Customer Reviews

Renee and Bryn: Under the Stars

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Bryn Terfel and Renee Fleming are two of the most acclaimed opera singers of our day. But the musical theatre fan who puts on their Broadway CD, RENEE AND BRYN: UNDER THE STARS, expecting to hear a carelessly compiled hodgepodge of songs sung by voices ill-suited to them is in for a big surprise, beginning with the first phrases of the duo's warmly sung "Not While I'm Around" from SWEENEY TODD. True, these singers' beautiful voices have greater power and range than even the best of the Broadway stars', but this is an asset in these songs, most of which are either semi-operatic in nature or call (like THE MUSIC MAN's "Seventy-Six Trombones") for such an outsize personality as Terfel's. Fleming's sensuous and tonally gorgeous rendition of "Moonfall" from THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD can be placed among her very finest recordings, operatic and otherwise. And Terfel is ideally suited to both "Pretty Women" from SWEENEY TODD and "Stars" from LES MISERABLES; few if any Broadway Javerts could match the impact of his "This I swear by the stars!" Kander and Ebb's "I Don't Remember You" and "Sometimes a Day Goes By" make a perfect medley here, as do Sondheim's "I Wish I Could Forget You" and "Loving You" from PASSION. And though I don't care for the Andrew Lloyd Webber selections (ersatz Puccini) or the Jason Robert Brown one (which sounds too much like a pop song), Terfel and Fleming's singing of them is beyond reproach. The program ends with a bang: a rendition of "Wheels of a Dream" worthy to stand beside the now-classic one by Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald on the original cast album of RAGTIME. Welshman Terfel's natural accent is noticeable here; but if one imagines him as, say, an Irish immigrant married to an African-American woman (as Fleming here sounds uncannily like McDonald or like Leontyne Price) his accent is appropriate and his voicing of the "bridge" section ("Oh Sarah, it's more than promises/Sarah, it must be true...") especially moving. Fleming's ecstatic final high note makes one want to applaud and cheer, both for the song and for the successful "crossover" effort.

Broadway Musicals are a secret passion of mine. And with Renee Fleming and Bryn Terfel we get a luxury cast for these hits. Terfel would be an amazing Javert if he ever chose to have a career as a musical-singer. (Not likely to happen) Fleming sounds beautiful as Christine but my fave is the duet from "The secret garden", a unison of two of the most exquisite voices ever recorded.

I was in Virgin Records in Times Square last night. In the classical department. They had this CD on one of the preview stands; you know, where you push a button and listen to one or more tracks from new releases on headphones. I picked up a set of headphones out of curiousity and punched a track number. I know these tunes. I know these voices (from opera recordings). But the combination is really something to listen to. Terfel is perfect. His diction and intonation are exemplary. Fleming is close to perfect. While she doesn't seem quite as comfortable as Terfel with the genre, her range is incredible. The vast majority of the singing on the disc is in the octave just above middle C, which is really low for a soprano who just released an album of bel canto arias. But she makes it work.

The arrangements might be considered schlock, but hey, it's broadway, not opera. Needless to say, I bought the recording. Highly recommended.

This is crossover how I like it. After hearing Fleming's really not good "Somewhere" I worried about this recording but her Christine and Fosca (Passion) swept all my doubts and fears away. Luscious, creamy with perfect diction and much involvement! WOW! Terfel sounds magnificent as Raoul!! If you love those two or if you're just a Musicalfan, this is the one to buy!

