1. Carousel Waltz - The Orchestra 2. Mister Snow - Sarah Brightman, Barbara Cook 3. If I Loved You - Barbara Cook, Samuel Ramey 4. June Is Bustin' Out All Over - Sarah Brightman, Maureen Forrester 5. Mister Snow (Reprise) - Sarah Brightman, , David Rendall 6. When the Children Are Asleep - Sarah Brightman, David Rendall 7. Blow High, Blow Low - John Parry, Samuel Ramey 8. Soliloquy - Samuel Ramey 9. Real Nice Clambake - Sarah Brightman, Barbara Cook, Maureen Forrester, David Rendall 10. Geraniums in the Winder - David Rendall 11. Stonecutters Cut It on Stone - John Parry, David Rendall, West End Concert Orchestra 12. What's the Use of Wond'rin' - Barbara Cook 13. You'll Never Walk Alone - Barbara Cook, Maureen Forester 14. Highest Judge of All - Samuel Ramey 15. If I Loved You (Reprise) - Samuel Ramey 16. You'll Never Walk Alone (Reprise) - Barbara Cook, Samuel Ramey, Chorus
not the best "Carousel", but certainly not the worst, either Submitted on: 2006-07-14
This 1987 studio cast recording of CAROUSEL may not seem to be an essential purchase, given the fact that many superior recordings are available for this score (among them the 1945 OBC, the film soundtrack and the 1993 London revival), nevertheless the cast assembled for this version is superb and the complete score, sans the ballet, is here.
Barbara Cook and Samuel Ramey headline the recording as Julie Jordan and Billy Bigelow. Ramey is an obvious fit for Billy, and as such sings the heck out of "Soliloquy" and "The Highest Judge of All". Barbara Cook is a lovely - albeit a trifle matronly - Julie (she had previously starred on stage as Julie in 1957). While she hardly comes across as the young and uncorrupted heroine of CAROUSEL, her voice is amazing and she completely devastates with her rendition of "What's the Use of Wond'rin". Most importantly, this recording includes the complete Bench Scene that leads straight into "If I Loved You".
Sarah Brightman, still riding high on her success in "Phantom of the Opera", is a vibrant and appealing Carrie, ideally partnered by David Rendall as Mr Snow. Veteran opera star Maureen Forrester is a great presence as Nettie and "You'll Never Walk Alone" is delivered handsomely.
As you would expect from musical director Paul Gemignani, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the quality of the recording is exceptional. Richard Rodgers would be proud.
Marvellous Ramey Submitted on: 2006-03-28
I loved the blend of Barbara Cook and Samuel Ramey, and in my opinion, the version of "If I Loved You" is far and away the best version of this song that I have heard, especially the magnificent voice of Ramey, and was the main reason for trying to buy this CD for a number of years. It was interesting to listen to the differences between this and the movie soundtrack, even the extended CD version which I recently purchased to replace my worn out LP. It was also interesting to hear Sarah Brightman at what must hve been close to the start of her career. To my mind, the missing of the ballet is a plus, since a ballet should be seen as well as heard to be appreciated. All in all I have no quarms about recomending this CD to anyone whos loves musicals.
OMG! This is terrible! Submitted on: 2005-06-20
Don't believe my high rating for how fun it is to listen to. It only got it because Sarah Brightman's magical voice is in it. The sound quality is awful, and the stars are totally blah. Of course, the songs themselves rock! Just see the movie, with the true geniuses Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae.
Great moments in OK overall result Submitted on: 2001-09-04
This ambitious recording is a success in many respects. At last, EVERY song is included, is ultra-complete. The "If I Loved You" runs nearly 13 full minutes, the longest version ever, and it is a revelation hearing it as such. Nothing is left out: what took so long to do it this way? Sonically, the recording is superb.
There are moments no other recording can boast as this one does. The "June Is Bustin' Out all Over" is just glorious: the choral and solo singing just bursts with crackling exuberance and effervescent joy: it is by far the best and most fully realized account I've ever heard anywhere. It must be noted that the choral work is simply outstanding - after all, it is the Ambrosian Singers. The final refrain of "You'll Never Walk Alone" achieves a true majestic splendor, and the resulting emotional pull is fantastic. Paul Gemignani presents the most orchestrally lush account of the score, but I don't care for some of the noisy re-orchestration - too overloaded at some points.
