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Songs Of Love And Whimsy By Noel Coward & Flanders And Swann

Flanders / Swann / Coward / Sperry / Hobson
Release Date: 06/12/2012 
Label:  Zephyr   Catalog #: 11   Spars Code: n/a 
Composer:  Noel Coward,  Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry,  Ian Hobson
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 7 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews



FLANDERS & SWANN Misalliance. The Gnu. The Sloth. Ill Wind. Friendly Duet. The Gasman Cometh. The Hippo. The Armadillo. Have Some Madeira, M’Dear. COWARD Someday I’ll Find You. A Bar on the Piccola Marina. World Weary. Uncle Harry. I Travel Alone. That is the End of the News. Bright Was the Day. Nina. If Love Were All. Mrs. Worthington • Paul Sperry (ten); Ian Hobson (pn) • ZEPHYR 142 (67:38)


Here we go again with a convoluted album title, Read more except in this case I forgive the artist because the material is light in nature. But just in case you can’t find this disc under either Donald Swann’s or Noël Coward’s names, you might try the following: “Someday I’ll Find You,” Said the Honeysuckle to the Bindweed: Songs of Love & Whimsy by Noël Coward & Flanders and Swann. I kid you not!


But you have to love this disc. After all, it’s Paul Sperry—one of the most musical, literate, and articulate tenors in the world, an acknowledged master of songs and Lieder since the early 1970s—performing material he absolutely loves. Just listen to the way he sings The Gnu, The Hippo, Nina , or especially Mrs. Worthington —in which, as in Coward’s Uncle Harry and Nina , Sperry adds some racy verses that poor dear Noël wasn’t allowed to record on 78. Sperry always had a small, rather dry voice, and at age 77 it’s not only dry but has also picked up an unsteady beat on sustained notes. But who cares? You certainly won’t once you hear this disc. If you’re a real music lover, and not just a voice aficionado, you not only know who Sperry is, you adore this guy. And, as he proves on If Love Were All , he can still hit a soft high B? in head voice.


As for Ian Hobson … is there anything this man can’t play? Having raved about his solo Chopin discs and admired him for years in other venues, here he is as an accompanist, and he’s just as good as ever. If you like this material, this disc is a no-brainer.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley
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Works on This Recording

1.
Misalliance by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Contemporary 
 Length: 3 Minutes 33 Secs. 
2.
The Gnu Song by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 3 Minutes 1 Secs. 
3.
The Sloth by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 4 Minutes 0 Secs. 
4.
Ill Wind by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1964; England 
 Length: 3 Minutes 7 Secs. 
5.
Friendly Duet by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 1 Minutes 41 Secs. 
6.
The Gas-Man Cometh by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Contemporary 
 Length: 2 Minutes 24 Secs. 
7.
Hippo Encore by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 4 Minutes 18 Secs. 
8.
The Armadillo by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 3 Minutes 49 Secs. 
9.
Madeira M'Dear by Donald Swann
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: England 
 Length: 4 Minutes 5 Secs. 
10.
Private Lives: Some Day I'll Find You by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1930; England 
 Length: 2 Minutes 44 Secs. 
11.
A Bar on the Piccola Marina by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1954; England 
 Length: 4 Minutes 14 Secs. 
12.
This Year of Grace: World Weary by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1928; England 
 Length: 4 Minutes 4 Secs. 
13.
Uncle Harry by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 4 Minutes 35 Secs. 
14.
I Travel Alone by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1934; England 
 Length: 2 Minutes 51 Secs. 
15.
That is the End of the News, song by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 3 Minutes 30 Secs. 
16.
Bright Was the Day by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: Modern 
 Length: 3 Minutes 19 Secs. 
17.
Nina from Argentina by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: England 
 Length: 4 Minutes 14 Secs. 
18.
Bitter Sweet: If Love Were All by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1929; England 
 Length: 4 Minutes 59 Secs. 
19.
Mrs. Worthington by Noel Coward
Performer:  Paul [Tenor Vocal] Sperry (), Ian Hobson (Piano)
Period: 20th Century 
Written: 1935 
 Length: 3 Minutes 1 Secs. 

Sound Samples

At the Drop of a Hat: Misalliance
At the Drop of a Hat: The Gnu
At the Drop of a Hat: The Sloth
At the Drop of a Hat: Ill Wind
At the Drop of a Hat: Friendly Duet
At the Drop of a Hat: The Gasman Cometh
The Hippopotamus Song
The Armadillo
At the Drop of a Hat: (Have Some) Madeira, M'Dear?
Private Lives: Some day I'll find you
A bar on the piccolo marina
This Year of Grace: World Weary
Uncle Harry
I Travel Alone
Sigh No More: That Is the End of the News
Pacific 1860: Bright Was the Day
Sigh No More: Nina
Bitter-Sweet: Act II: If love were all
Mrs. Worthington

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 1 Customer Review )
 A Pale Comparison to the incomparable Flanders an September 11, 2014 By Alan M. (Glendale, CA) See All My Reviews "The songs all are wonderful, but after listening to the delightful spontaneity of the incomparable Michael Flanders and Donald Swann's classic performances, these performances fell flat for me. I realize that may be horribly unfair to this very fine tenor, but there it is. If you are expecting anything close to the Flanders and Swann performances, I'm afraid you are bound to be disappointed." Report Abuse
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