Barbara Cook – Mostly Sondheim
Picture: C+
Sound: B- Extras: C+ Concert: B
I had not heard much about Barbara Cook, but knew she was
very respected and thought it would be interesting to hear her in concert. This may not be a substitute for a trip to
Broadway, but doing the songs of Stephen Sondheim is a plus. Barbara Cook – Mostly Sondheim is a
the DVD-Video version of a recent CD release where she is joined by music
director Wally Harper and wow, is she good!
This is a vocalist who is a veteran, has exceptional
command of phrasing, still has a great voice, and really loves this
material. From her comments in-between
the songs and the specific choices, both she and the material continue to grow
in influence and it creates a great school of thought and expression very much
worth experiencing. The songs are:
1) Everybody
Say Don’t
2) Buds
Won’t Bud
3) I Wonder
What Became Of Me?
4) The
Eagle & Me
5) I Had
Myself A True Love
6) Another
Hundred People/So Many People
7) In
Buddy’s Eyes
8) I Got
Lost In His Arms
9) You Can’t
Get A Man With A Gun
10) Medley: Hard Hearted
Hannah/Waiting For The Robert E. Lee/San Francisco
11) When In Rome (Do As The Romans Do)
12) Happiness
13) Loving You
14) You Could Drive A Person Crazy
15) Send In The Clowns
16) Ice Cream (Vanilla)
17) Not A Day Goes By/Losing My Mind
18) The Trolley Song
19) Anyone Can Whistle
At first, I did not know what to expect, but the more I
watched, the better it got. It also
reminded me that Sondheim’s work is not heard enough. DRG Records, Cook’s label, was smart to get this show out on
DVD. It is well done, lasts about 90
minutes and could even be the beginning of a DVD series if DRG and Koch set
their minds to it. I also hope Cook
gets a larger audience out of this, because for all her talent, she should be
more popular.
The full frame 1.33 X 1 NTSC video is good for a recent
taping, but I kept wishing it was 16 X 9.
Nevertheless, it is directed with no surprises. The sound is available in Dolby Digital 2.0
Stereo with some Pro Logic surround information and a slightly better 5.1
mix. Too bad there was no DTS here, but
her voice is unmistakably on the money.
Extras include a Cook discography, a great 17+ minutes long Master Class
at Kennedy Center piece with Cook as host, and Cook interview taped after that
class. Some of the 6:36 segment is
sampled in the Class piece. Barbara
Cook – Mostly Sondheim is a pleasant surprise that everyone should enjoy.
- Nicholas Sheffo
