120879bk Norway:MASTER 3+3 4/2/09 9:09 PM Page 2 Song of Norway Members of the Original Cast and Kitty Carlisle Irra Petina of the Original Cast and Robert Weede 1. Prelude And Legend 4:24 8. Bon Vivant 4:21 14. Strange Music 4:25 18. Freddy And His Fiddle 3:46 (Piano Concerto in A minor) (Water Lily) Irra Petina Irra Petina & Robert Weede Robert Shafer Sig Arno, Lawrence Brooks & Chorus 15. Sun At Midnight 4:10 19. I Love You—Strange Music 4:30 2. Hill Of Dreams 4:13 9. Three Loves 2:56 Irra Petina Irra Petina & Robert Weede (Piano Concerto in A minor) (Albumblatt; Poème érotique) 16. Now 4:26 Orchestra conducted by Sylvan Shulman Lawrence Brooks, Helena Bliss, Kitty Carlisle, Lawrence Brooks & Chorus Irra Petina COLUMBIA 7356/8M in album M 562 Robert Shafer 10. Finaletto—Nordraak’s Farewell— 17. Three Loves 4:03 Recorded 14 December 1944 and 3. Freddy And His Fiddle 3:13 Three Loves: Reprise 5:28 Irra Petina 11 January 1945, New York (Norwegian Dance No. 2, Op. 35) Kitty Carlisle & Chorus; Robert Shafer, Kent Edwards, Gwen Jones & Chorus Helena Bliss, Lawrence Brooks 4. Now 4:18 11. I Love You 2:06 (Waltz, Op. 12; Violin Sonata No. 2) (Ich Liebe Dich) Transfers & Production: David Lennick • Digital Restoration: Tom Brown Kitty Carlisle & Chorus Helena Bliss Cover picture: Old farm at Aurlandsfjord, Norway (© Kora Brouwer / Dreamstime.com) 5. Strange Music 4:24 12. At Christmastime 2:21 (Nocturne; Wedding Day At Troldhaugen) (Woodland Wanderings) Lawrence Brooks, Helena Bliss Walter Kingsford, Ivy Scott, Helena Bliss Also available in the Naxos Broadway Musicals series ... 6. Midsummer’s Eve—March Of The & Chorus Trollgers (Cake Lottery) 4:22 13. Finale 4:18 (’Twas On A Lovely Eve In June; Scherzo in (Poem by Milton Lazarus) E minor—Mountaineers’ Song; Halling in Lawrence Brooks, Helena Bliss, G minor; March Of The Dwarfs) Robert Shafer & Chorus Lawrence Brooks, Kitty Carlisle, Orchestration and Chorus under the Robert Shafer & Chorus direction of Arthur Kay 7. Hymn Of Betrothal—Finale of Act 1 DECCA 29162/7 in album DA 382 4:34 Recorded 12–19 November 1944, New York (To Spring) C Ivy Scott, Helena Bliss, Lawrence Brooks, Kitty Carlisle, Robert Shafer & Chorus M 8.120847 8.120875 8.120876 These titles are not for retail sale in the USA Y 5 8.120879 6 8.120879 K 120879bk Norway:MASTER 3+3 4/2/09 9:09 PM Page 1 playwright Homer Curran, to concoct a story There was so much choreography, in fact, All of Lester’s ministrations paid off and after signed with Columbia at the time and so she Song of Norway about Grieg, his childhood friends, and a that one critic described it as ‘a dance piece a successful run on the West Coast, Song of was replaced with the much-loved Kitty Music of Edvard Grieg scheming Italian opera diva who nearly wrecks interrupted by theatre’ and another one noted Norway came to Broadway where it lasted for Carlisle. all of their lives. that it had ‘all the choreographic staples of 860 performances. It was revived (usually at Not to be outdone, Columbia recorded an Adaptation and lyrics by Robert Wright & George Forrest The fact that it didn’t contain a word of truth operetta, from peasants dancing in the giant outdoor summer theatres) through the album of six songs featuring Petina and fellow Original Cast Recordings 1944–45 wasn’t of much concern to anyone, and away marketplace to fashionable folk waltzing in a 1950s, but a wildly unsuccessful 1970 film Met star, Robert Weede (later famous as the star they went, with author Milton Lazarus turning it ballroom’. version starring Florence Henderson helped to of The Most Happy Fella). One of the fascinating things about the most would be the story of author Hans into a juicy libretto which they christened Song And Lester wasn’t finished yet. To make sure put an end to its popularity. This recording allows you to hear both and – history of musical theatre is how the show that Christian Andersen set to the music of Edvard of Norway. there would be sufficient low comedy, he hired This recording represents two distinct between them – to get a crystal-clear picture of people initially set out to produce often bore Grieg. Lester’s next – and most significant – stop Sig Arno, the veteran of over fifty films (such as versions of the score which came out on 78s in a show that was an enormous hit over sixty little relation to the one that finally opened. The fact that Andersen was Danish and Grieg was to Robert Wright and George Forrest. This Pardon My Sarong), where he specialized in 1945, a result of the bizarre artist contracts of years ago, but was so much of its time and That frequently happened to Edwin Lester was Norwegian seemed to have slipped right