So captivating are these incredible singers in the glorious live concert "Under The Stars" creating an unforgettable musical masterpiece of epic proportions that is so moving and great to watch that I ran out and purchased this studio recorded Compact Disc the next day!! The brilliance of the live broadcast carried over into the recording studio capturing Renee and Bryn at the peak of their incredible powers emotionally and vocally making them the most effective crossover artists since the great Barbara Cook who like Miss Cook sing with emotion that is accurate for this type of material which is usually not the case with classical voices. Renee Fleming sings with genuine passion and stirring emotions and her timing is absolutely flawless and this lady has alot of soul and the Torrie Zito arranged "Moonfall" is a stunning masterpiece that clearly illustrates this. A dazzling medley each show both singers in glorious peak form with Bryn splendid in the enchanting "I Don't Remember You/Sometimes A Day Goes By" and Renee spellbinding and haunting in the gorgeous "I Wish I Could Forget You/Loving You" which will make anyone who loves a great voice fall in love with this amazingly gifted singer. "Stars" features a commanding performance from Bryn that raises the roof and this is so refreshing and inspired in these musically tired times!!! This superb showcase is full of wonderfully exciting performances which are capable of making people feel again and this is what is sorely needed in music today and BRAVO to Bryn Terfel and the gorgeous Renee Fleming for achieving this with complete artistic brilliance. Captivating duets fill this wonderous collection and never have classics such as "Not While I'm Around" or "All I Ask Of You" been sung more brilliantly than here. Renee is magical with "Hello, Young Lovers" while Bryn is commanding and winning with "Pretty Women". Renee's stunning "All The Wasted Time" is a vocal and emotional tour-de-force that is like a wild roller-coaster ride that you won't want to end as this is one of the most riveting songs that I have ever heard from a Broadway score and this certainly must be the definitive performance of this great song. This lady can really really sing and this is some deeply serious singing~WOW!!! Gorgeous together again in the beautiful "How Could I Ever Know" which is hair-raising and wonderfully soulful and sophisicated together in Cole Porter's "So In Love". A grand finale by these two awesome vocal wonders lives up to expectations being a complete blowout vocal festival and they definitely do not disappoint here!!! "Wheels Of A Dream" is mesmerizing and soars to magnificent heights with Bryn and Renee in peak form singing to the skies and hitting notes that I swear I have never heard before~BRAVO!!!!!!! You are both magically inspired and simply put as good as it gets!!!! Highly recommended if you love two awesome vocal wonders at their absolute peak in a magnificent beautifully orchestrated setting!!! Thank you Bryn & Renee...

While other reviewers disliked this album, after purchasing it it has quickly become one of my favorite cd's to play after a long day. Renee's voice and vocal techniques are perfect for the pieces on this album. Especially riveting is 'Moonfall' which is probably the best performance I've heard of this enchanting song. Renee is an opera singer, and thus her interpretations of these pieces is rather operatic. Listeners who enjoy Kiri te Kanawa's non-operatic music will adore this album.

The best part of this was the exploration of songs that often are rarely taken out of the context of the show. Fleming and Terfel are glorious in most all of them. Many opera singers that crossover are generally so heavy in the voice that you can't hear the words--you don't lose anything here. Never once did I have to look for the words.

I remember seeing The Mystery of Edwin Drood when it first appeared on Broadway and only prayed to hear it again with the voice it required. Haven't been this happy since Leontyne Price, Jan Peerce, Teresa Stratas and the glorious Eileen Farrell in their crossover albums. Nothing wrong with the crossover. I can only enjoy the care and love they put into each song.

After seeing Renee as Susanna at the Met, I wondered and I got my prayer's answered in this and I could only hope to see Bryn as Sweeney Todd some day.

And thank God for the glorious Paul Gemignani and his sense to bless these wonderful voices with an orchestral glove and still maintain the property of the character's intentions that is the essence of the "show".

No more Sarah Brightman, Charlotte Church, Josh Grobin, Sting, and other untrained voices trying to represent the world of opera... but two of the world's most beautiful and successful voices singing music way-too-often poorly done.

Bryn Terfel and Renée Fleming, two singers with world-class opera backgrounds, represent that which is textbook technique for any genre. They both sing beautifully and emotionally without the often-painful sound of vocal strain. Vocal strain is when the vocal folds are not allowed to vibrate properly by means of breath support, but instead, to makeup for the deficiency, singers entice other muscles in the larynx to do the work... leading to many career-ending injuries, such as that of Julie Andrews.

