Recommend these Rodgers/Hammerstein Cast Albums

[Unknown User]

Posted: 2/12/09 at 2:57am

OK so if someone had all the original broadway cast albums for Rodgers and Hammerstein's works--what would you recommend be the second/alternative album purchase? (this leaves out Allegro, Me and Juleit and Pipe Dream where there are only one or two full albums released).

What I'm most looking for is completeness, original orchestrations and then cast last.

[LadyDramaturg2]

Posted: 2/12/09 at 3:55am

What In The World Are You Asking?

[binau]

Posted: 2/12/09 at 4:13am

I think it's pretty clear what he is asking, I was going to paraphrase but honestly I'm not sure how I could do it without just copying/pasting.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 2/12/09 at 4:29am

For alternate versions in original orchestrations:


Oklahoma! - 1979 revival cast recording with Laurence Guittard, Christine Andreas, Christine Ebersole and Harry Groener


Carousel - 1964 Music Theater of Lincoln Center recording with John Raitt


South Pacific - Current revival recording has more music and Carnegie Hall has just about everything but I prefer the performances on the 1967 State Theater recording with Florence Henderson and Giorgio Tozzi


The King and I - definitely the 1977 Broadway revival recording with Yul Brynner and Constance Towers. Pretty wonderful, I think.


Flower Drum Song - Original London Cast Recording, if you want the original orchestrations and a bit more dance music. Cast is not as sharp as the Broadway cast.


The Sound of Music - Original London Cast Recording, again, if you want the original orchestrations, though the cast is not quite as good as the Broadway OCR. Some flat singing in spots.

Updated On: 2/12/09 at 04:29 AM

[Paul W. Thompson]

Posted: 2/12/09 at 10:37am

Smaxie has made some excellent recommendations! I wholeheartedly agree.

For the next tier down, all of these shows have been on Broadway and/or the West End in the past 15 years, and all produced cast albums. They are all well sung and fairly complete, and have that "revisal" slant to them, if you like that sort of thing.