Customer Reviews

The Musicality of Novello

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This CD has only 12 tracks because it is obviously a rehash of an old vinyl. How old I can't tell because there are no specific data in the minimal leaflet provided. No date, no indication of the orchestra or conductor. This cheap concoction (in the flesh, the CD cover looks even worse than in the photo here and the leaflet is just a tryptich filled with pretty standard text) was probably rushed out to capitalize on the success of the Gosford Park film.

I couldn't disagree more with the other reviewer. Singing is NOT of the highest quality. In fact, even though the orchestra plays as it were tired, singers are the worst part. Among them, Valerie Masterson is the worst of them all (with the possible exception of Richard Murdoch, who cannot sing at all and sounds like a bad imitation of Jimmy Durante). Ms. Masterson sings out of tune almost all the time (always too high in pitch) and when her voice is tested in the high notes, she loses control and yowls and wails and screeches. The final three notes of track 7, for instance, would be hilarious if they were not painful to the ear.

The remainding singers are marginally better, but all of them -and several others who had recorded Novello's works elsewhere- seem to act under the wrong impression that to sing light music you must be a lightweight performer.

I love and admire Novello's music. Two of the stars of my rating go for him. In spite of the deficiencies of this performance, his genius manages to come through, and, incredibly enough, due to his immense musicality, the record is still a pleasure to listen to.

If you haven't met with Novello's music yet, this is a reasonably good place to start. But, if you are looking for a definitive tribute to Novello's inspired musicality, this is not it. No doubt, we need singers of the stature of Kiri, Bernadette, Natalie or Celine -to name a few- to undertake the necessary and sacred mission of giving Novello's music the performance it deserves but so far hasn't received.

This an excellent show-case of the music of Ivor Novello. The singing on practically all of the tracks is of a high standard. My only gripe is that there are only 12 tracks. I appreciated the service provided by Amazon. The CD arrived very promptly at my address in mint condition.