Stephen Schwartz Recordings

Stephen Schwartz Musicals CDs The Baker's Wife, Children of Eden, My Son Pinocchio (Geppetto), Godspell, The Magic Show, Pippin, The Prince of Egypt, Wicked, Working (four of the songs), Captain Louie Musicals with Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz Bernstein's Mass, Rags, Disney's Pocahontas, Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted Individual Songs by Stephen Schwartz not in a musical See Stephen Schwartz cover song recordings - "Everything Else" section	Cover Songs Schwartz songs recorded by other artists (Sarah Brightman, Betty Buckley, Michael Crawford, and many others)
Stephen Schwartz's Albums: Uncharted Territory and Reluctant Pilgrim SPECIAL COLLECTION The Stephen Schwartz Album (A collection of favorite songs from all Schwartz musicals)	See also: Songs for Special Occasions (weddings, memorial services, graduations) Schwartz - musical influences

The Stephen Schwartz Album

The Stephen Schwartz Album - The Stephen Schwartz Album Amazon.com USA

UNI/Varese Sarabande, 1999.

 

For Europe - Stephen Schwartz Album at Amazon.co.uk

• Includes: Beautiful City/Day By Day from Godspell
• Corner of the Sky and No Time At All from Pippin
• with You/Gifts of Love from Pippin and The Baker's Wife
• Lion Tamer and West End Avenue from The Magic Show
• Just Around the Riverbend and Colors of the Wind from Pocahontas
• Blame It On The Summer Night from Rags
• Stranger to the Rain and In Whatever Time We Have from Children of Eden
• Meadowlark and Chanson from The Baker's Wife
• Fathers and Sons from Working
• Out There from Hunchback of Notre Dame
• When You Believe from Prince of Egypt

Review by Ronni (reprinted here with permission of the author.)

Aside from actually sitting in the theater watching a musical, nothing thrills me more than finding a CD that I simply cannot stop playing, where I find myself humming the songs during the day, and just can't get the tunes out of my head. Not since the release of RAGTIME has a CD captivated me like THE STEPHEN SCHWARTZ ALBUM recently released as part of Varese Sarabande's "Spotlight" Series. The album is not only a testament to Schwartz's success and longevity in the industry, but also gives me great hope for the future of musical theater, as the performers are mostly the rising stars of the American stage.

Schwartz is probably best known to international audiences as the composer and/or lyrcist of the animated films POCAHONTAS, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and THE PRINCE OF EGYPT and the major hits from those films are included here. Jason Daniely, who starred in the Broadway revival of CANDIDE offers a fantastic belting rendition of "Out There" from HUNCHBACK.

Although I prefer Judy Kuhn's earthy interpretations of POCAHONTAS' ballads , they are handled nicely by Christiane Noll (Jekyll and Hyde) and Sara Ramirez (Fascinatin' Rhythm). I've never heard of Anne Marie Milazzo, who tackles "When You Believe", but her version is far less screetchy and more satisfying than the Maria Carey/Whitney Houston duet, as the listener is actually given a chance to hear and understand the lyrics.

The real pleasure of this disc, though, is the opportunity to discover or rediscover the gems of Schwartz's theatrical scores-- both hits and flops. "Corner of the Sky" from PIPPIN has a wonderfully poignant lyric about finding one's place in the world, and the version included here is slower and seems and more appropriately reflective than even the original. "No Time at All", the showstopper from that score, is wonderfully interpreted by Dorothy Loudon, who has never lost her magic. Speaking of magic, on "Lion Tamer", a song from Schwartz's hit THE MAGIC SHOW, Kristin Chenoweth offers a delightful mix of playfulness and yearning. It's easy to understand how she won the hearts of Tony voters in last season's revival of YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN.

THE BAKER'S WIFE was Schwartz's most notorious Broadway flop, but judging from the three songs included on this disc, the score wasn't the problem. "Meadowlark" is a well-known ballad that has been recorded by many a musical diva, and though I am partial to other versions, Susan Egan (BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) does a respectable job here. On "Chanson", that show's understated opening number, Emily Skinner proves exactly why she gained a legion of fans after Side Show. However, the standout of THE BAKER'S WIFE numbers has to be Marin Mazzie's lush medley of "Gifts of Love" coupled with "with You" from PIPPIN. Mazzie has been nominated for Tonys for her performances in PASSION and RAGTIME, thanks to her simply heavenly voice. She can certainly belt when she needs to, but the quieter moments are equally effective.

Although I cannot offer enough praise for the voices heard here, the album's most moving number comes not from a professional singer, but from the composer himself. Schwartz sings "Fathers and Sons" an incredibly heartfelt balled from the underrated WORKING. The song is reminiscent of Harry Chapin's "Cats in the Cradle", and listening to it reminds us that the most powerful lyrics stem from personal experience, and it really seems as though Schwartz is bearing his soul for those few moments.

Review by Jonathan Calindas - May 5, 2000 2:13 pm (#4 of 7)

When I looked at the back of the CD at the store, it was funny how the performers on the CD were a veritable who's who currently on Broadway. Marin Mazzie, Kristen Chenowith, Jason Daniely, Brian D'arcy James, Alice Ripley, Emily Skinner, Susan Egan, Michelle Pawk... and those that I haven't heard of are made waves on Broadway later (Laura Benanti is now in Swing!, Luba Mason is/was playing Linda Eder's part in Jeckyll and Hyde, Dorothy Loudon gave an incredible performance on "My Favorite Broadway"... unfortunately, her performance is only on the DVD and cut from the PBS broadcast) It had gotten raves on the internet newsgroup rec.arts.theatre.musicals ... and I promptly got it.

My favorite songs are the with You/Gifts of Love combo (separately, the songs were "eh"... but together, it's gorgeous).. and of course, "Fathers and Sons" which is beautiful and touches my heart. The version of "When You Believe" should be the definitive version over the Whitney/Mariah duet... sung by Ann Marie Millazo who starred in the recent production of "Bright Lights Big City" in the theatre that discovered "Rent". Definitely one of the best Varese Sarabande albums. (for another of Stephen Schwartz's songs on the Varese S. albums, check out Emily Skinner and Alice Ripleys album "Unsuspecting Hearts" ... they do a great version of "Solid Silver Platform Shoes" from "The Magic Show") There is a rumor that Kristen Chenowith will be singing an unproduced Stephen Schwartz song in an upcoming album.. :)

Review by Carol de Giere

If you haven't kept up with Stephen Schwartz's career, one of the best ways to find out what you've been missing is by listening to the 16 tracks on The Stephen Schwartz Album that include something from every Schwartz musical. Released by Varese Sarabande in 1999, this rich buffet offers familiar main dishes such as Godspell's "Beautiful City" and "Day By Day." Award-winning entrees include "Colors of the Wind," (Pocohontas) and When you Believe (Prince of Egypt). For a playfully inventive side dish, there's the song from Pippin about living it up while aging, called, "No Time At All." And for dessert, the sweet love song, "In Whatever Time We Have," from Children of Eden. (Schwartz comments in the album notes that of all his songs, this duet is the one most often performed at weddings.) Some Schwartz-phile purists prefer the original performances of the songs offered here, but for exploration and entertainment, The Stephen Schwartz Album is a satisfying feast.

Uncharted Territory- Recording of Pop Songs

SEE Uncharted Territory