Customer Reviews

Myths And Hymns (1998 Off-Broadway Cast, Originally Saturn Returns)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Very few people live up to the critical standards set in a field, nowhere as much as in musical theatre. The bar is continually set so high that most people are fortunate if they bump their forehead on it during the leap. Adam Guettel is one of those rare creators who not only flew over the bar on their first try, but stepped lightly over it as if over a stick on the ground with their second. Myths and Hymns maintains that unique sound which theatre afficionados are coming to find is all Guettel's, while venturing away from the bluegrass sound that permeated Floyd Collins. Here, synth programmed drum beats (Pegasus), country-tinged guitar (How Could I Lose You?), and simple, piano-driven ballads (Migratory V) combine to create a very theatrical experience outside the confines of a traditional book musical. The music is extraordinary (Hero and Leander ranks among my all-time favorite ballads and is easily my favorite for men) and the lyrics manage to tell small, self-contained tales of hope, love, longing and belonging. To know that these stories tell the personal tale of Guettel's earlier years only serves to make them that much more important and understandable. They ocassionally go a bit abstract (as in the prayer-like Migratory V) but they always enthrall. Guettel is, without a doubt, the greatest composer to never have a Broadway show. Someone give this man the money he needs to mount a show and establish himself as THE new important theatre composer.

After first discovering Guettel for myself when I bought "Floyd Collins", I was quite anxious to obtain "Myths and Hymns". I am happy to report that I am not disappointed at all -- in fact, I believe this album surpasses the brilliance of "Floyd Collins", despite the fact that it is a song-cycle and not a complete show. Guettel's music soars to the heavens in the brilliant "Saturn Returns" and "Icarus", gets playful in "Pegasus" and the delightful "Sisyphus", and turns romantic for "Hero and Leander" and "Awaiting You". Perhaps the most haunting is "Come to Jesus", which rattles around in my head and kept me awake on the night I first listened to the album. The songs have to grow on you: on first listening, I didn't much care for the songs, and was a bit disappointed. However, upon further listenings, my disappointment changed to great admiration and pleasure. One of the highlights of the album, for me, is to hear Guettel himself sing so many of the songs -- his voice is quite unique, and a joy to hear.

All in all, this is one CD that a true connoisseur of musical theatre won't want to pass up. Since this is only Guettel's second album, I can only shiver with anticipation at what he might come up with next!

"Myths and Hymns" brings a fine new talent to musical theater. Adam Guettel has taken Greek myths and combined them with songs found in an old hymnal to create a unique cycle of songs ranging from funny ("Pegasus" and "There's A Land") to poignant ("Migratory V" and "Hero and Leander") to uplifting ("There's A Shout"). And, for this recording, we get to hear some of the original cast members from "Saturn Returns," the off-broadway show which featured the 16 tracks on this album. Theresa McCarthy, Audra McDonald, Billy Porter and Mandy Patinkin, to name a few.

Some of my favorites are "Hero and Leandro" sung by Adam Guettel, "How Can I Lose You?" sung by Annie Golden and "Awaiting You" sung by Billy Porter. But, the entire album is filled with fantastic music and wonderful voices.

I had the incredible pleasure of seeing this work at the Public Theater in New York when it was under the title of "Saturn Returns." Unfamiliar with Guettel's work, but aware of the buzz surrounding this young composer, I was nowhere near prepared for the depth and scope of this work. Mixing a response to Episcopalian hymns he first read in an antique book shop with a study of the Greeks' mythological god structure, Guettel reflects on emotional longing and everyone's desire to find where his or her heart belongs. While his influences range from musical theater to jazz to gospel, every piece in this extraordinarly touching work resonates with melodies that twist and turn and defy gravity. Whether Guettel's talent makes him the heir apparent to Sondheim's legacy remains to be seen, but that's entirely beside the point. This work is beautiful and touching and deserves a place in any serious musical theater lover's collection. The only reason for four stars instead of five is that Guettel took the lion's share of the songs for his own in this recording, robbing everyone of hearing the incredible talents of Jose Llana, the soloist featured in the Public's production.