by team had just ended a ten year contract as playing what he himself later called ‘funny the period. place that it will probably never know that and one of the most striking examples was Song Lester, or else he lumped them together in his songwriters with MGM, where their speciality Europeans’. Decca had the rights to record the show and popularity again. of Norway. mind under the heading of ‘Scandinavian had been the operetta. But the final touch was provided with the so it did, using almost all of the original cast Unless, of course, a second Edwin Lester Who was Mr. Lester? He was a lover of Culture’. Back in 1937, in fact, for the Jeanette casting of Irra Petina as Louisa Giovanni, the members such as Lawrence Brooks, Helena comes along. operetta who had stars in his eyes, schmaltz in What he wasn’t able to ignore, alas, was film McDonald/Nelson Eddy version of Maytime, home-wrecking Italian diva. Bliss, Robert Shafer and Sig Arno. his heart and – most importantly – money in his producer Samuel Goldwyn who was working they had started adapting themes from At the time, Petina was a well-regarded But the leading attraction, Irra Petina, was Richard Ouzounian pocket. on his own life story of Andersen. He threatened Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony and other performer of the Metropolitan Opera, although In 1938, he founded the Los Angeles Civic a lawsuit and Lester withdrew. (The Goldwyn classical works into popular songs. never considered a star of the first rank. Russian- Light Opera and two years later, added an project would finally emerge in 1952 as Hans At liberty, and used to putting words where born, she made her Met debut in 1933 and was affiliate in San Francisco. The two theatres Christian Andersen, starring Danny Kaye, with a none were meant to be, Wright and Forrest most highly acclaimed for her performances as combined had a powerful subscription base and screenplay by Moss Hart and a score by Frank sprang to the challenge of turning a lifetime of Marcellina in The Marriage of Figaro and Berta were capable of generating giant audiences. Loesser.) lush Grieg melodies into a full-fledged score. in The Barber of Seville. But Lester also had dreams of conquering Undeterred, Lester decided instead to use the They would repeat the assignment several But by 1944, she was being used for touring Broadway and he felt that he had a singular music of Edvard Grieg to tell the life story of … times in the future for Lester, most successfully companies and she seized onto Lester’s offer as vision of how to do it. Edvard Grieg. with his 1953 Arabian nights hit, Kismet. the possible start of a new career and scored a He believed that what audiences needed It made perfect sense except that, well, there But for now, Norway was the thing and titles personal triumph in the role. were the themes of great classical composers really wasn’t much of a life story to tell. poured out of them such as Hill of Dreams, She later went on to play similar roles in less bent into the format of operetta-style songs, all Certainly not enough of a one to support a full- Freddy And His Fiddle and Strange Music. successful ventures (which would be christened wrapped up in a big, lavish package that would scale operetta. Except for the tragic death of his Just to hedge his bets, Lester hired the ballet ‘floperettas’) such as Magdalena and Hit the feature glorious costumes, endless dances, groan- only child in infancy, Grieg lived a simple, drama- master George Balanchine to provide the Trail, but she did have one more solid success, inducing comedy and lots of romance. free life, devoted to his wife and his music. choreography and gave him full rein. So creating the role of the Old Lady in Leonard In the middle of World War II, he decided that But that didn’t stop Lester. He turned to his Balanchine brought along the Ballet Russe de Bernstein’s Candide, which won her a Tony what would cheer the people of America up the friend, fellow producer and sometime Monte Carlo, headed by Alexandra Danilova. nomination. 2 8.120879 3 8.120879 4 8.120879 120879bk Norway:MASTER 3+3 4/2/09 9:09 PM Page 1 playwright Homer Curran, to concoct a story There was so much choreography, in fact, All of Lester’s ministrations paid off and after signed with Columbia at the time and so she Song of Norway about Grieg, his childhood friends, and a that one critic described it as ‘a dance piece a successful run on the West Coast, Song of was replaced with the much-loved Kitty Music of Edvard Grieg scheming Italian opera diva who nearly wrecks interrupted by theatre’ and another one noted Norway came to Broadway where it lasted for Carlisle.