South Pacific [Original Soundtrack] (CD, Apr-2006, Decca (USA))

SOUTH PACIFIC CONCERT PERFORMANCE at CARNEGIE HALL

This is BEST recording EVER of the R&H classic 'South Pacific'as the CD includes bits of dialog between the songs to give the listener a full storyline.

Reba Mc Entire makes for a wonderful 'Nellie Forbush' as her voice has a rich sound blended nicely with her country naturalness but the real suprise of the recording is in BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL's performance. Prior actors-singers playing this role have had dark doleful baritones, where BSM's voice is full of emotion and pure color and his diction-clarity allows you to hear and feel Emile's pain and loss. I had always thought this male lead role in SP was an after-thought to compliment Mary Martin's Nellie.

BSM makes his Emile an equal star to Nellie (in this case Reba) Listen to the next-to-last last track "This Nearly was Mine" and you'll agree with me that BSM is the best actor to ever play this role, and he sings this song with such emotion that it was if I had never really listened to what Oscar (the lyricist) was saying in this song.

Well Done Oscar, Brian, Reba and to the gal who sings 'Bali Hai', as this tune is the prettiest song that R&H ever wrote and the mystery in the tune is the 'GLUE' that makes the whole show-book work.

Christopher Yeager September 2007

What a score! Every song a beauty, with a memorable tune and clever, literate lyrics. And the score is very well served by the orchestra and conductor. The singers are another matter. Reba McEntire has a big warm voice that is, however, not the lyric soprano called for by the score. She barely squeaks by in "Wonderful Guy," though she has her moments elsewhere. Her diction is exemplary, her commitment palpable; but her technique is all wrong for this music. Brian Stokes Mitchell is our great musical leading man of the present day, but in music written for opera star Ezio Pinza, he simply can't compete. The voice is handsome, but he has the current Broadway curse of sliding into notes rather than attacking them head-on. In the theater, with his strong presence and gorgeous timbre, this can be effective; in a recording, it's deadly, though he does score emotional points with "This Nearly Was Mine." Lillias White suffers from the same technical defects, though, again, she's a lively interpreter. Vocally the best performance is Jason Danieley's as Lt. Cable. Get this for the music in superb modern sound; get the original cast album for the singing.

If you enjoyed the music with Mary Martin and Ezio Pinza you will love this version of the great musical. In some ways better with two overtures. I was disappointed in the Hollywood movie but this concert is much more like a Broadway production. All performances are top quality. Don't forget to watch the video of this performance too. You won't be sorry. First, I watched the show, then bought the DVD and now bought the cd. Great!!!

I saw the show on channel 9 (PBS) and then got online to buy the soundtrack. The product was just as perfect as the cd that would have been twice as expensive from the official website. I gave it to my mom for her birthday (after I listened to it first). She (and I) both love it.

I loved Brian Stokes Mitchlell's singing, but felt Reba McEntire and Alec Baldwin,were not in the same class. The Orginal with Enzio Pinza and Mary Martin was superior.













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