The Noël Coward Songbook

Noel Coward (Composer), Jeffrey Tate (Performer), Sophie Daneman (Performer), Ian Bostridge (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jeffrey Tate, Sophie Daneman, Ian Bostridge
• Composer: Noel Coward
• Audio CD (September 17, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00006HM8Z
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,744 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Tenor Ian Bostridge bids to claim Noël Coward as a classical composer on this album, assisted by pianist Jeffrey Tate and, on five songs, soprano Sophie Daneman. The songs all date from the 1920s and `30s, and most of them were associated with Coward's musical revues as well as one of his book musicals, BITTER SWEET. There are also independent songs and songs used incidentally in the Coward straight plays CAVALCADE and PRIVATE LIVES. Although Bostridge includes "Mad Dogs and Englishmen," and gives it a lively reading, with Daneman joining in on some background burbling, he isn't much interested in the witty Coward. Rather, the recording has the air of a classical recital, with the singer in tuxedo standing before a grand piano. Coward is not anathema to such an approach, of course. Despite being of common birth and limited education (not to mention being a self-taught musician), he affected an upper class manner consistent with Bostridge's treatment of his music here; in fact, Coward himself recorded these songs in his own tenor and sometimes with similar piano accompaniment.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Coward the Composer, Quite Charming without the Camp, November 18, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: The Noël Coward Songbook (Audio CD)

I love this CD. I have a collection of Noel Coward performing his major songs, and I found it entertaining, but frankly I was never much drawn to it after the initial novelty wore off. I never really appreciated Coward as a composer because his campy persona and limited vocal talents got in the way. I bought this CD as a gift for a big Coward fan, and I am ashamed that I have not yet given it to him because I enjoy it so much. Bostridge is a really fine tenor. The beauty and subtlety of his voice bring out the beauty of Coward's melodies and the wit of his lyrics without overwhelming them with a heavy and mannered "classical" style, which is the bane of most such "crossover" CDs. The CD is also beautifully recorded. Outstanding songs include "I Travel Alone," "Parisian Pierrot," "World Weary," and "A Room with a View." Bostridge also has just the right touch with the goofier songs like "Mad Dogs and Englishmen," "Something to do with Spring," and "Any Little Fish." I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys witty cabaret songs in general and Coward in particular. It really did give me a new and greater appreciation of Coward's considerable talents as a composer.

26 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars COWARD'S THEATRE SONGS, September 29, 2002

By 

MOVIE MAVEN (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Noël Coward Songbook (Audio CD)

Sometimes musical artists should NOT attempt cross-over albums. I am a huge fan of Jessye Norman, Leontyne Price and Joan Sutherland, but their ventures into "popular" music were, at best, misguided and, at worst, heavy-handed and pretentious. Although Ian Bostridge does not embarrass himself, there is no question that he should stick to more "serious" music and leave musical comedy to other singers.

The theatre songs of Noel Coward take a very different kind of approach than Bostridge gives them. They need an actor who happens to be singing. Except for a very few of the songs on this CD (written by Coward for operettas instead of musical comedies) Bostridge's approach is absolutely without any character. All of these numbers are impeccably sung by Bostridge, but none of them are ever really acted. Coward's songs MUST be acted whether they were written in a comic or sentimental vein. The result is another misfired cross-over album in what otherwise is a splendid career.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting in many ways, June 15, 2008

By 

Dino Starcevic Rivera (San José, Costa Rica) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Noël Coward Songbook (Audio CD)

I bought this CD after reading the reviews, asking if it is a wise choice. I love Ian Bostridge art, intelligent artist, great singer; I admire Noël Coward works, intelligent, caustic. But I was not sure of the mix of both.
After hearing it, I still have mixed opinions but I like it. Bostridge singing is, as usual, pristine,and his approach (as he pointed out on the album notes) is probably closer to Weill than Coward. Don't know if that is a right choice but it is valid as an artistic proposal.
Also, in this kind of albums I always miss the orchestral support. Jeffrey Tate sounds good at the piano, but a little weak given the fact that this is music for the stage.
Anyway, the album is good because it is not common to find the work of people like Coward. Also pay attention to Sophie Daneman's interventions, a beautiful voice that deserves more.