Customer Reviews

Music of Sigmund Romberg

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

 

 

I am one of those who, as a great fan and collector of operetta songs, find this album (actually a compilation of 3 LPs from 1963) the single most brilliant one ever recorded.

There are very few singers who could get so completely into the spirit of the songs and characters of operettas as Gordon MacRae. A technically magnificent voice with a phenomenal range, vibrant intensity and great warmth and sincerity - the rare singer whose performances all felt spontaneous and who could go from caressing the ear one moment to singing in the most powerful tones the next - all in a glorious legit voice of course. His rousing numbers like "The Riff Song" from The Desert Song and "Stout-Hearted Men" from New Moon are so exilarating that they actually conjure up a larger-than-life vision. His haunting "Softly as in the Morning Sunrise" obliterates all other versions and in terms of passion expressed in song, it would be difficult to surpass his rendition of the Desert Song.

Kudos also of course to the everlasting charm, grace and talent of the great Dorothy Kirsten who sounds perfectly convincing and fetching as the youthful heroines she portrays even though she was already fiftyish at the time this was recorded. Her solos of "One Kiss", "Romance" and "Lover Come Back to Me" are nothing short of superb and convey the longing of her characters beautifully. Truly enchanting.

As someone who loves to compare as many versions as possible of the great musicals and operettas, I can truthfully say that I have never heard more exquisite versions of those songs anywhere. While many versions I have heard elsewhere seemed either over the top or emotionally detached, these ring with true romantic ardor and the arrangements are beautiful. If the beautiful duets like "Wanting You" from New Moon and "Deep in My Heart, Dear" from The Student Prince don't send shivers up your spine, nothing ever will. They litterally take your breath away.

I do feel, however, that a couple of the songs from the earlier MacRae version (from the early 50s) of The Student Prince rank a bit higher than the songs from this version if only for the fact that the arrangements of the "Student Marching Song and The Drinking Song" were livelier and performed not just by the chorus as they are here, but led by Gordon MacRae at his very best. I miss hearing him on those when I play this CD. (Most of the songs from his earlier versions of The Desert Song and The Student Prince are available on various CD compilations. His earlier version of New Moon has not been released on CD yet, but can be found on vinyl).

The Roger Wagner chorale is absolutely outstanding and does a splendid job throughout.

(Please note that the original vinyl albums of each show featured additional songs not included in this compilation and a finale medley).

Yes, I would definitely recommend this album to anyone who loves operettas, melodious songs and rich singing voices!

I would rate this as my favorite operetta cd, and right up there at the top of ANY cds I own. The composer Romberg's melodies are wonderfully melodic and you couldn't find a better recording of them than this one!

This is a favorite of mine. I remember hearing many of these songs as a boy, and have treasured the scratchy 78's for years. Now it is a delight to hear this music return on CD. The performances are brilliant, clear, and technically satisfying.

FANTASTIC, THE SINGING IS WONDERFUL I LIKED IT BETTER THAN MARIO LANZA'S VERSION. WHAT A BEAUTIFUL VOICE GORDON MACRAE HAS, ALSO DO
RTHEY KIRSTEN. I RECCOMEND THIS ALBUM MOST HEARTEDLY. I RATE IT FIVE STARS.

Sigmund Romberg isn't in fashion today, but he was one of the founders of what became modern musical comedy, and in listening to this compilation of songs from three of his best-known operettas, you can understand why. Kirsten's soaring soprano and MacRae's rich baritone combine flawlessly to give the very feel that contemporary audiences must have gotten when they attended a performance of a Romberg work (MacRae also starred in the film version of "Desert Song"). The best pieces on the disc are the duets, some of which can give you authentic chills ("Deep in My Heart, Dear," "Wanting You"), and MacRae's thrilling solos ("Serenade," "The Riff Song," "Marianne," "Stouthearted Men," and the tango-esque "Softly, As in a Morning Sunrise"), but Kirsten's renditions of "Romance," "The Saber Song," "The Girl on the Prow," "One Kiss," and the classic "Lover, Come Back to Me" are almost equally good. I've replayed this collection at least 20 times in the last month and I'll do it again. If hearing it doesn't it make you want more Romberg, your tastes are obviously not for classic operetta. Highly recommended.

The timing of this recording, in the early sixties I believe, was critical because Gordon's voice was still rich and smooth even if it had lost some of its lustre and ringing tone. Dorothy Kirsten is superb. All in all, the music is timelessly romantic because it represents a perfect marriage of music and lyrics by Romberg and his collaborators.

This production of Romberg music has the two greatest voices to ever grace a cd!! The music itself is absolutely beautiful but what makes it breathtaking is the emotion that Gordon MacRae (the star of Rodgers and Hammerstein`s "Oklahoma!" and "Carousel") and Dorothy Kirsten (ranking soprano of The Metropolitan Opera) put into the words. Gordon's gift of a magnificent voice and range, and Dorothy's clear, rich mezzo-soprano make a beautiful combination. They were able to sing harmony easily and their powerful voices just flowed, several times matching high tenor and high soprano divinely. This cd is definitely a superb example of purely outstanding singing ability and gorgeous music.

It is a pleasure to review this disc. Sigmund Romberg's music is about as good as music gets. Gordon MacRae & Dorothy Kirsten sing these great tunes beautifully. I have long been a fan of Gordon MacRae's & now, at 81 am still enjoying his singing . To me , He is the greatest singer ever & really shines in these special songs by Romberg. I fully recommend this album & hope you will buy it & get as much pleasure from listening to it as I do.

I ordered this CD plus Mario Lanza's "Student Prince and Desert Song" CD; the more I listen to each of them the more I love them--one is loaded into my car CD changer the other at home. All of the songs have been digitally remastered and the quality of the sound is excellent. I cannot help but sing along with the beautiful Romberg music. Lanza is a tenor and McRae is a baritone and it is interesting to hear the difference when sung by the two men. This is well worth the money.

Once you have heard Murray Head and the rest of the cast in the original version of Jesus Christ,Superstar, no other version of that rock opera will do. Similarly, Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman *own* Phantom of the Opera. In this album Dorothy Kirsten and Gordon Macrae do such a superlative job with these Romberg songs, that even other great artists sound amateurish. Some of the most beautiful music ever recorded!