Search - Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, George Dvorsky :: Brigadoon (Music Theatre Hour)

A Very Strong Contender For First Choice

T. Dissinger | Jacksonville, AL USA | 12/13/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Jay Records production (supposedly culled from a complete recording of the score that was never issued) can stand on it's own merits in a very tough field. Thought it is not as "complete" as the McGlinn set it manages to keep all the major numbers without burying the listener alive with dance music. It is nice to have the dances, but for the average listener they get a little tedious after awhile, no matter how good they are. As to the vocalists, there is no weak link in the bunch. The principals are just as strong as those on the McGlinn set and stronger than on the Jones/Cassidy set. The only cast that trumps them are the Tommy, Fiona and Charlie from the 1947 original cast recording. As to tempos and conducting, well, I grew up with the 1947 cast recording (in fake stereo of all things) so I am use to fairly fast tempos. The McGlinn tempos are almost lethargic in comparison. This one is almost dead in the middle between the two. Fast but not so fast that it feels rushed. And just a side note: This is the British edition, so the names of the townfolk have been changed. For instance Fiona Maclaren is Fiona McKeith, etc. These name changes were made for the 1947 British production and remain that way on this recording. Also, the sound quality is perfectly fine. Though the performances from the 1947 cast album are what I would consider "definitive", the recording was not complete due to the confines of 78 RPM technology at the time. That means a second set is required to totally appreciate this show and it becomes a toss-up between McGlinn and this recording. If it is any indication, I tend to pull this Jay recording off the shelf much more often for my listening pleasure."