Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast) | Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, ...

Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast) | Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, ... | A Landmark Acomplishment.....by Zero Mostel

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Sviatoslav Richter Liszt: The Two Pia... Fiddler on the Roo...

	Fiddler on the Roof (1964 Original Broadway Cast) Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, ... RCA Victor Broadway, 1989 average customer review:based on 36 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

wonderful, heartfelt and entertaining!

If only they had made a video recording of this wonderful, successful tour de force production, starring the legendary Zero Mostel, as Tevye the dairyman(you might know him as Max Bialystock in "The Producers" and also in "The Front"--a wondeful comedian and engaging actor). Everytime I hear this recording, I can SEE the performers singing, dancing and bickering in my imagination. This soundtrack definitely brings you into Anatevka, a peasant village in Russia. Tevye, a god fearing man with three young daughters he wants to marry off, is having real trouble deciding on the proper husbands for them because the young women prove perfectly capable of making the decision for themselves.

Not only are great, well-loved songs like "Tradition," "Matchmaker," "If I Were a Rich Man," and "Sunrise, Sunset," on this special "Broadway Deluxe Collector's Edition" album, but there are bonus songs and commentary from Sheldon Harnick, the lyicist for the numerous wonderful tunes. Definitely entertaining and educational! I really wish they had kept "When Messiah Comes," (the lyrics are hysterical!) "How Much Richer Could One Man Be?" (a beautiful song written for Perchik, a young student who courts Tevye's daughter, Hodel). Also, you must listen to Vladimir Spivakov's masterful violin interpretation of "If I Were a Rich Man"--it will bring tears to your eyes.

This is the original cast, and, in my opinion, the best! The singing, acting and music is top notch and everyone should listen to this. I guarantee that even if you aren't a big fan of musicals, you will come to love "Fiddler on the Roof" and even find yourself humming these popular songs for days after you have first heard the soundtrack!

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A Landmark Acomplishment.....by Zero Mostel

Ahhhhh...what can you say about "Fiddler on the Roof" that hasn't already been said. This landmark in American Musical Theater (and in theater in general) is forever perserved in this timeless recording. Bock and Harnick songs vividly bring the story of Tevye, the poor milkman, to life. The songs are so touching and reflect the emotions of all, while entertaining even the most avid musical-hater (shame on you).

However, the greatest accomplishment belongs not to Bock, Harnick, Harold Prince or Jerome Robbins (who directed). The man who personifies and carries (and downright dominates) this show is the great Zero Mostel. His acting, voice and comedic timing are greatly shown in this, his definitive role. He makes "Fiddler on the Roof".

In the interviews with Sheldon Harnick (lyricist) that are on this CD (another reason to buy it), he mentions that Zero recorded "If I Were A Rich Man" in only ONE take. Amazing. As is this CD.

Even if you are the most avid musical-hater, or a musical theater junkie like me, you will enjoy the classics like "If I Were A Rich Man", "Sunrise, Sunset" and "Tradition", while savoring songs which they cut, like the histerical "When Messiah Comes".

All-in-all, a fabulous CD! Well worth the price.

******Also, make sure you see and listen to Zero Mostel in Stephen Sondheim's "A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum." Either buy the movie or the cast recording! You'll be glad you did!

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This recording redeemed the show for me

After seeing a lethally abysmal community theater production of Fiddler on the Roof, I went through the next several years bearing a dormant but definite hatred toward the show. However, after listening to the original cast recording - as I am doing even as I write this review - the show has been almost entirely redeemed in my mind. No small feat.

Zero Mostel, of course, carries the show. He is wonderful. That is pretty much all there is to say. After that he must be heard. The voices of his family are uniformly unpleasant, although that of Julia Migenes (as second-oldest daughter Hodel) is commendably penetrating. That said, it works for the songs. It isn't as though the performers didn't have a choice. They clearly have range, or they wouldn't have been cast in the first place! Some of them are downright terrific. The actress playing Grandmother Tzeitel, a small role (she only sings in Tevye's dream sequence) is particularly striking. Absolutely, astonishingly wonderful is Austin Pendleton as Motel in his lone number, "Miracle of Miracles". This performance I would listen to over and over again on its own. Remarkable.

Last but not least, there is Bert Convy as Perchik. (Yes, THE Bert Convy of "Tattle Tales" fame!) His performance is remarkable too. Quite a step away from the Game Show Network.

All of the numbers are worth a listen, or two, or three.

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Great recording - Poor packaging

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF has been a bestseller for RCA for forty years now, and I will not dispute that. I love the movie soundtrack, and the 1967 London cast recording with Topol is acceptable, but the ORIGINAL has remained the best. The cast is superb and performances are glorious. I'm only disappointed that I wasn't alive back in the 60s to see this on Broadway. I'm not sure if the recording was remastered for this "deluxe edition" release or not, but it sounds glorious. I've had the LP for quite some time now, but seeing an outstanding local community theatre group production of FIDDLER a year ago at the historic Al Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wis., compelled me to obtain this on CD.

This release, however, gets only 3 stars because of the moronic, cheap packaging that RCA devoted to this deluxe edition of an album that has been a show music best-seller for them for forty years. All that the CD comes in is basically a cheap thin open-out cardboard sleeve with a CD tray on one side and the liner notes glued to the other. As another reviewer states in his/her review of the similar HELLO DOLLY deluxe edition, this is NOT the proper way to store CDs. The bonus tracks alone do not make this special edition worth the purchase. In bonus tracks, I like to see outtakes that were originally recorded by the cast and subsequently dropped. I really think we could do without the studio and radio interviews that labels (most notably Columbia) have been resorting to for inclusion on Broadway discs under the banner of special features or bonus tracks.

By all means, DO look for this recording in its previous CD incarnation from RCA, which is still in print, but avoid the deluxe edition.

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Good Musical...Not-So-Good Recording

I love the musical Fiddler on the Roof...but this recording wasn't too impressive. The singing quality isn't really that great...it often sounds like the performers are screaming or off key. What I do like about this album is the fact that it includes all the songs from the musical. The songs I enjoy the most from this album are "If I Were A Rich Man," "To Life," "The Dream," "Sunrise, Sunset," and "The Rumor." Overall, this album is ok...it's worth a listen.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

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