BWW Album Review: ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER: SYMPHONIC SUITES Celebrates Art and Creativity
These iconic melodies played by an 81-piece orchestra is sure to bring joy.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's scores have remained among the most beloved and most commercially successful music to emanate from the depths of orchestra pits across the world. In a new love letter to the celebrated composer and his enduring music, Decca recently released Andrew Lloyd Webber: SYMPHONIC SUITES. The lush album features an 81-piece orchestra conducted by Simon Lee, and is a true treat for any fan of Lloyd Webber.
Featuring three symphonic suites, one each for EVITA, SUNSET BOULEVARD, and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, this album dazzles with its filmic qualities. Spinning up the record, listeners will instantly find that these grandiose melodic arrangements from the brain and soul of Andrew Cottee are rich with ambience and emotion. Moreover, the expert production by Peter Cobbin and Kirsty Whalley pristinely capture the warmth and lively reverb of the West End's largest stage, the newly-restored Theatre Royal Drury, with such precision that it sounds as if listeners are actually in the auditorium with the orchestra. The album was recorded from that very stage in April 2020 and following COVID-19 protocols.
The suite for EVITA is lively, exuberant, and magical. It's impossible not to hum along and sing clips and phrases of the lyrics during each of the movements. SUNSET BOULEVARD's suite leans into the rich turbulence and emotional darkness of the score. It highlights the undulating and mysterious noir-esque motifs. Lastly, the suite for PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is atmospheric, grand, and full of foreboding romance. Again, listeners will find themselves humming and singing along. Played from beginning to end, each of the individual suites feels like a thrilling overture on steroids. Played together as an album, the experience feels like a true celebration of Lloyd Webber, musical theater compositions, musicians, and the sublime whimsies of imagination and creativity.
Decca's Andrew Lloyd Webber: SYMPHONIC SUITES is magnificent in its scope, and the sheer artistry, talent, and skill present on the record make it worth every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears that went into making it. If the pandemic related lockdowns got you down and you haven't been able to find something that reminds you of why art is so essential, give this album a try. Hearing so many iconic melodies rearranged for a stunning 81-piece orchestra is sure to bring you back to the light
From This Author - David Clarke
David Clarke has had a lifelong love and passion for the performing arts, and has been writing about theatre both locally and nationally for years. He joined BroadwayWorld.com running their read more about this author)
Album Review: A STRANGE LOOP (Original Broadway Cast Recording) is Poignant and EntertainingJuly 8, 2022
A STRANGE LOOP is a refreshing Black, queer fantasia on the artistry of creating modern musical theater. It’s similar to [TITLE OF SHOW], but with more to say.
BWW Album Review: SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED: THE NYC SESSIONS - VOLUME TWO is GloriousMay 6, 2022
Released on what would have been Stephen Sondheim's 92nd birthday - March 22, 2022 - Yellow Sound Label’s SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED: THE NYC SESSIONS - VOLUME TWO is the glorious middle chapter of an epic trilogy of beloved Sondheim showtunes sung by musical theater luminaries. Like the previous entry, this collection is chock full of talented artists skillfully performing hits from Sondheim’s complex yet accessible catalog with glorious dexterity.
BWW Album Review: ASSASSINS (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording) is Pistol-Smart and Deeply SatisfyingApril 12, 2022
Earlier this spring, Broadway Records released ASSASSINS (The 2022 Off-Broadway Cast Recording), giving fans of Stephen Sondheim our third English language commercially released recording of this brilliant score. Closed early because of Omicron, Broadway Records preserved this cast's wonderfully nuanced performances.
BWW Album Review: BETTY BUCKLEY SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM Sparkles With Grace and HeartMarch 24, 2022
Marking the passing of legendary composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and just ahead of the anniversary of his birth, Tony Award winner Betty Buckley released BETTY BUCKLEY SINGS STEPHEN SONDHEIM. Each rendition from Sondheim’s catalog sparkles with Buckley’s grace and heart, making the album a beautiful love letter to one of musical theater’s greatest artists.
BWW Album Review: FLYING OVER SUNSET (Original Broadway Cast Recording) Shimmers Beautifully But Leaves Us GroundedMarch 4, 2022
FLYING OVER SUNSET had the kind of pedigree that made it a must-see show. Yet, many of us missed it. Masterworks Broadway offers theatre lovers a window into the production with FLYING OVER SUNSET (Original Broadway Cast Recording). Despite its beauty, the album exposes why the show shuttered so quickly.
