Pacific Overtures (2004 Broadway Revival Cast)

Stephen Sondheim (Artist), B.D. Wong (Artist), Scott Watanabe (Artist)

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: P.S. Classics
• ASIN: B0009299J2
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #142,589 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Pacific Overtures opened on Broadway in 1976. It didn't do that well, but neither did it completely flop--quite a feat considering it's one of Stephen Sondheim's hardest-to-penetrate musicals. Set in the mid-19th century, the show describes the arrival of Americans in Japan and their influence on that country. Sondheim said he wanted to keep the lyrics simple, so they're haiku-like, with few rhymes. Meanwhile, the music gets increasingly Westernized as the show progresses, to underscore the progressive Westernization of Japan. This revival was performed in Japanese at the 2002 Lincoln Center Festival, before being adapted for an English-speaking Broadway opening with an Asian-American cast. The small orchestra does justice to the score, although one may wish for echoes of the original production's fuller arrangements. Toward the end of the CD, two consecutive tracks neatly show up Sondheim's versatility. The comic "Please Hello" features American, British, Dutch, Russian, and French admirals, and Sondheim subtly honors each country's tradition as each admiral takes his turn (if only the cast's accents were as good). The song segues into the somber "A Bowler Hat," in which the Westernization of Kayama (Michael K. Lee) is examplified by his owning a bowler hat. (B.D. Wong shows his customary assurance as the Reciter.) Narratively speaking, the song may well be among Sondheim's best. The CD ends with a 1975 demo recording of Sondheim and director Harold Prince performing the cut number "Prayers." --Elisabeth Vincentelli

Other Recent Sondheim Releases

The Frogs (2004 Cast)	Sondheim Sings (vol. 1)	Assassins (2004 Cast)
Sweeney Todd (DVD)	Bounce	Mostly Sondheim (DVD), Barbara Cook

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece that deserves better., May 10, 2005

By	Baron Saturday (Santa Cruz, CA) - See all my reviews

"Pacific Overtures", Sondheim and Weidman's epic masterpiece, has always deserved to be appreciated, and the recent revival certainly had potential to finally be praised by critics and enjoyed by audiences. Unfortunately, as this recording shows, the limits of the production makes one wish for more.

Sondheim's beautiful and complex score is watered down in order to be performed by an extremely small orchestra (only 11 musicians), causing this recording to pale in comparison to the original cast recording. While the cast is excellent (B.D. Wong's voice is excellent and he does a great job as the Reciter), often performing far better than the original, the instrumentation does not even come close to the lush and textured performance of the original. The pulsing and tense percussion and strings of "Four Black Dragons" is now played by a piano, which simply cannot capture what I believe to be Sondheim and Tunick's original intentions.

Even so, this CD is a must for any Sondheim fan. The songs are incredible, almost all of which have a distinct Japanese feel despite being very accessible. The CD, like the recent recording of the revival of "Assassins", is more complete than the original cast recording, and includes the lovely song "Prayers" as a Bonus track as well as some dialogue to better connect the songs.

"Pacific Overtures" is a masterpiece, to be sure, but one that needs a far better recording.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have recording of a Sondheim masterpiece, June 8, 2005

By	Steven Valenti "svclue" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

"Pacific Overtures" just may be Stephen Sondheim's best score, after "Sweeney Todd." He hits a bullseye with every song, and at least three of them-- "Chrysanthemum Tea," "Someone in a Tree," and "A Bowler Hat" are surely among his finest achievements ever. In their dramatic impact, evocative melodies, and meticulous lyrics, these three are standouts in what is really a score chock-full of standouts.

Even for a composer known for unlikely subject matter, "Pacific Overtures" ranks as one of Sondheim's most original and daring scores. In conveying the westernization of Japan, from the nineteenth century to present day, his music contains a lot of Asian influences, gradually growing more and more western-sounding as it goes on. The narrative is nontraditional, featuring a Reciter and a series of vignettes that convey a sense of history and the impact of cultures clashing. The result is one of the most unique musicals you'll find. To me, Sondheim is at his best when he writes scores like this-- totally removed from the upper-class angst and showbiz razzle-dazzle of his more celebrated shows.