Barbara Cook sounds amazingly fresh, even youthful in a way, in 1987, but still, she is a shadow of her former, wonderful self - and that is not a welcome prospect. Her voice has lost its tonal center, and its pristine quality is slightly compromised by the passage of time. "If I Loved You", quietly, tenderly sung, holds great promise, but the higher regions causes Cook's voice to spread out and harden. The same holds true for "What's the Use of Wondrin", also otherwise sung with delicate poignancy. I wish ardently that Cook had been captured years ago on record (or was she??) However, her sagacious musicianship pulls her through, and I still prefer her to many of the other recorded Julies. (BTW the women's choral contribution in "What's the Use of Wondrin" is substituted by an orchestral bridge)
Samuel Ramey is by far, the richest voice for Billy on any recording. There are some marvelous compensations, notably an "If I Loved You" that is slowly drawn, and filled out expansively like no other - it is really quite gorgeous. On the other hand, the question is whether a bass-baritone is right for Billy Bigelow. Perhaps, for some, they like that vibrant richness, which definitely conveys an unmistakably older man, but I'm not convinced. Raitt's lean, firm tone of 1945 and MacRae still sound the most correct to me. Ramey's "Soliloquy" is again full-voiced - but it is also too stolid, not light-hearted or nimble enough, and definitely lacking a smile in the tone and characterization. Plus, the higher parts of the score are a real stretch at times. The reprise of "If I Loved You," so rapturously sung by MacRae, is not comfortable for Ramey at all.
Surprise - Sarah Brightman may actually be the best Carrie on record. No other Carrie is so precise in musical values, with the manner confidently deployed, the characterization snappy, alert and fresh. Her tone is suitably tangy, bright and open. For once she is entirely within her realm as a character actress instead of the leading lady she feinted to be. Also, most remarkably, British Brightman impersonates a perfect American accent. Brightman really boosts the energy level throughout the recording: listen to her sassy, lightning-quick contribution at the beginning of "June," where she is bitingly brisk and edgy. This is a Carrie with spunk and personality - no twit, she. I can't tell if David Rendall is exaggerating his vibrato to characterize his Enoch Snow; it certainly works in making him a little stuffy, but it is a little annoying too. It mars the duet with Carrie, but his solo "Geraniums" number is properly mournful.
Maureen Forrester, one of my favorite singers and a truly great artist, rises to the occasion in "June Is Bustin' Out All Over," yet in "You'll Never Walk Alone", despite the rich tone and sympathetic phrasing, the voice is not under complete control.
Well conceived but lacklustre recording of the classic show Submitted on: 2001-04-20
Coming in the wake of a trend to re-record Broadway shows with operatic stars, this was a half and half venture. Samuel Ramey from opera and Barbara Cook from a Broadway career and cabaret. Gemignani as conductor doesn't seem to have a grip on the material. Some of the conducting and choral work are slow and/or sluggish. The CAROUSEL WALTZ wheezes and jerks in fits and starts - the GERANIUMS/STONECUTTERS number is snail-paced with many embarrassing gaps of silent - no pace at all. The casting is not good - Ms. Cook is too old for the role and seems to approach the material as if it were a first rehearsal. There is no attempt to "act" Julie - she simply reads through her lines and vocal performances with no characterization. Mr. Ramey is far to self-assured in his bass/baritone to convince as Billy. The latter was a braggart but far from self-assured. Mr. Ramey has no vulnerability in the role. Also like most opera stars he can't read a dialogue line to save his life. Why is it these masters at the vocal line have no idea how to accent a normal line of stage dialogue? Maureen Forester huffs and puffs with shortness of breath, trying to complete her lines and is a poor Nettie. Only Sarah Brightman shines as Carrie - she is vivacious and full of life.
The good thing about this recording was that at 69:04 minutes (even on LP) it was (with the exception of the ballet) the most complete recording ever made at its release. We have the entire IF I LOVED YOU scene, Carrie's dismissal of the men at the beginning of JUNE, including that sprightly musical bridge repeated in the BALLET, the MR. SNOW reprise, Carrie's own intro line to her chorus of WHEN THE CHILDREN ARE ASLEEP, GERANIUMS IN THE WINDER and the end dialogue in the finale with Cook's voice entering the chorus after she hears Billy's words.
So although this is flawed it did represent an advance over other recordings simply in terms of the amount of music included. Now that the nineties London and Broadway revival albums have also provided all of this material, the Cook-Ramey collection moves to a lower place on the list.
Of the six recordings available on CD this is my preference of quality in descending order, number one being the best:
1. Film Soundtrack 2. Nineties London revival 3. Original Cast Album 4. Cook/Ramey 5. Nineties Broadway revival 6. Lincoln Center revival
not the best "Carousel", but certainly not the worst, either
Marvellous Ramey
OMG! This is terrible!