Street Scene (1989 English National Opera Cast) [Cast Recording]

Kurt Weill (Composer), English National Opera Chorus & Orchestra (Orchestra), English National Opera Orchestra (Orchestra), Catherine Zeta Jones (Performer), Angela Hickey (Performer), Antony Rich (Performer), Arwel Huw Morgan (Performer), Ben Craze (Performer), Berin Mehmet (Performer), Blythe Duff (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Catherine Zeta Jones, Angela Hickey, Antony Rich, Arwel Huw Morgan, Ben Craze, et al.
• Orchestra: English National Opera Chorus & Orchestra, English National Opera Orchestra
• Composer: Kurt Weill
• Audio CD (October 29, 1996)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Jay Records
• ASIN: B000005BGJ
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,078 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Act 1: Introduction

2. Act 1: Ain't it awful, the heat?

3. Act 1: I've got a marble and a star / Scene

4. Act 1: Get a load of that/scene - English National Opera Orchestra

5. Act 1: When a woman has a baby

6. Act 1: Scene / She shouldn't be staying out nights

7. Act 1: Somehow I never could believe

8. Act 1: Scene / Get a load of that! / Scene

9. Act 1: Ice cream sextet / Scene

10. Act 1: Let things be like they always was / Scene

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Street Scene, opera: Act 1: Scene / Come on - English National Opera Orchestra

2. Street Scene, opera: Act 1: Remember that I care - English National Opera Orchestra

3. Act 1: Scene / Come on

4. Street Scene, opera: Act 2: Introduction / Catch me if you can / Scene - English National Opera Orchestra

5. Act 1: Remember that I care

6. Act 2: Scene / There'll be trouble

7. Act 2: A boy like you / Scene

8. Act 2: The woman who lived up there

9. Act 2: Finale - I loved her too

10. Act 2: Finale - Ain't it awful, the heat?

See all 24 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Definitive Recording of an overlooked classic, January 28, 2000

By 

"path31783" (NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Street Scene (1989 English National Opera Cast) (Audio CD)

I can't help wondering why Street Scene is not listed among all the other 40's-50's Broadway shows. It was, quite simply, the first work of operatic bredth produced on a Broadway stage. The sheer musical richness of Weill's score is truly stunning; he manages to sustain musical interest over the entire show. I can say without hyperbole that the score is comparable to Porgy and Bess. Weill ranges from spooky psychological songs (like Lonely House) to pseudo-"Broadway" numbers (like Wrapped in a Ribbon), to mock opera (the hilarious ice cream sextet, which some call Weill's thank-you to America), to real opera (like Anne's Aria), to jitterbug, swing, blues, chorales, on and on. The only real problem with the score is the lyrics: Langston Hughes (whose praises as a poet hardly need to be sung by little me) proves to be a terrible lyricist, and his (and Elmer Rice's) prosaic, mis-accented, occasionally non-sensical words often impale the music. Also, Rice's basic story (which one can follow fully on this CD; every line of dialogue is here) is hokey, and attenuated in the extreme. Still, the score is wonderful. This recording is the definitive version, and not only because its the only one that preserves the whole score. The cast is generally excellent (although some of the singers, especially the ingenue-if you can call it that-couple, are jarringly old for their parts; and as opera singers they cant all really be expected to give fully-fleshed performances.) The orchestra is lush and full (although i must quibble on one point - for some reason every song keeps the beat with a high-hat, which is awfully inappropriate at times.) All in all, this recording is an excellent buy, a great (if not perfect) recording of a treasure of the musical theater.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ah, the nostalgic memories..., July 26, 2004

By 

SirTheory - See all my reviews

This review is from: Street Scene (1989 English National Opera Cast) (Audio CD)

Quite a few years back I played the part of Charlie Hildebrand for the LOC's performaces at the Fulton Opera House. After those shows, I followed my phillosophy on not looking back at the past, so the shows faded from mind fairly quickly.

Fast forward to 2004. I become reminded of Street Scene thanks to another mention of Weill and put it upon myself to look up "Street Scene" on cd. No store carried it locally, but got a copy through special order.

The performace and recording is top notch. And Charlie is still my favorite character, for obvious reasons. Street Scene is probably one of the greatest overlooked operas around.

Four stars for the cd set, one star for nostalgia.

2 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars interesting..., December 16, 2001

By 

Laura (Syosset, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Street Scene (1989 English National Opera Cast) (Audio CD)

I never realized what singing talent Catherine Zeta Jones had until I heard her on this CD!! Right after I went on [another internet retailer] and bought some of her other CDs! ((By the way, Amazon.com employees, you should sell her other CDs here)) :) The other songs are good too.