I've been on a crusade ever since I was in college, it was to find unique and passionate musical. When I first started my search it mostly consisted of Stephen Sondheim's musicals, but now its getting bombarded with the likes of Ricky Ian Gordon, Jason Robert Brown, Micahal John Lachiusa and of course Adam Guettel. I first fell in love with in love with Adam Guettel's works when I bought FLOYD COLLINS, it mentioned on the back that he was the new Sondheim, so of course I bought it. Well after I listened to that album I was in a desperate search for what ever else he wrote. Then I found MYTHS & HYMNS. Which is not quite a musical, but it is. There such amazing voice on this album such as Audra McDonald, Mandy Patinkin, Theresa McCarthy, Vivian Cherry, Annie Golden, and of course Adam Guettel himself. The music is so powerful at times it can reduce you to tears and so fun at times you can't help from dancing and singing around your room. So if you haven't guessed it yet I highly recommend this album!

When I first bought the recording for Guettel's first musical, "Floyd Collins" I was unaffected by much of the work except for HOW GLORY GOES. In time, though, I came to undertand and grow attached to a lot of the other songs and the emotional and intellectual thesis that Guettel weaves throughout the show.

On the contrary, from the moment this CD went into my player, I was extremely affected by the beauty, and just downright struck by the emotional impact of this piece. When an artist performs their own work, it always strikes an extra chord inside of me. On this album, SATURN RETURNS and HERO AND LEANDER are especially wonderful sung by Guettel himself and make the album mean so much more. To me, HERO AND LEANDER might be the most beautiful song ever written for the stage. Absolutely no exaggeration...anyone who isn't touched by this song can't have a heart and can't be a fan of musical theater.

The first SATURN RETURNS track serves as a question or an inquiry which is answered in the last song, and thesis SATURN RETURNS (REPRISE). The message this sends is wonderful and can't even be described without sitting down and listening to the whole album.

Basically, if you want a musical that has catchy melodies, funny stories, and happy endings...this isn't the one for you. If you want something that's beautiful, crafted, and intellectual, this is a good piece for you. Guettel begins where Sondheim left off in his best intellectual works ("Company" and "Sunday in the Park with George"). Buy it for Audra McDonald, buy it for Mandy Patinkin, buy it for HERO AND LEANDER, buy it for SATURN RETURNS, make any excuse possible...just GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS ALBUM!

Having fallen deeply, deeply in love with Guettel's "Floyd Collins", I literally flew to my CD store when I heard he had a new offering available. "Myths and Hymns" has put the hooks into me on only the 2nd listening, and they are currently wrapped irretrievably around my central cortex. There is not a more singularly unique compositional voice out there right now, and every piece is unique. Sumptuous, sensual, at times overpowering in its intense beauty, this music is perhaps not for everyone, but if you give it 3 listenings, you will listen to it forever!

Every few years, musicals get stirred up a little. Some composer or writer comes out of left field with a concept or voice that it unlike anything before them. When that happens, musical theater lovers like myself find themselves stirred up as well. It only took about 2 minutes into Guettel's "Floyd Collins" before I knew that Adam Guettal was going to be a major force in the theatre world. As he demonstrates even more profoundly on this CD, Guettel has a gift for the fusion of lyric and music, combining mood, character, motivation, and heart seamlessly, following an entertainment tradition while weaving a unique thread into it. He never seems to give way to cliche, yet he probes the most universal feelings of longing and love. I recommend "Hero and Leander" as the most beautiful love song ever written.

A very exciting, moving and inspiring new musical which sets ancient myths and hymns to modern music and interweaves quite beautifully the universal human truths found in these sources with our modern day existence. The performers are quite wonderful and the music and orchestrations can bring tears to your eyes. The lyrics touch on profound levels of universal human experience. All in all this is a beautiful, unusual and original work that may not be for everyone but if your taste in musicals is somewhat sophisticated, you like semi-classical style music and are looking for lyrics that give you something to think about, then definitely buy this. I find the fact that the composer-lyricist is the grandson of Richard Rodgers (my favorite musical composer after Jerome Kern and before Steven Sondheim)to be a tribute to the continuation of the expansion of the musical form to which his grandfather was so integral.

I have been researching musicals recently and accidently found this one. The music is beautiful and inspiring. There are not many CDs of Musicals that I play while relaxing ... this one is a first. I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a little variety in their library of Musical tunes. And for you Church soloists ... there are some touching solos that could easily be used for Sunday Mass.