Audra McDonald, Patrick Wilson - Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording)

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Category: Music CD
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Music reviews of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording)

Music Review: Rich With Emotion
Rating: 5 Stars

Description of Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Allegro" (First Complete Recording)

Written in 1947, Rodgers & Hammerstein's ALLEGRO was preceded by OKLAHOMA! (1943) and CAROUSEL (1945), and followed by SOUTH PACIFIC (1949) and THE KING AND I (1951), a period when R&H were at their creative zenith. An original musical, it tells the story of an earnest country doctor, Joseph Taylor, Jr., following his life from cradle to adulthood, and his journey - both literal and moral - from small town to big city, and back again. The score is unconventional: fragments of song move in and out of the action like passing thoughts; melodies flit by in one scene only to take hold and blossom in the next. Major songs are given to minor characters, while the central character has comparatively little solo work; at the same time, a chorus provides spoken commentary and sings aloud their inner thoughts. Original director/choreographer Agnes de Mille's extended ballet sequences are reflected in intriguing orchestral pieces alongside such songs as "The Gentleman is a Dope," "So Far," "A Fellow Needs a Girl" and the spirited title song.

General CDs

• Styles > Broadway & Vocalists
• Musicals > General
• Classical > General
• Chamber Music > General