Under the Stars
Fleming and Terfel in a recital that was a success live, but which proves disappointingly earthbound in the studio
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Richard Rodgers, Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Harold Kander, Cole (Albert) Porter, Gérard Presgurvic, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Jason Robert Brown, Stephen Flaherty, Lucy Simon, Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Meredith Willson, Rupert Holmes
Genre:
Vocal
Label: Decca
Magazine Review Date: 5/2003
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 66
Mastering:
Stereo
DDD
Catalogue Number: 473 250-2

Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Movement: Not While I'm Around |
Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Passion, Movement: I Wish I Could Forget You |
Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer
Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Renée Fleming, Soprano Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Passion, Movement: Loving You |
Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer
Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Renée Fleming, Soprano Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Movement: Pretty Women |
Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Paul Gemignani, Conductor Stephen (Joshua) Sondheim, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Mystery of Edwin Drood, Movement: Moonfall |
Rupert Holmes, Composer
Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Renée Fleming, Soprano Rupert Holmes, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Happy Time |
John Harold Kander, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone John Harold Kander, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Woman of the Year |
John Harold Kander, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone John Harold Kander, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
(The) Beautiful Game |
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Composer Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
(The) Phantom of the Opera, Movement: All I Ask of You |
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Composer
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Composer Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
(Les) Misérables, Movement: Stars |
Claude-Michel Schönberg, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Claude-Michel Schönberg, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
(The) King and I, Movement: Hello, Young Lovers |
Richard Rodgers, Composer
Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Richard Rodgers, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Roméo et Juliette |
Gérard Presgurvic, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Gérard Presgurvic, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Parade, Movement: All the wasted time |
Jason Robert Brown, Composer
Jason Robert Brown, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
(The) Music Man, Movement: Seventy-Six Trombones |
Meredith Willson, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Meredith Willson, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
(The) Secret Garden |
Lucy Simon, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Lucy Simon, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Kiss Me, Kate, Movement: So in Love Am I |
Cole (Albert) Porter, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Cole (Albert) Porter, Composer Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Ragtime |
Stephen Flaherty, Composer
Bryn Terfel, Bass-baritone Paul Gemignani, Conductor Renée Fleming, Soprano Stephen Flaherty, Composer Welsh National Opera Orchestra |
Author: Adrian Edwards
The arrangers must bear some of the responsibility for this, ironing out, for instance, the subtle rhythmic interchange between barcarolle and waltz in ‘Hello, Young Lovers’ into a featureless terrain. And why de-personalise Hammerstein’s lyric? You may recall that this is the song in which Anna, the governess in The King and I, remembers her late husband Tom, not ‘he’ and ‘him’. Many of the more recent songs are built in layers, with one climax following another in a desperate bid for significance. ‘All I ask of you’ is a pleasant exception in that respect but once again the arrangers can’t leave it alone, battering us with yet another reprise of the final bars.
The singers go along with this approach. Fleming throughout this collection tries too hard to inflect meaning into the lyrics, projecting them for more than their worth. Terfel at least gets one break donning his hat as ‘The Music Man’ in ‘Seventy-six trombones’ which he despatches with some flair. There is a mistimed edit on his initial entry on ‘All I ask of you’ which should have been redone. All in all, this is a sorry state of affairs.
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