Renée Fleming does a wonderful job with the repertoire selected. It is unfortunate that in today's broadway-world almost all female leads are that of mezzo-sopranos who belt (extensive, or nearly exclusive use of chest voice/resonance)... almost entirely excluding singers with beautiful high lyric voices like that of Ms. Fleming. Ms. Fleming maneuvers the breaks between her low voice and higher voice better than anyone with knowledge of the soprano voice could expect. The voice fach difference does result in a much different sound than one usually experiences in broadway, but it's soft, sweet, astonishingly beautiful, and well acted.

As for Bryn Terfel, he is almost unanimously the best baritone on the face of the earth. His massive voice, sensitivity, and impeccable diction cannot be paralleled. I can only imagine how successful he would be taking the reins of a lead like Javert, his Stars is worth the CD alone. Mr. Terfel is at home with the operatic singing of 'Sweeney Todd' and likewise with classic shows like Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals and 'The Music Man' (shows written for operatic voices in the days before amplified sound). If you are a fan of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Bryn's 'Something Wonderful' is also a must buy.

Broadway is just the modern/popular trend of a long-standing tradition of musical theater, begun in Opera. The reason there is a supposed `technique' difference between opera and broadway is because of new voice-amplification technology. I think it is at times unfortunate that stage singing has taken the quality of pop-music instead of letting the true beauty of the full-voice sound. Please be wary of people's advice on opera that can only quote one `chestnut' opera aria like 'O mio babbino caro' from act-one of Puccini's 'Gianni Schicchi'. 'Under the Stars' is an excellent album for those who love good music.

Let me say right off that Renee Fleming is my very favorite singer, bar none, and I have also enjoyed some of Bryn Terfel's work. But not in this repertoire. Neither really has the right technique for Broadway music. I am especially fond of good cross-over singing. Perhaps the current champion is Dawn Upshaw, though Hampson and VonStade also have done some fine work in this area, as well as Eileen Farrell a generation ago. My favorite cross-over CD is "With You" by Roberta Alexander, which clearly is overdue for reissue. As for this CD, there are some nice moments, such as "All I Ask of You," Wheels of a Dream," and "How Could I Ever Know?" but at best they seem to acheive parity with the original-cast recordings. At worst, the selections can seem rather silly. Would anyone pay to see Bryn Terfel perform the role of Harold Hill? His rendition of "76 Trombones" has to be the worst mismatch between singer and song since Jerry Hadley recorded "Sit Down You're Rocking the Boat." Ms. Fleming often sounds as if she wandered into the wrong studio. Her missing the idiom of these songs is surprising in that more than any other major opera star, she has been noted for championing American opera. (I recommend her "I Want Magic" CD).

As for the repertoire, I sometimes wonder why classical singers are so anxious to wrench these songs out of context. As I recall, "So In Love" is a solo; why turn it into a duet here? They wouldn't sing "O Mio Babino Caro" as a duet. (On another album, Terfel illogically sings "Something Wonderful," whose words don't even make sense when a man sings them). The silliest alteration of all is Ms. Fleming's change in "Hello Young Lovers," where she begins "When I think of him" instead of "When I think of Tom" (the liner notes give the correct version). Does she think this makes the song more universal? Would she leave out her lover's name in "O Mio Babino Caro"?

I will no doubt listen to this recording several times, but I will make use of the skip button and will no doubt cringe quite a bit while listening. But it won't get as much play time as Ms. Fleming's wonderful opera CD's.

This CD is a must-have for any person interested in the singing art. Ms. Fleming and Mr. Terfel gives new light to these Musical Theatre classics. Their fine vocalism in the musical theatre genre coupled with the depth of musicality and dramatic phrasing in each of the selections is truly a breath of fresh air. This recording is indeed a Master Class!