Nightingale: A New Musical - Original (1985) London Cast [CAST RECORDING]

Sarah Brightman, Gordon Sandison, Grant Smith, Susannah Fellows, Andrew Shore, Bruce Ogston, Charles Strouse

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 10, 1999)
• Original Release Date: August 10, 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Jay Records
• ASIN: B00000JT5X
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #163,063 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Based on a Hans Christian Andersen tale, Nightingale tells the story of a bird who sings so beautifully she becomes the prized possession of a Chinese emperor. (It's sort of a cross between Stephen Schwartz's "Meadowlark" and Pacific Overtures, Stephen Sondheim's more serious presentation of Japan.) When the emperor receives a mechanical bird, however, he forgets the nightingale, until the mechanical one breaks down and he realizes his mistake. This release is a remastered and expanded reissue of the 1983 London cast recording, clocking in at a generous 79 minutes. The quasi-operatic score features a number of catchy if unremarkable tunes by Charles Strouse (who also provided lyrics, which he did not do for Annie and Bye, Bye Birdie). Clearly, though, the chief attraction here is the casting of a 22-year-old Sarah Brightman in the title role, before she became Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber. Her character appears for less than half the CD, but fans will certainly enjoy hearing Brightman play a soaring, high-trilling bird. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For me, a Spiritual Experience, January 17, 2001

By	Paul B. Rucker (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews

In spite of Andrew Lloyd Weber (whose music I do not care for-- "musical tantrums" I call it) and his PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, which brought Sarah Brightman to the public eye over ten years ago, it is possible I would not know today who Sarah is but for THE NIGHTINGALE, which my father gave me on LP the Christmas before he died. I must be honest -- my five-star rating is given on account of the LP, which left off some of the songs that I confess I find dopey and childish, and presented a shorter but much more emotionally emphatic experience. Strouse, the composer and libretticist, has modified the Anderson story so that the Maid in the tale becomes an adult who falls in love with the Emperor. As Strouse himself has explained, all of the major figures in the story are allegorical, and the Nightingale's song ("Who Are These People", etc.) represents Beauty-- the life force, cosmic joy. It is true that Sarah's voice is younger and less perfected but for me this lends it special charm-- it is often the flaws in beauty that give it warmth. In the fine tradition of English choral singing the entire production is flawless. If, as I do, you regard the human voice as the supreme instrument, you cannot fail to be charmed. Why do I call this a spiritual experience-- many reasons. For one, Strouse has re-configured the tale as a kind of parable of separation and unity-- the people begin by singing "Perfect Harmony"-- a song about the heirarchy of power. Through the alchemical transformation that occurs to the Emperor, and his anima figure, the Maid, through confronting Death and defeating it through the Nightingale's song, the people are unified in a great chorus at the end: "We are China". The confrontation with Death occurs in a four-part song ("Death Duet") that I actually played over my father's body just hours after he died-- I never had the chance to play this album for him. I also met Sarah in person briefly and told her about playing this song for him. Back in 1990 she sang in San Francisco (where I was then living) in a theater on the corner of my block! Imagine that! So I shelled out $50 to sit through a bunch of Lloyd Weber stuff just for the chance to meet her and have her sign my NIGHTINGALE LP. When she first saw it, she exclaimed, "Oh, that's a rarity!" and gave me a big unusual signature (the "a" in her surname on its side, etc.) To be honest, I think I overwhelmed her a bit with my enthusiasm but nevertheless I have followed her career ever since. I am more fond of the obscure music she does and not so much of pseudo-opera or generic show tunes. I also believe that her quest for vocal perfection has erased some of the warmth her voice used to have, which you can certainly hear on THE NIGHTINGALE. Who knows how long this might be available? My advice-- buy it.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Musical That Could Be Better, June 13, 2002

By	siege_b (Queensland, Australia) - See all my reviews

I bought this CD without listening to any samples, purely on the basis of Charles Strouse's well deserved reputation. That might not have been the best decision I've ever made, even if it wasn't exactly a bad one. The musical is okay, but it could be better. Even songs like "Who are these people" and "We are China", which are the best songs on this recording, aren't the best songs in Strouse's collection. You get the feeling he was aiming for a 1980's answer to the Mikado, in that the musical feels something like a cross between comic operetta, Chinese opera and the sort of jazzy book musicals that Strouse does so well... but it's flawed. Once you've listened to it a couple of times it's quite pleasant, but I can see why it wasn't a huge success on stage. Strouse has done an excellent job of immitating the feel and phrasing of Chinese Opera, which is actually working against him here. Chinese Opera is an acquired taste among Western audiences, and it can be disconcerting when a song starts building into one of the jazzy numbers that Strouse is famous for, only to suddenly shift into a more Eastern style tonal change. Once you've heard it a couple of times and you expect it, it's quite nice, but if you were seeing it on stage for the first time it would be slightly off putting. It's very clever, and well done in a way, but there aren't any songs that the average Joe could sing in the shower - if you know what I mean? I had the feeling throughout the record that it would have been a brilliant musical if he revised it a couple more times, as it is, it's okay. If you're a die-hard Strouse fan, buy it; if you've listened to Chinese music before and you have some idea of what to expect from the phrasing, go for it; if you're willing to listen to it at least twice and let it grow on you, don't hesistate... but if you want the kind of musical you can get into instantly and can sing in the car on the way to work, you might want to go for one of Strouse's other works (anything he's written with Lee Adams is gold). Try to listen to it first so you know what to expect.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful score, wonderful performances, April 26, 2000

By	Jeremie Petit (Nice, France) - See all my reviews

This recording rapidly became one of my prefered. I love all the performances, which are *all* fantastic. I love the score, which is very consistent, and nicely leads the listener from the beginning to the end. The music is sometimes sounding strangely but always right. I think Charles Strouse's Chinese music is very nice and very near from that 'perfect harmony' Chinese ideal. The tale itself is very pretty, and very well adapted to musical theatre.