershwin, Cole Porter, etal, like Michael Feinstein. They feel "authentic" because he often sings them the way they were written originally.
My favorite track on this album is "Laura." The orchestral work in this arrangement is just breath-taking!

The one problem a record collector encounters when he has an album too many of one artist, is the tendency of the artist to sing the same songs in succeeding albums/settings. Feinstein, who I consider as the leading proponent in reviving the American Popular Song standards to its unfettered glory is backed by a philharmonic orchestra in this album with the musical direction of conductor Alan Broadbent. And yes, he sang some songs that were sung in sparse and acoustic settings in his previous albums. As usual, just like any cabaret singer who never really sings the same song twice (listen to the grand old dames of cabaret like Julie Wilson and Mabel Mercer), Feinstein delights in the varied ways he can see a song in different contexts. Having said that, I thought he was a bit overly cautious in exploring his rich bari-tenor (sorry for this oxymoron but that is the word to apply to his voice) in soaring the vocal lines of Kern's The Folks Who Live on the Hill. Other than that, he was at his wittiest and conversational (not to mention just plain beautiful) voice when singing I Won't Send Roses and he can revisit the Bernstein/Sondheim Somewhere without evoking the famous version of uber diva Barbra Streisand. If you like good crooning vocals in a grand and orchestral setting, this is the album to listen or give as a gift -- you/they won't regret it.

S'Wonderful, S'Marvelous.

If there is one thing you can say about Michael Feinstein it's that he knows how to put over a song. His new cd is absolutely magnificent, these are the only words to describe it.

Somewhere, By Myself, Stormy Weather and the rest of the songs are beyond compare. Do yourself a big, big favour and don't miss out on this cd; you'll love it.

This is the cd of the year. The orchestra is perfection, Michael Feinstein is perfection (when isn't he) and it comes together in a wonderful mix or words and music.

You'll never regret your decision to purchase this cd, pure perfection, pure Feinstein.