The new orchestrations sound opaque and soporific the production apparently had a kitschy, 1970-ish operetta look, and this album reflects that ill-advised concept, although some of the performances sparkle.
The world had changed so much in the interim that the show seemed antiquated, aside from the flaws of the adaptation itself. Original Broadway Cast, 1973 (RCA) (2 / 5) Here’s the cast album of a stage production that came 15 years after the film Gigi. Other outstanding selections are “The Waltz at Maxim’s,” “The Night They Invented Champagne,” and the Oscar-winning title song, beautifully delivered by Louis Jourdan.
GIGI 1958 SOUNDTRACK PLUS
Also included here is the film’s magnificent background score, plus several reprises and the “Gossip” number, none of which were on the original LP. Betty Wand dubbed the singing of the title character, and her voice well complements Caron’s plucky Gigi the CD offers Caron’s unused vocal tracks (with solo piano accompaniment) as bonus cuts, so you can judge for yourself whether producer Arthur Freed made the right decision in hiring Wand to post-dub Gigi’s songs. In Chevalier’s artful rendition of “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” he skillfully walks the fine line between great charm and eyebrow-raising naughtiness, and his performances of “I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore” and (with Gingold) “I Remember It Well” are supremely witty. The vocal performances of Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan, and Hermione Gingold are all treasures. Conductor André Previn, Conrad Salinger, Bob Franklyn, Alexander Courage, and others came up with superb arrangements/orchestrations the gorgeous counter-melodies of the French horns and the Offenbachesque staccatos of the brass and percussion create spine-tingling effects. Lerner’s lyrics are among his most brilliantly crafted, while Loewe’s dazzling music evokes Lehár, Ravel, and Brahms, even as the composer retains his own distinctive melodic voice. But it’s the score that has made this film an enduring classic. Leslie Caron’s performance as Gigi adds believability and weight to the tale of a young girl who uses her intelligence and steadfastness of character to stand up against an entire society’s misguided conceptions of sex and marriage. Time has been kind to this subtle adaptation of Colette’s novella it holds up well even today as a great feminist story. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, Gigi won nine Academy Awards, including “Best Picture” of 1958. Reissued in 1996 by Rhino Records in a more expensive (but also even more expanded) edition that effectively supplants this one for the serious listener.Film Soundtrack, 1958 (MGM/Rhino) (5 / 5) This beloved Alan Jay Lerner-Frederick Loewe score is tremendously appealing, and the soundtrack album is one of the all-time great recordings of any screen or stage musical.
Andre Previn's conducting and orchestration also come to life here as never before. The stereo mix matches that of the film and benefits from the remastering, which has cleaned up the sound considerably and given it considerable sweep. This includes the ice waltz at the skating rink and "The Gossips," alternately graceful and witty pieces of music worthy of Franz Lehar or any of the other great composers of light opera. Thus, there are snatches of dialogue and some sound effects, but the resulting CD also has a larger chunk of the Frederick Loewe music - which is almost more operetta than Hollywood musical - than any other presentation. Rather than go back to the LP master, which had not quite 35 minutes of music (with many of the songs shortened), the makers went to the finished film audio tracks, as had previously been done with the soundtrack A Star Is Born.
GIGI 1958 SOUNDTRACK SERIES
The first attempt to expand the scope of this legendary soundtrack is one of the better parts of this now-defunct MGM reissue series through Sony Music Special Products.
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