Only Heaven: A Musical Work by Ricky Ian Gordon Based on the Poetry of Langston Hughes

Darius de Haas, Ricky Ian Gordon, Langston Hughes

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 1, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: P.S. Classics
• ASIN: B00006IT5U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #240,177 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Fans of Ricky Ian Gordon's collection of songs Bright Eyed Joy have already sampled eight songs from Only Heaven and will find even more to enjoy on this complete, 74-minute recording of the song cycle. Though Gordon is considered a rising star of American musical theater, Only Heaven is not a musical. But it is a stage work, 29 songs set to the writings of Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes (texts are included), and realized by seven singers, dancers, and a handful of instruments (including Gordon at the piano). While we can't pick up what the live audience at the Dayton Art Institute in February 2002 is laughing at, we can enjoy the songs, sharp and dissonant at times but also meltingly beautiful, powerfully sung, and building to a strong climax. Hughes's jazzy verse works well with Gordon's frequently jazzy music, especially when it's sung by Darius de Haas. A distinctly American work. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a moving, powerful surprise, October 3, 2002

By	"ag35466" (Providence, RI) - See all my reviews

I didn't think much of Gordon's last album, Bright-Eyed Joy, so I wasn't sure I'd stick around for more than a few tracks of this one. But I did, and found much to enjoy. This CD has all the variety that that one lacked, and as a piece of music theater, it builds to a powerful conclusion. The last five or six tracks -- which move from oppression and despair to violence and death -- are incredibly strong, yet the final moments ascend to such lyric heights that the effect is almost exultant. Along the way, it was the tender songs that stayed with me most: "Kid in the Park," a poignant look at urban isolation; "Stars," a soaring lullaby; and "Love Song for Antonia," the gentlest of unrequited love songs. All of the performers are excellent, and to my surprise, Jonita Lattimore's rendition of "Song for a Dark Girl" blows Audra McDonald's recorded performance out of the water. The Langston Hughes texts, nicely presented in the CD booklet, remind one how much this brilliant writer was able to say in a few lines of poetry; indeed, one of the CD's most affecting moments is a brief, underscored ode to lost friendship simply titled "Poem."

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding!, June 20, 2003

By	Ian Lincoln (Dayton, Ohio) - See all my reviews

I was not in any way prepared for the power this recording has. It starts and grabs you and carrys you to levels of harrowing depth, tearing you to pieces by the end! It is not only the settings of Langston Hughes which Mr. Gordon has set so brilliantly, paying attention to every nuance and detail of the poems, but the riveting, totally committed performances which leap out from this live performance and wrap their hands around your throat. I only wish I were there at the actual event. The orchestrations seem to play a role all their own, from the plucking of the strings in "In Time Of Silver Rain," to the horrifying harmonics sizzling throughout "Song For A Dark Girl," which is maybe one of the most upsetting songs I have ever heard, and Jonita Lattimore couldn't possibly serve it better. The world is a better place with this recording in it. It will change your life. Buy it!!!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only Heaven SOARS, December 30, 2002

By	Stephen A. Lance "philadelphiastephen" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was a big Ricky Ian Gordon fan when I heard his song "I Never Knew" on the THE AID'S QUILT SONGBOOK and then even a bigger fan once I heard his songs on Audra McDonald's album WAY BACK TO PARADISE. Then I found BRIGHT EYED JOY and I became completely consumed by that lbum which pretty much had me running to every store to find ONLY HEAVEN. I was so intrigued by that album and I still am, because it takes the songs that he wrote from Langston Hughes poetry and creates a performance around them. I say a performance because its not a really a show and it's not really a concert. But there is one thing to say about it...that it's amazing and it really soars to Heaven.