It's more than just an interpretation; it's actually the original version from way back when it was first performed - including the original orchestration, voicing, etc..
Me! Me! And by the way, for the price of many concerts that might just feature a 5-piece band or even a singer and a pianist in an arena, I get to hear something like this in a proper concert hall, with NO mics because the singers are just that powerful. It’s called OPERA, and I see 5 a year at Houston Grand Opera, one of the world’s great opera companies!
Not all of them are. Young people sing and even record these songs all the time. You can find them right here on RU-vid. And it's not as if there's been no good songs since. This was recorded many years after Kern and Hammerstein wrote this standard. There have been innumerable recordings, in many styles. I don't know about you, but I was born in the 60's. I never heard this song growing up--not until I started coming across Jazz recordings of it. If you were listening to music like this in 1939, God bless. ;)
@@christopherlyons5900 When I commented on this version of the Kern Hammerstein classic I was attempting to compare the beauty we see here performed with the type of "music" that today's young people listen to. How sad a comparison. The wonderful music made all the more so by the talented performers. Thanks for your comment.
@@mrmel1941 You realize, older people say the same thing about the music young people listen to in every generation--the reverence we now feel for tthis music was by no means universal when it was new. In any event, young people at that time would have been listening to different music--since most of them wouldn't be able to afford to go to the theater, and dress as was expected of theatergoers at the time. If they played these tunes, it was to a jazz beat, not the operetta style you hear on this video. Also, Rebecca Luker was born in 1961, meaning she came of age in the 70's, same as me. She definitely listened to the popular music of that time as well, but her voice was suited to this type of song. Nostalgia is a common emotion, but this music was not created in a spirit of nostalgia, but of art.
Goosebumps and chills! Rare performance of original scoring/voicing done to perfection. Its intricate melodic line and evolving modulations are complex; they not only challenge the skills of any musician, they are why it is regarded as the most beautiful and impressive song of the 20th century. From the American musical theater, it deserves its place at the top the Great American Songbook. Though he composed much great music, for this one song alone, Kern is the sole possessor of The Gold.
Sing with the heavenly choir, Rebecca Luker. Thank you for gracing this world with your crystal clear, enchanting, angelic soprano voice. You're beautiful ❤
Without a doubt, this must be one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and what a passionate romantic performance this is! My heart pounding as tears stream from my eyes, breathtakingly beautiful in every way! Sublime!
This is the most moving performance I have heard of this sublime sing written by jeromevkern and Oscar Hammerstein 11. Rebecca luker sang it perfectly and beautifully . She died tragicly of als at fifty-nind two years ago. She is missed.
Arguably, the most beautiful song every written. And those original gorgeous orchestrations conducted by John McGlinn are most glorious. Totally, mesmerizing and enjoyable!
I had to memorize this song upon my graduation from High School. The why class as well I will never forget it. I am tearing up now. How beautiful is this performance
Thanks for your comment. What do you mean by why class, and what was the reason for having to memorize it after graduation? Just curious. this is an astounding performance.
One of My favorite musical films is "Till The Clouds Roll By" a Jerome Kern cinematic biography & I've often reflected, This planet won't see such a Lush, Romantic & Beautiful era of music again, IMO
Happily, I was in the audience when John McGlinn brought Show Boat to Orchestra Hall in Chicago a few months before this performance was recorded in Boston. What you don't see in this video is, as it was in Chicago, the entire audience, with one movement, rising to its feet in ovation. The atmosphere in the hall was pure astonishment, joy and adulation!
It doesn't get any better & there are Many Rembrandt songs from this era, 'Sondheim's documentary on deconstructing Jerome Kern's "All The Things You Are" is very intriguing
You have said it all! It brings me to tears every time I see it. The entire production is like something from Heaven! When the dancers walk on there is even more beauty to this song. There is something so sacred about this video. It should be sung in a Church.
I loved this when I saw it originally, and I was in a play with Rebecca Luker, the blond, in college. She always had a beautiful voice and a beautiful look. This has got to be one of the most beautiful songs ever written, and I love this original arrangement.
My mother made a cassette tape of things she wanted me to know before she died (1985). She ended the tape with this song...when I hear it, it is as if we are together again...thank you.
It's the arrangement and conducting which make this performance truly shine ~ both by the brilliant John McGlinn, for whose presence Heaven itself is now blessed ...
That audience was totally captivated -- those beaming faces in the audience as the chorus joined in. (4:16) Only thing missing from this video is the long and loud ovation that surely followed it. I would have loved to hear that because the performance was stunning.
Yes, if you listen carefully they had already started a thundering applause while she was still holding the final note. When we witness greatness we seem to become impatient to show appreciation - which is a wonderful human trait.
Such beautiful music with such beautiful lyrics! I wonder just why these two elements of music have seemed to disappear in the last few decades. Where are the melodies that one can remember and hum? Where are the lovely lyrics that one can remember clear back to the 30', 40's and 50's? I treasure all of these, and thank you for sending them to me!
+Kathleen Hazeldine Actually, the reason you love this song - and many others like it - is not the melody. It's the chord structure! Kern, Gershwin, Porter, Rodgers, Berlin, Arlen - all were masters of matching gorgeous chords to often simple melodies, creating hummable tunes that last because of the chords placed underneath them. When you sing a tune like this in the shower, you're unconsciously hearing the chords in your head, and that's why it send shivers up your spine. A lost art.
Thank you very much for that very interesting explanation! I was a music major many, many years ago, and was never made aware of this placement of chords under the great melodies. Thank you again! Thank you YOU TUBE!
