| Try to watch her Kennedy Center Honors salute without sobbing...... | |
| Posted by: bwaynut 06:28 pm EDT 08/08/17 | |
| In reply to: Barbara Cook has sadly passed away aged 89.... nmi - Leon_W 10:55 am EDT 08/08/17 | |
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| As with everyone else here, I'm a forever fan of Miss Cook's. And I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the news of her passing. I always knew this day would come and yet, somehow, I always hoped it wouldn't be for a very long time! Granted, Miss Cook lived a very amazing, long successful life. Incredibly, even with her many Broadway triumphs, she fell into the depths of despair and depression and weight gain (about which she was exceedingly candid). And yet, as mlop has said below, she reinvented herself and returned, to equal acclaim, as a cabaret singer, recording artist, and master class authority. I can't get enough of that effortless, soaring, scintillating soprano! I continue to play her cast albums and solo recordings with affection and enthusiasm. From her "Flahooley" and "Plain and Fancy" days, straight through to 2010's "Sondheim on Sondheim," that clear, warm, lyric voice continued to touch and impress countless listeners. During her heyday, her stratospheric vocal acrobatics (in "Candide" and "She Loves Me') were crystalline and flawless. And her interpretations of Marian Paroo's classic songs in "The Music Man" remain the definitive ones. When she was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors in 2011, her career was celebrated by a "Who's Who" list of current Broadway talent: Laura Osnes, Rebecca Luker, Kelli O'Hara, Glenn Close, Sutton Foster, Patti LuPone, and Audra McDonald. To me, it remains one of the most skillfully crafted salutes to any recipient ever. One song builds upon the next, until the exciting full choral conclusion of "Make Our Garden Grow" from "Candide." I just watched it again (for old time's sake) and couldn't make it through without tears. I'm attaching it below for others to watch and be enchanted all over again. In 2004, I had a terrific seat to take in Miss Cook's "Barbara Cook's Broadway!" at the Vivian Beaumont. From the first note, through the very last, I was caught up in Miss Cook's mesmerizing storytelling in song. Her appearances were not programs, concerts, or recitals -- but, rather, "experiences" !! I can only hope that Miss Cook and Wally Harper are, once again, creating beautiful music together in that great Cabaret in the Sky! (And I really hope that Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids seizes the opportunity and introduces the Barbara Cook Christmas Tree Ornament this year! It's well-earned and long overdue!) Miss Cook, thank goodness that your angelic voice lives on in the many recordings you left for us. You were truly the consummate artist. "Good night, my someone; good night, my love...." |
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| Link | Kennedy Center Honors Barbara Cook Segment (2011) |
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