A treat on BBC Television last night: ‘Andrew Lloyd Webber at the BBC’, a collection of performances over the years. It had some commentary, including from Lloyd Webber himself, but nothing shouty or intrusive, no one ‘emoting’ like an open mouthed idiot, just quiet, intelligent and sensible. The BBC at its best. It was first shown in March earlier this year but I missed it then. It is still on iPlayer.
I have long been a Lloyd Webber fan. I first became aware of him in the Joseph days of the nineteen-sixties, but it was Jesus Christ Superstar that won me over, particularly the film - the one with Ted Neely and Yvonne Elliman. I saw it three or four times. My friend Brendan, from the shared house, went to see it about ten times. He knew all the words and harmonies, and could imitate the actors’ bass/baritone/tenor voices: “We need a more permanent solution to our problem. ...What then to do about Jesus of Nazareth? Miracle wonderman, hero of fools ...” If you know the original you can imagine the hilarious effect.
Then I bought the first recording of Evita and was absolutely entranced by it, especially the scene where Peron meets Eva for the first time: “...Colonel Peron / Eva Duarte, I’ve heard so much about you. ... but I’m only an actress / a soldier ... But when you act, the things you do affect us all. But when you act, you take us away from the squalor of the real world. ...I’d be good for you, I’d be surprisingly good for you.”
For me, the highlight of the programme was Lesley Garrett and Michael Ball singing The Phantom of the Opera in 2001. I love Lesley Garrett. She is of my era and from Thorne in Yorkshire, my part of the country. She went to Thorne Grammar School. Goole, Thorne and the villages in between and around used to be as one. They even had the same telephone dialling code. Then some government factotum with apparently no understanding of the social geography of the area thought it would be more convenient to split them off into different administrative regions.
When Lesley Garrett speaks, much of her native Thorne accent still bubbles through. When she sings, she is spellbinding.
Lesley Garrett and Michael Ball: The Phantom of the Opera - https://youtu.be/yAYeqyrFWWU
I don’t know why the sub-titles to this video misleadingly implies that they are married.
A good post to read showing some real passion. Your posts are normally very controlled and measured. You have moved me enough to think I will seek out this documentary and watch it.
ReplyDeleteAs long as I'm not emoting like an open-mouthed idiot! I enjoyed the programme, although there were weak bits as well as strong ones.
DeleteI too love Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, especially JC Superstar. I've seen the movie innumerable times.
ReplyDeleteI've seen it many times since as we used to have it on videotape, but I prefer Evita.
DeleteI had the soundtrack to JC Superstar long ago. He has put out an amazing legacy of music over his lifetime, hasn't he? I wonder if I can see that documentary on this side of the pond.
ReplyDeleteYes, an amazing amount. I don't know what BBC iPlayer allows outside the UK. Most of the clips in the programme will be elsewhere, such as the one I've included here from YouTube, but it was great to have them collected together in one programme.
DeleteWell I never knew that Lesley Garrett was from Thorne. I thought she was from Doncaster. What was great about her in her prime was that she clearly loved to sing. It was her passion. Not all singers come across that way.
ReplyDeleteShe has such exuberance, like all people from that area. When she speaks she is still "our Lesley from Thorne". Some of my not-too-distant relatives were at school with her.
DeleteLesley Garrett is very down-to -earth with a nice sense of humour.
ReplyDeleteYes, like all of us from Goole and Thorne. She shows that 'serious' classical music is essentially fun and enjoyable. But she is also in that Yorkshire video that YP posted on 4th September - https://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2023/09/bahtat.html
DeleteThanks for promoting my blog. I hope you are not expecting a fee!
DeleteI think Llyod-Webber has been very clever to write the number of musicals he has. He has a talented brother cellist too.
ReplyDeleteSome say his music is derivative, but he has written some memorable and moving songs, and all composers have their influences. Yes, I remember Julian Lloyd Webber as the writer of the theme music to The South Bank Show.
DeleteWOW what a performance by Michael Ball and Lesley Garrett! What voices, and what a song! But my favorite Lloyd Webber song will always be All I Ask Of You. It's perfect, although I become annoyed when someone sings "Say you love me every waking moment" because I believe the original lyric was "Say you love me every winter morning" which to makes more sense because who can say I love you every waking moment, hahaha! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI would find it hard to say which of his songs or moments is my favourite, but yes, this performance is astonishing.
Delete... which *to me* makes more sense ... xoxo
ReplyDeleteI make slips like that all the time.
DeleteOh my goodness, Michael Ball and Lesley Garrett's performance brought goosebumps to my arms, it was so amazing. WOW.
ReplyDeleteDawn P. Albany, Georgia USA
Thank you for reading, Dawn, and it is satisfying that others both on Blogger and elsewhere agree how good this is. The Sarah Brightman / Steve Harley version from the original show (also online) wasalso good, but the performance turns up the emotional power to number 11. Minimal staging, ghostly lighting, it gets me from the instant the phantom appears in the background.
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