Garrett is a superb British soprano

"I WILL WAIT FOR YOU" - Soprano Lesley Garrett with assisting artists tenor Ramon Vargas; The Grimethorpe Colliery RJB Band; Ladysmith Black Mambazo; The Anthony Pleeth Cello Ensemble; London Voices, directed by Terry Edwards; BBC Concert Orchestra, conducted bu Peter Robinson; The John Harle Band, conducted by John Harle. RCA/BMG 51354.

The notes with this disc term Lesley Garrett "... Britain`s favorite soprano, regularly appearing in both opera and in concert, on television and on disc."

BBC Music Magazine calls her "...a singing whirlwind. She sweeps fans up in her wake and gives them the exciting ride that they want."

Among the 17 works Garrett sings on this disc are arias from operas by Puccini, Verdi, Ponchielli and Bellini, as well as the hit song from the popular film "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," "I Will Wait for You," "Night and Day," "You`ll Never Walk Alone," "September Song."

The term crossover is used a lot in music circles these days, and the artistry of Lesley Garrett is an excellent example of what crossover is all about. Quite simply, it means the ability to excel in the performance of both classical and popular music. (Usually that means a classical artist crossing over to the popular field, probably much less frequently than a popular music artist crossing over to the classical field.)

We can point to top-rated opera singers who have recorded popular music - and shouldn`t have. In their case, they were out of their element. The spontaneity that must accompany good renditions of popular songs was not there. The sense of creating a rendition, using the composer`s strictly written melodic lines only as a guide, is not there.

But with Garrett, it is there. She lets us hear how it should be done.

Garrett works her voice beautifully in both mediums. The result is a delightful disc through all 17 tracks.

And I`ll tell you my favorite - the touching Legman/Gamble "I Will Wait for You." It made my spine tingle.

"BOLERO" - Ravel: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch, conductor; Isao Tomato, synthesizer; Jacques Fray & Mario Brigitte, pianos; Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky, conductor; Bolero-Fox Trot, Nat Shikert and his Orchestra; Morton Gould, piano; Boston Pops Orchestra, Arthur Fielder, conductor; Canadian Brass; Evelyn Glennie, percussion, National Symphony Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth, conductor; Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Eduardo Mata, conductor. RCA/BMG 63670; stereo, mono, ADD, DDD.

A few columns ago I reviewed a disc upon which the same piece was recorded 13 times in a row. The piece was Rachmaninoff`s enchanting "Vocalise" (RCA 63669).

Each of the 13 recordings on the disc was performed by a different artist or artists. The value of such an exercise was in the variety of expression that could be given to one work.

I found the listening experience delightful. And if you bought it, I hope you did, too. And if you did, you might want to have a go at this offering. But be advised that you will be tackling a work a million miles away from Rachmaninoff`s "Vocalise."

All is a beautifully expressed tranquility with the Rachmaninoff; all is tension, stress and, at times, out-and-out noise with the Ravel; and at the conclusion it breaks down in utter chaos. (Remember how George Raft dropped from Carole Lombard`s arms, dead as he hit the dance floor, after they concluded their spectacular dance to Bolero? I`m talking 1934, here, so mainly I`m talking to people of my generation. And to you, I hate to disappoint you, but the "footwork" we saw on screen was by professional dancers.)

I really wouldn`t suggest listening to all 10 of these recordings one after another. But if you do, it might be wise to listen to them privately - earphones, perhaps? You wouldn`t want to drive someone in your home - who isn`t quite as brave as you - crazy.

Even so, with all of these words of reservation, if you sometimes like a challenge with music listening, you might give this disc a try. And remember, you`ll be hearing Bolero in many formats - several recordings of the work in its traditional orchestral form, in arrangements for synthesizer, two pianos, one piano, arranged as a fox trot, for brass quintet, and a version featuring percussion (which is most interesting).

The other arrangements aside, my favorite of the three original orchestral piece is the one with Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra, followed closely (and with better sound) by Eduardo Mata and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Which means I favor those over readings by Charles Munch and Serge Koussevitsky, both with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, which was a surprise to me. (We`ll remember that the Boston Pops is the Boston Symphony, usually without the principals of certain choirs of the orchestra.)

The recordings were made between 1930 and 1991. We would expect the sound quality to vary, and it does. What surprises me is the high quality of the sound of the recording I named as my favorite - Fiedler/Boston Pops/1953. In its remastered form it sounds great.

OK, the gauntlet has been thrown. Pick it up at your own peril.

(c) Copley News Service

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Author: King Durkee