This recording is of the Broadway revival, so comparisons to the original recording are inevitable. One thing to note right away: the orchestra here is a lot smaller than the original. That's not such a bad thing. The lush sound is certainly nice on the original, but for the most part, this one comes across perfectly fine. In fact, I'm not sure a huge orchestra is necessarily needed for this musical-- the orchestrator, Jonathan Tunick, who also did the original orchestrations, has done a great job of creating new and effective orchestrations for a smaller number of players. At times, there's an added emphasis placed on just a few instruments, and the spareness actually makes the Asian sounds even more prominent. It feels perfect for a show that depends much upon the oral tradition of storytelling.

In other ways, this recording more clearly improves on the original. First, it's significantly longer, and contains more dialogue and transitional material that makes it flow a lot better. Second, the quality of the performers is better overall. Headed by B.D. Wong as the Reciter, the singing and level of performance on this recording is strong. On the original, some of the singing seemed off-- sort of flat and lifeless. Here, the singing comes across with more precision, and it really makes Sondheim's music shine. There are also a lot of little improvements that I think were good choices: additional women performers, tempos sped up a bit here and there, updated lyrics on "Next," a much-needed reference to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other little details, like an added presence of the figures surrounding the Shogun in "Chrysanthemum Tea." All these particulars make this recording of "Pacific Overtures" a must-have for any musical fan, whether you have the original recording or not.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Interesting but Troubled Adaptation of a Fascinating Show, July 14, 2005

By	Steven Nydick "Quant Psych Grad Student" (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I love this show; it's incredibly unusual. Sondheim generally uses his score to enhance or support the plot and meditative idea that his shows surround. In Sweeney Todd, Sondheim played with the Dies Ire harking back to horror and death and revenge; in Assassins, Sondheim had the infamous killers singing an assortment (pastiche) of American songs, representing the time and style of music performed during each of their lives; in Sunday in the Park with George, Sondheim used little parts of melodies for different pieces of the painting, which all came together for the grand, luscious finale of each act. Similarly, in Pacific Overtures, Sondheim tried to take an Eastern approach to melody and lyrics at the beginning of the show (the first several songs lack many romanticized words) while transforming the melodies into an assortment of western styles by shows end (along with many romanticized words). This has the effect of giving the audience a pristine, almost elysian, feeling of a secluded culture that becomes taken over, both in actual dialogue and musical style, by a western influence.

This particular recording (as well as the version of the show, which I saw last December) works in some areas and fails in some areas. The orchestrations are severely lacking, using a lesser number of instrumentalists, which works for the beginning of the show but should probably be changed by shows end. Instead of western, romantic orchestrations surrounding "Please Hello" and "Pretty Lady," we have a similar number of musicians to "Chrysanthemum Tea" and "Four Black Dragons," which, I don't think, supports the idea of the music; conversely, the original recording had enough musicians for the last several songs but probably had too many at the beginning of the show.

Second, the acting, or singing excelled in certain songs and crumbled in others. The best parts of the show came during "Welcome to Kanagawa," which had more humor than the original, and "Pretty Lady," which captured the pathos (of both the soldiers and the girl; still, it's the prettiest song about prostitution that has ever been written) better than the original. However, what just about ruined this recording to me was the verbal destroying of one of my favorite lyrical songs in the entire show, "Please Hello." The person who performed the British Admiral botched many of his lines while singing in a semi-slandered British Accent.

Overall, unless you can get your hands on the English National Opera doing most of the book and score, I would recommend this CD because it encapsulates the closest feeling to the show and understanding of the show without actually having the fortunate ability to see the show. Similar to the PS classics Assassins album, they include a marvelous booklet, and several transitional scenes, along with more in-scene dialogue than the original cast recording. However, I would not take this recording anywhere near definitive, and if the idea of the show strikes you as interesting or worth pondering further, I would listen to several more recordings, hopefully see a production or two, and/or buy the libretto so I could interpret the show my own way.