Weill: The Firebrand of Florence
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Performer: Rodney GilfryPerformer: Stephen Charlesworth
Performer: Stuart MacIntyre
Composer: Kurt Weill
Conductor: Andrew Davis
Performer: Felicity Palmer
Performer: Lucy Schaufer
Orchestra: BBC Symphony Orchestra
Performer: Lori Ann Fuller
Performer: Robert Johnston
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2004-03-23
Music Label: Original Cast Record
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- No. 1. Prelude
- Act 1. Scene 1. No. 2. Opening (Execution Scene). Part 1. When the Bell
- Act 1. Scene 1. No. 2. Opening (Execution Scene). Part 2. Come to Flore
- Act 1. Scene 1. No. 2. Opening (Execution Scene). Part 3. (including) L
- Act 1. Scene 2. No. 3. Duet. Our Master is Free Again
- Act 1. Scene 3. No. 4a/4b. Arietta. I Had Just Been Pardoned
- Act 1. Scene 3. No. 5. Duet. You're Far Too Near Me
- Act 1. Scene 3. No. 4c. Arietta (brief reprise)
- Act 1. Scene 3. No. 6. Chorus and Aria. Alessandro the Wise
- Act 1. Scene 3. No. 7. Finaletto
- Act 1. Scene 4. No. 8. Entrance of the Duchess
- Act 1. Scene 4. No. 9. Aria. Sing Me Not a Ballad
- Act 1. Scene 5. No. 10. Madrigal. When the Duchess is Away
- Act 1. Scene 5. No. 11. Duet. Life, Love, and Laughter
- Act 1. Scene 5. No. 12. Trio. The Nosy Cook
- Act 1. Scene 5. No. 13. Finale
- Act 2. Scene 1. No. 15. Duet. You're Far Too Near Me (Reprise)
- Act 2. Scene 1. No. 16. The Letter
- Act 2. Scene 1. No. 17. The Little Naked Boy
- Act 2. Scene 3. No. 19. A Rhyme for Angela
- Act 2. Scene 4. No. 20. Procession
- Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 21a. Oh the World is Full of Villains
- Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 21b. You Have to Do What You Do Do
- Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 21c. How Wonderfully Fortunate
- Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 22. Duet. Love is My Enemy
- Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 23. The Little Naked Boy
- Act 2. Scene 6. No. 24. Come to Paris
- Act 2. Scene 7. No. 26. Finale. Sarabande (incidental music and ballet)
- Act 2. Scene 7. No. 27. Finale Ultimo. Life, Love, and Laughter
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 3. No. 19. A Rhyme for Angela
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 4. No. 20. Procession
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 21a. Oh the World is Full of Villains
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 21b. You Have to Do What You Do Do
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 21c. How Wonderfully Fortunate
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 22. Duet. Love is My Enemy
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 5 (Trial Scene). No. 23. The Little Naked Boy
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 6. No. 24. Come to Paris
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 7. No. 26. Finale. Sarabande (incidental music and ballet)
- The Firebrand of Florence, operetta: Act 2. Scene 7. No. 27. Finale Ultimo. Life, Love, and Laughter
Music reviews of Weill: The Firebrand of Florence
Music Review: For fans only
Rating: 2 Stars
Benvenuto Cellini was one of the Italian Renaissance/Baroque's most dashing figures, so it's hardly surprising that sooner or later he would end up on the stage. Berlioz created a symphonic work inspired by his autobiography and in 1924, Cellini's autobiography was greatly sanitized, expurgated and freely adapted by Edwin Justus Mayer into a hit Broadway sex farce, THE FIREBRAND, starring Frank Morgan (THE WIZARD OF OZ) as a rather bumbling, philandering version of The Duke of Florence and Joseph Schildkraut as Cellini. The play became a hit film in 1934 with Morgan receiving an Oscar nomination for recreating his Broadway role and Frederic March as Cellini. Given its distinguished pedigree, there were high hopes for THE FIREBRAND OF FLORENCE. Its esteemed creators (Moss Hart, Kurt Weill, Ira Gershwin) had just wowed Broadway with their breakthrough musical LADY IN THE DARK. But alas lightning did not strike twice. This seems to have been one of those ill-fated shows that was cursed from the outset. This was the wrong show for the wrong team. Kurt Weill's music does not really feel right for the late Renaissance/early Baroque setting. Ira Gershwin's sassy New York sensibility was completely at odds with it. To make matters worse, the wives of Hart and Weill (Kitty Carlisle and Lotte Lenya, respectively) were both determined to play the lead role and neither of them was right for it, in that the role called for an elegant, Italian beauty. The result was simply a mess. One song ("Sing Me Not a Ballad") is fairly well known among musical comedy aficionados, but the rest is virtually forgotten. It was never recorded. So on one level, one can be grateful to finally have the chance to hear a forgotten Kurt Weill/Ira Gershwin score. But this recording leaves much to be desired. The major problem is that it is a live concert performance in England. The acoustics go in and out and the British sensibilities are not a good match. It all comes off as a lot of purse-lipped chortling. The decision was also made to use opera singers rather than musical comedy performers. Opera singers are notoriously bad enunciators. Most of the lyrics are rendered incomprehensible. They are also notoriously bad actors and the men have speaking voices that sound like Dudley Doright.
If one can get past these hurdles, the major problem is the material itself. Some lyrics may seem clever when heard once, but are excruciating when heard repeatedly. "Paris, oh Paris, your riches embarrass" is right up there with Maury Yeston's "Be Italian, you rapscallion." (That said, "A Rhyme for Angela" is vintage Gershwin and a delight to hear.) I hope someone will someday make another recording using American musical comedy performers and exclude all the dialogue. But until that unlikely event occurs, we're stuck with this one. This is only for die-hard Weill fans.
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