Customer Reviews

Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall

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

 

 

This is a great CD and I'd still encourage every Bernadette Peters (and Stephen Sondheim) fan to buy it.
But for some reason, the song "Making Love Alone" is no longer included. It was there on the first pressing, but somehow it's disappeared! It's a song about, well....masturbation, and it was written especially for Bernadette when she hosted Saturday Night Live. Needless to say, she sings it incomparably (for some reason, the song also never seems to have been published in sheet music form).
So, if you've been looking forward to hearing Brenadette sing this song, know that the current issue of this CD does not include it.
Perhaps if enough of us complain to Angel/EMI, this situation will be rectified...

Bernadette Peters is probably the best (and most famous) actress on Broadway today. She deserves every ounce of her reputation.

This CD is a fantastic recording of her sold-out concert. The songs are interspersed with amusing stories -- Bernadette Peters is the consummate performer. With her classic breathy-yet-full tonal quality, she gives new life to these songs. From her coy rendering of "Broadway Baby" to the Ethel-Merman-worthy version of "Some People" to the somewhat bawdy "Making Love Alone" (not listed in the track listing for some reason), Bernadette Peters is in top form. It's really a treat to listen to her.

All of the songs on this CD are enjoyable. But, it is when one of Broadway's best singers takes on Broadway's best composer that the CD becomes really stunning. She performs some of Sondheim's best songs, from "Sweeney Todd," "Into the Woods," "Sunday in the Park with George," "Company" and even the movie "Dick Tracy." The highlight for me has to be her performance of one of my favorite Sondheim songs: Being Alive.

This CD is excellent from opening to closing rounds of applause.

Bernadette Peters at her very best! She is an incredible performer and this CD ranks up there with other career defining live recordings by Lena Horne, Judy Garland and Shirley Bassey. Peters really comes alive when interpreting the sublime compositions of Stephen Sondheim. She gives vibrant readings of "Some People", "Being Alive" and "Move On". She really shines on the 'Into The Woods' material: "No One Is Alone" is heartbreaking and her medley of "Hello Little Girl" and "Any Moment" is masterful. However, her breathtaking "Johanna" is alone worth the price of the CD. I got this CD in summer of 1998 and it has not left my CD player since. Superb!!!!

i think i have every recording of ms. peters from "dames at sea" on. finally, a recording that approximates the fantastic experience of seeing her live. i was at this gmhc benefit concert at carnegie hall and the only thing missing from this recording are a few of her numbers (unexpected song from "song and dance") and the sweet personalized christmas ornaments she handed out to everyone at the end of the performance. as a nice companion to this cd, you should get the video of the same program done in england a year or so later.

Whether you're buying to support the fabulous GMHC or because you're a Sondheim fan or because you simply love Bernadette, you won't be sorry. Bernadette is in true form here cavorting with the audience, letting that infectious little laugh be heard more than once, and delivering her best. It's live; it's one on one; it's worth it. From her explosive "Broadway Baby" to her hair-raising "Being Alive," the sexy redhead sings her heart out. She can do so because she obviously loves what she's doing, and she obviously loves this material. Peters and Sondheim go together like "hand in glove." She handles his work beautifully and honestly (note especially "Sooner or Later" and "Johanna"). The audience is very much a part of the show. They are not overly loud or distracting as can be the case on other live albums. Bernadette loves her audience, and they return that love full-force. Their presence is just right here. This is a wonderful CD that is energetic almost 100% through, and a portion of the proceeds goes to a fabulous cause. Give it a try; you won't regret it.

miss Peters delivers an incredible tour de force with some superbe material her voice is flawless to the last note, she'll make you cry ,laugh and give you as many goose bumps as her gown has sequins. a gem.....

I don't usually care much for out of context "personal interpretations" of songs from musicals. I don't hate those, it's just that they don't interrest me much. This is an exception.

Most of the SJS songs Bernadette Peters sings on this album are either definitive versions, or when they are too different from how they were written, they are at least handled with such skill that it doesn't matter to a SJS purist like me.

My advice is to get the actual cast recordings first, to experience the songs in their real context, then expand the collection with this incredibly good album.

This by far is my favorite CD in my collection. I am a big Broadway fan, and Peters just launches all of the songs with her moving voice and jazzy style. If you want a CD that really full fills your every musical need, whether it's jazz, pop, comical, or just plain entertaining, this'll do it for you. Bernadette Peters' voice completely takes you in and moves you to the point of complete bliss. If you're looking for that special CD that keeps you singing, this is the one!

Bernadette Peters and the music of Stephen Sondheim is the greatest teaming ever! Bernadette is at her very best and this CD is able to show it all! There has never been a Broadway actress who can take a song like "Being Alive" and make someone cry, then turn right around and sing a song like "Making Love Alone" and create such hysteria that you fall out of your chair! Bernadette is the greatest!

If I was allowed to own only one Bernadette Peters CD, this would be the one. She sounds wonderful, and what she does with all the songs is priceless. This CD is a must-have.