How sad that most young people will never know the beauty and lyricism that this song, arrangement and these singers represent. I am afraid the world has grown a little more unlovely for that reason. Thank you for this wonderful post.
How sad that a beautiful performance like this would kindle such negativity in you. Hopefully one day you will be cultured enough to experience beauty for what it is and be fully captured by the moment.
+Helenaville The greater of the two negativitiesーpop culture vs slight triggering sensation incurred from the original comment ーis by far the pop culture filth of today. It's sickening trying not to trip over the diarrhea mass produced all over the radio, television, and internet. The least a mildly sensible person can do is offer a little timid criticism
@@@helenaville5939 -- Richard Bigelow is not being "negative"; he simply stated the fact that most young people will never be introduced to the rarefying effects of songs like this one and how sad that is for the world we live in. "Unlovely" is a very appropriate word.
@@louisaellingham602 Thanks for seeing and expressing the the meaning of my original comment. As Frank Sinatra said when he introduced Fred Astaire in "That's Entertainment", "You can wait and hope, but you're never going to hear the likes of this again."
A spectacular arrangement. This is my favorite song of all time, this and "Julia" by John Lennon (and songs I write myself). I'm going to make sure at least a few "young people" hear this, for sure! There is so much beautiful music over the last centuries. It's our job to pass it on.
A slice of Heaven, here on earth. I have loved this version since I first heard, after buying this CD back in the 90's. HAD NO IDEA this had been filmed. I am deeply thankful to have found it, and thank you hoffemay, very much. If there is ONE THING I MOST LOVE about Humankind are such folks, coming together to pour-out such Overwhelming Joy, breathtaking, soul-grabbing. I am dumbfounded anyone of Sanity would give this a thumbs-down. It's so ridiculous, I am now laughing. All the awfulness in the world, and this is a thumbs-down? HA! Unreal. I shall share this now, and shall again, on my other sites. McGlinn, the performers, I've sung with for decades. I hope they are well and, wherever they are, a warm embrace, in spirit.
How sad that John McGlinn died so young at age 55, 10 years ago. I first discovered him via CD with the wonderful 'Showboat' recording in the early to mid 1990's. I acquired the rest (I think!) of his work on CD, the wonderful shows recreated as they were first heard at their original premieres. But as long as there is some form of listening devices, his work will live on. Thankfully.
Some performances are epic. Olga Kern's Van Cliburn 2001, Sir Simon Rattle and the British youth orchestra performing Mahler's 8th in Sir Albert Hall, Kennedy Center Honors Barbara Cook, and this. Most beautiful arrangement and performance I've heard. So sad we lost Rebekah Luker, that beautiful song bird.
Kern just had the same chords to work with as the other composers, but he created the most beautiful melodies. This would be ranked number one, but also the Oscar winning "Just the Way You Look Tonight", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Long Ago and Far Away" and many more.
A beautiful rendition of the original orchestration of this song rediscovered by John McGlinn who spent much of his life seeking these original orchestrations for Broadway musicals and show tunes. His ultimate achievement was his 1988, 3-disc recreation of the musical, Show Boat, as it was first performed at its premier performance at New York City’s Ziegfeld Theatre on December 27, 1927. For those interested, the complete performance of the concert in which this McGlinn version of “All The Things You Are” appeared is on the RU-vid video, “Evening at Pops, Broadway Originals.”
Had this on VHS which I recorded on PBS in the early 90s. Watched it until the tape degraded so badly. Very happy to have it back. One of the best songs ever written, and this performance is wonderful.
As usual, commentators ignore the importance of the lyrics when praising a song. The tune is beautiful, but Oscar Hammerstein's lyrics are equally important to its emotional effect. They too are beautiful and fit the music perfectly. It’s the combination of a beautiful melody and a beautiful lyric that touches the listener. You can’t separate them. When you hear only the music, you remember the lyrics.
This version is featured on the "Showstoppers" CD, available from ARCHIVMUSIC. The CD features songs by Gershwin, Youmans, Bernstein, Weill, and about 5 other songs by Kern. One of my favourite CDs!
God bless you, Mr. Hammerstein and Mr. Kern, wherever you are. Your words and music are providing me with such comfort and joy in this difficult time of quarantine, and this tune in particular expresses what so many of us would say to a world that has been taken from us, but which we hope will soon return. I know you'll be there to help us enjoy that happy moment as well.
Not really jazz to be honest. Those standards from 20-50's popular american music weren't jazz. There were taken and re-interpreted by many jazz artists later on. Now that's some hot jazz godddamn
One of the finest songs never performed anymore! The original was written for a less than successful musical. Hard to imagine when the composer and lyricists were Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II. It's hauntingly beautiful and features one of my favorite performers; Rebecca Luker! A million thanks hoffemay! varadero
maravillosa interpretacion ! la cancion es una obra de arte, sus cambios armonicos son base del estudio en jazz , estas voces son maravillosas, llegan al corazon ,felicitaciones !
Dios! que hermosura de interpretación absolutamente todo! los músicos, el coro, los bailarines, el lugar, todo contribuye a su magia me fascinaría haber estado ahí y seguro sería uno de los días más felices de mi vida sin duda lloraría al final porque si esta pantalla me separa de todo lo que incluye el presenciar un espectáculo artístico así y me conmueve, entonces como reaccionaría al estar ahí...¿Quien le enseño al ser humano el arte de interpretar ópera? los verdaderos ángeles? porque es tan hermoso que así lo parece.
Lots of versions of this lovely song. For my money, this is one of the best. Also the only one I've found that goes up at the end. Even Jessye Norman, who sings a beautiful version, doesn't do that, and with her voice, I don't understand why noy!
