Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jim Steinman - Whistle Down The Wind (1998 Original London Cast)
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Artist: Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jim SteinmanEdition: Music CD
Format: Cast Recording
CD Release Date: 1999-09-21
Music Label: Decca Broadway
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- The Vaults Of Heaven
- Overture
- I Never Get What I Pray For
- Home By Now
- It Just Doesn't Get Any Better Than This
- Whistle Down The Wind
- The Vow
- Cold
- Unsettled Scores
- If Only
- Tire Tracks And Broken Hearts
- Safe Haven
- Long Overdue For A Miracle
- When Children Rule The World
- Annie Christmas
- No Matter What
- Act Two: Introduction
- Try Not To Be Afraid
- A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste
- If Only (Reprise)
- Charlie Christmas
- Off Ramp Exit To Paradise
- Safe Haven (Reprise)
- Wrestle With The Devil
- The Hunt
- Nature Of The Beast
- Whistle Down The Wind
Music reviews of Whistle Down The Wind (1998 Original London Cast)
Music Review: A HIGHLY UNDERRATED LLOYD WEBBER'S GEM
Rating: 5 Stars
"Whistle down the wind" was Andrew Lloyd Webber's first fresh work after "Sunset Blvd" premiered in 1993. With this musical he decided to get back to his rock and roll roots that made him famous with "Jesus Christ Superstar", after which he was mostly known for his big, soaring and lush scores of "The phantom of the opera" or "Sunset". The result is very satisfying. Jim Steinman, the lyricist of "Meatloaf" is credited with the lyrics and the director is Gale Edwards, who directed a very successful run of "Superstar" in the West End in 1996.
"Whistle down the wind" is based on the original novel by Mary Hayley Bell and the film produced by Richard Attenborough and directed by Bryan Forbes from a screenplay by Keith Water house and Willis Hall. The main plot of the film and the musical coincide: Set in a sleepy backwater town in 1959 Louisiana, three days before Christmas, "Whistle down the wind" tells the story of three children who discover a stranger hiding in their barn. They believe the man to be Christ and in their innocence feel a need to hide him from the adults in the small community. Each child fears he will be harmed as happened once before. At the same time the adults have been hiding the news from the children that a prisoner from a nearby penitentiary has escaped and may be at-large in their town. A wonderful ambiguity then surrounds the remainder of the story and we are never quite sure whether the innocence of the children or the experience of the parents and elders is to be believed. The main characters include a girl named Swallow, her siblings, the mysterious Man and Amos, a teenage rebel.
Setting the story in the above framework was a big advantage for Webber and his score, which matches the time when R'n'R and James Dean were the main subjects among the youth. The score boasts with fantastically orchestrated rock and blues themes as well as ballads. The use of guitars, drums and trumpets in orchestral leads is astonishing. The musical themes itself are very original and new. Some of the songs were released as a very successful singles, most notably "No matter what" performed by Boyzone or "Tire tracks and broken hearts" by Bonnie Tyler. My all time favorite song in this musical is "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste", sung by Swallow, Amos and The Man, because of its haunting melody with beautifully arranged guitar and drums sequence and the brilliant back vocals. But there is plenty of other notable songs here: "The vaults of heaven" is a rocky church hymn; "Whistle down the wind" and especially the instrumental overture of that song is certainly one of the prettiest Webber has ever composed; "Unsettled scores" and "The nature of the beast" are sweeping melodies of The Man's mental state, "If only" is a beautiful ballad with a nice violin and trumpet sequence. One of the things that this show benefits from is the use of the children's choir for two really sweet numbers, "When children rule the world" and "No matter what". Jim Steinman's rocky lyrics are more than suitable to evoke the appropriate atmosphere.
The cast on this recording is comprised of unknown (at least to me) individuals, but this isn't a drawback. Their southern accents don't sound bad to me as some of the reviewers pointed out. Lottie Mayor's Swallow has a beautiful and a gentle voice, at moments almost angelic. Marcus Lovett as The Man has a powerful vibretto and a range that varies from low to high. Dean Collinson is convincing Amos with the much needed touch of teenage mischief in his voice. He is awesome in "A kiss is a terrible thing to waste". Veronica Hart plays his black girlfriend with a wonderful vocal echo.
The show had its first run in 1997 in Washington but it closed soon for some reworking. It opened again in West End in July 1998 and played until January 2001. Some people complain that there is a lot of dialogue on this recording, but it is essential to follow the plot. The underscoring was done neatly during the dialogue sequences. This is one of those Webber's shows that needs a little effort and a couple of listening to get a grip on you. The only bad side of this CD package is its libretto, which comes only with the songs lyrics without any titles or stage actions in the brackets making it hard to follow. Since a synopsis is also missing, it is a good idea to download one from the net. Why do the publishers release such unfinished CD packages is beyond me.
"Whistle" is certainly a positive movement and breaking new grounds for Andrew Lloyd Webber. Although some of the critics weren't too keen on it, it is one of his best scores and will undoubtedly be appreciated by all true musical theater aficionados.
Description of Whistle Down The Wind (1998 Original London Cast)
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