Julia Beaumont - Music for Romantics

30 May 2007

For diehard romantics, it is hard to go past ABC Classic's aptly named Encore! Romance but it's an album that's not on it's own. A quick survey of latest CD releases reveals a plethora of gorgeous music that will please the romantic in everyone.

But let's start with Encore! Romance. When Lesley Garrett opens the CD with the track He was beautiful, I was ready to quickly agree. Matinee idol David Hobson cements his reputation with a rendition of Moon River, Bryn Terfel's If I Loved You (from Rogers and Hammerstein's Carousel … but I suspect Gordon MacRae sang it better) brought tears to my eyes and Yvonne Kenny sings All the things you are like an angel. And anyone who agrees that Cinema Paradiso is one of the best movies ever made, will enthral with Carisma's version of the theme song although my preference was David Hobson's rendition in his eponymous CD released a while back, also on ABC Classics. Ditto Safffire's rendition of Cavatina from the movie The Deer Hunter. Patrizio Buanne's sultry good sounds are covered elsewhere on State of the Arts. On this CD, he sings a rather upbeat Let's Make Love which is not to my Italianate taste but Teddy Tahu Rhodes' Serenade from Don Giovanni is the goods. Great value for some wondrous songs. Warn the neighbours.

The Deutsche Grammophon recording of Duets by Russian soprano Anna Netrebko and Mexican tenor Rolando Villazón is simply sensational. The Guardian has called them the golden couple following their recording of La Traviata and this recording cherrypicks the most gorgeous pieces of music from La Boheme, Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, Roméo et Juliette, The Pearl Fishers, Manom, Iolanta and Luisa Fernanda (Federico Morena Torroba). As Villazón comments in the CD booklet, "we wanted to include a piece in the language that each of us speaks. For me that is Spanish. For Anna it is Russian. But we have also included duets in French and Italian. We have tequila, vodka, grappa and ... the French would be Bordeaux." As Netrebko says "What a wonderful cocktail". Yummy.

But I have saved the best for last. Timeless Classics – from Warner Music – is a knockout. CD 1 is chokka with 16 vocal recordings that get the foot tapping and the heart melting – Frank Sinatra (In the Blue of the Evening), Bobby Darin (Beyond the Sea), Ella Fitzgerald in duet with Louis Jordan (Baby its Cold Outside), Fats Walter (Honey Hush), Louis Armstrong (What a Wonderful World), Billy Holiday (God Bless the Child), Etta James (At Last), Patsy Cline (Crazy),Bing Crosby and The Andrew Sisters (Don't Fence Me In), Rosemary Clooney (Hey There), Doris Day (A Guy is A Guy) and Willie Nelson (Stardust) and more. CD 2 features classic instrumentalists such Tommy Emmanuel (Guitar Concierto De Arantjuez), Ottmar Liebert (Little Wing) and Paul Kelly (Gunnamatta). It's one of those CDs that you catch you unawares. The low key cover belies the treasure trove inside. It's a compilation of musical classics played on ABC local radio and I don't think there is one dud on the 2 CD set so it's a pity that the packaging doesn't match the contents.

- Julia Beaumont