Customer Reviews

Night and Day: Thomas Hampson Sings Cole Porter

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

 

 

John McGlinn's orchestrations on this compilation of Cole Porter tunes have as much to do with the brilliance of this CD as Mr Hampson's vocal renderings. Both have that lush sound that make a Porter tune sound like what this reviewer believes Porter would have appreciated, judging by his own versions of his songs, and the arrangements that he was involved in. McGlinn remained faithful to those original arrangements and added a few of his own ideas and along with modern day recording improvements produced a sound that I think Porter would very much approve of. My only complaint is the selection of songs, but that as always comes down to personal taste. However in doing so I was tuned into a few songs that I had never heard before, some of which are now among my favorite Porter songs. Specifically, 'Who said Gay Paree' is a sublime version of a lesser known Porter tune. It is one of his tunes about Paris but unlike the others its a sad tune of love lost with McGlinn and Hampson both at their finest. Another one new to me was'My Cozy Little Corner In the Ritz' an early Porter tune with him at his sarcastic best and a brilliant rendition. The standards are all briliantly done. 'In the Still of the Night' is my favorite, followed by I Concentrate on You', 'Easy To Love', 'Night and Day' (edging out Sinara's version, but not quite as magical as Fred Astaire's from the movie 'Gay Divorcee', but close) 'I've Got You Under My Skin' is divine, Begin the Beguine and 'Don't Fence me in'. All the others are great versions but none would make my top 50 Porter tunes. With the convenience of tracking with CD's though I program my favorites in and hear an hour of heavenly music from one of my favorite tunesmiths as interpreted by two contemporary masters of our time.

Of my dozens and dozens of Broadway music performances, I find only one singer can be dubbed "Best." That person, Thomas Hampson, is thee. While show performers and ballad singers have all had their way with these tunes, only one is across-the-board great in them.

And whether or not these are the "best" representative songs of Porter is a moot point, something entirely up to personal taste. The point is that these songs have not been better performed by an individual male singer. It certainly doesn't hurt, either, that the great John McGlinn was on board as conductor/director (and likely strongly involved in arranging).

****

The glut of crossover albums that came our way in the ripe era of Pavarotti and Domingo has abated, leaving not the best taste in the mouth. But there were some high points, and this 1991 Cole Porter collection from Thomas Hampson is a gorgeous example. Like his hero from the 30s, Lawrence Tibbett, who triumphed as much on radio as in the opera house, Hampson sings full out, applying an overtly operatic baritone to popular song. He has such a command of vocal technique that, as with Tibbett and more recently Ben Heppner, the glory of the vocalism would carry the day on its own.

But Hampson adds to this a good deal of finesse, humor, and suavity--particularly the last. "Begin the Beguine" and "In the Still of the Night" convey the cosmopolitan asurance that is a Cole Porter trademark. There are also some bigger songs, such as "It Was Written in the Stars," where Hampson can unleash his voice at full force, a thrilling experience. I don't think there's been an opera star who's made a Cole Porter recording other than Kiri Te Kanawa, in forty years. This is a very enjoyable one indeed.

Generally, efforts by opera singers to sing popular music are grotesque. Pavarotti, Tebaldi, Sills et al. seem to make music that wasn't that great to begin with sound worse than it is. And generally the voices of the popular stars of Broadway musicals(Fred Astaire, Rex Harrison) are so mediocre that the music they sing seems mediocre too. So what Thomas Hampson (and his expert arranger) have done with these songs of Cole Porter is little short of miraculous: In Hampson's incredibly beautiful voice (one of the voices of the century) and perfectly sympathetic styling, the shape and wit--the genius--of Cole Porter's musical imagination is revealed probably for the first time since they were written. An astounding accomplishment, and a delight to the mind and ear.

MR. HAMPSON, IT AIN'T GRAND OPERA! I PREFER FOLKS LIKE SINATRA, MARGARET WHITING, JO STAFFORD, AND SO MANY MORE.

This was a great listen and it was finally nice to hear trained singers doing Porter. Can't stand it when I hear a lilting Porter song in an MGM film and then Astaire or Gene Kelly decide to try and sing it, usually off key, and end up slaughtering the number. Great to hear some of the old stuff and different takes on other standards.

SOMEONE PLEASE STOP THOMAS HAMPSON, BEFORE HE HURTS HIMSELF...OR HURTS THE REST OF US....What a collective piece of trash this album is?..is there a more self-important, bloated, indulgent, precious, affected, pompous singer on the planet?...i am waiting for Thomas Hampson sings Disco...or Thomas Hampson sings Elton John...or Thomas Hampson does Eminem?...he probably thinks he could pull 'em off...what unmitigated gaul...don't waste your money here

Thomas Hampson is the great one of the last decade. I only have one of his cds, but that is more than enough. I do plan to buy more of his cds in the future. I can hardly wait.

Let me tell you what I know about Thomas. He has a very powerful voice. It is truly a pleasure to hear him sing any kind of music. He really knows how to entertain the listner. He sings in a very understandable style. It seems that he is always smiling when singing, even on his cds. I feel like anyone who hears his voice will be a fan for life. I ask that everyone give him a chance to showcase his voice.

The only reason for not rating this cd higher was because of the repertoire. I'm a big fan of a popular repertoire.

I Would Like To Recommend This Cd