Archy And Mehitabel: Carnival of the Animals [Soundtrack]

archy and mehitabel: carnival of the animals [soundtrack]

On this CD:

Archy and Mehitabel: A Back-Alley Opera
Composed by George Kleinsinger
Performed by Percival Dove Orchestra
with Eddie Bracken, David Wayne, Carol Channing
Conducted by George Kleinsinger

Echoes of Archy
Composed by George Kleinsinger
Performed by Percival Dove Orchestra
with Eddie Bracken, David Wayne, Carol Channing
Conducted by George Kleinsinger

Carnival of the Animals, zoological fantasy for 2 pianos & ensemble
Composed by Camille Saint-Saens
Performed by Andre Kostelanetz Orchestra
with Jascha Zayde, Julius Baker, Sir Noel Coward, Leonid Hambro, Frank Miller
Conducted by Andre Kostelanetz

Archy And Mehitabel: Carnival of the Animals,Various Artists,Drg,Chamber,Concerto,Miscellaneous,Miscellaneous Music,Opera,Opera/Operetta,Pop,Soundtracks & Film Scores

Archy And Mehitabel: Carnival of the Animals [Soundtrack]

Average customer rating:

A great re-release! The Ogden Nash / Noel Coward narration is superb!
Animal harmony
Animal harmony
"It's cheerio, my deario, prance and pirouette...."
Brings back a part of my childhood!

Archy And Mehitabel: Carnival of the Animals
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Drg
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Archy and Mehitabel
Archyology : The Long Lost Tales of Archy and Mehitabel
Archyology II : (The Final Dig) : The Long Lost Tales of Archy and Mehitabel
The Annotated Archy and Mehitabel (Penguin Classics)
Shinbone Alley

ASIN: B0002739QI
Release Date: 2004-06-29

Tracks:

Archy And Mehitabel - A Back-Alley Opera - Carol Channing
Echoes Of Archy - David Wayne
Carnival Of The Animals - Noel Coward

Customer Reviews:

A great re-release! The Ogden Nash / Noel Coward narration is superb!.......2006-06-17

This may be one of the greatest "Carnival of the Animals" recordings due to the outstanding and timeless narration written by Ogden Nash, performed by Noel Coward.

The quality of the CD is quite good. Highly recommended!

Animal harmony.......2006-02-25

I bought this for Ogden Nash and Noel Coward (not to mention Saint Saens). Discovering the evocation of Don Marquis ws a real bonus.
A marvellous compilation.

Animal harmony.......2006-02-25

I bought this for Ogden Nash and Noel Coward (not to mention Saint Saens). Discovering the evocation of Don Marquis ws a real bonus.
A marvellous compilation.

"It's cheerio, my deario, prance and pirouette....".......2004-12-27

ARCHY AND MEHITABEL is the delighful George Kleinsinger-Joe Darion `back-alley opera' based on the stories of Don Marquis. The story concerns a cockroach called archy who writes about his experiences and friends in the big city, on a typewriter in a deserted newspaper office at nighttime. He can't work the shift key so all of his writing is in lower-case, hence the title "archy and mehitabel". archy writes about many things but most of all his friend mehitabel the cat, whom he wishes would stop her heedless homeless lifestyle and get a job as a house-cat.

The 26-minute recording has always been an endless delight, with Eddie Bracken and Carol Channing (in her beatnik phase) perfect for the roles of archy and mehitabel. David Wayne serves as narrator. The musical was later expanded into a full evening of musical theatre - SHINBONE ALLEY - which again starred Eddie Bracken with Eartha Kitt as mehitabel (a double-disc live recording of the show is available on Legend-6009/6010 and is highly-recommended). This CD is filled out by ECHOES OF ARCHY, a sequel again narrated by David Wayne; with the legendary Noel Coward-Andre Kostelanetz recording of CARNIVAL OF THE ANIMALS thrown in for good measure.

Brings back a part of my childhood!.......2004-12-03

Like "yaakov98," I knew every word of this record as a child. My sister now has the actual LP and plays it for her son, who can also sing the entire thing.

But although kids love it, it is not at all a record for children. As a kid I recognized archy's hopeless crush on mehitabel, but completely missed why he was upset when she returned from her romantic fling with a litter of kittens...an unwed mother, and clearly not for the first time. "archy and mehitabel" veers from bouncy to melancholy, but "echoes of archy" is downright gloomy (though very enjoyable anyway).

The music owes a lot to "West Side Story" in its jazzy orchestration, but has its own distinct voice -- listen how the cheery waltzy songs like "Cheerio my deario" have moments of minor chording that are ominous in tone.

Highlights for me are: the chorus of alley cats crooning a cockeyed lullaby to the kittens ("Hushabye...go to sleep in the ash can") with mehitabel's counterpoint on the difficulty of her work/life balance. Also, the story of Horace, the theater cat of the "Old School" -- hysterical.

By the way, although the "echoes of archy" segment is entirely done by David Wayne, it's not just spoken word. There are a lot of great songs too.

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