|
Rufus! Does Judy Live at the London Palladium Posters
Photos Art
Search for Posters Art Prints, photos and get
results from all the many categories from Amazon including
books, videos, dvds, toys, video games, and more.
|
|
|
Posters Art
Prints Photos collectables |
|
|
|
|
|
|
If for some reason you can't find what the
poster or art print your looking for try using the search boxes
below
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Rating:  -
I really enjoyed this DVD very very much. I have listened to the Judy Garland recording probably as many times as any straight man and agree that it is a masterpiece. In no way is Rufus Wainwright comparable to her vocally...its just not close..but WHO CARES? This artist is obviously a big fan and he really pours it out on this performance which is very fun and when you factor in the stunning number of fabulous songs...this is a great collection of well performed standards from the Great American Songbook!
If Judy's performance was captured on film and available on DVD ...I'd say...why bother? But its NOT...so this isn't the travesty or other such nonsense that some reviewers have suggested...but a hoot and a pretty good time to listen and watch. Besides that....if one is a true fan of Judy Garland you'd think someone putting such an effort into a tribute which keeps her artistry in the public consciousness should be applauded and I do!!
Rating: -
...but I knew that going into this and I was still looking forward to seeing him doing this concert as much as I would have looked forward to seeing Judy do it in 1961. I was richly rewarded by the experience, but I can understand that there are those who would not be. I didn't like Rufus the first time I heard him, but a line of one of his songs came back to me again and again after hearing it once: "I don't want to hold you and lose my senses...". It wasn't the words so much as the way he sang them. His voice and delivery got under my skin to the extent that I went back for another listen, then another and another until I was hooked. I can still be initially put off by his tone, phrasing, intonation, but I can't forget it. He goes to my head and stays there beckoning me to return to his music and its better than I remember it when I get there the next time. I have come to love the time I spend with Rufus and his music, and I know I'm not alone.
So, here, I don't see Rufus Wainwright trying to be or to imitate Judy Garland or reproduce her original performance note for note. I see Rufus being Rufus and loving Judy Garland and thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to pay tribute to her memory by reinterpreting her most famous set - and share it with his family and part of what's left of Judy's. I found myself pulled into that and having as good a time as he was [and as the audience obviously was]. He also evoked the spirit of Judy Garland for me in a very effective way. Judy was unmistakably Judy. You couldn't have disguised her if you tried, at least not once she started to sing. Rufus is unmistakably Rufus, and you couldn't disguise him if you tried. Both of them have a way of putting themselves out there for an audience that is honest and forthright like no one else.
If you're looking for someone who sounds like Judy, looks like her, moves like her, endeavors to be true to her style, this isn't the place to go. If you're looking to see Rufus Wainwright put himself out there in front of god and everybody through these songs the same way Judy did, you'll have a great time.
Rating:  -
What was Rufus Wainwright thinking when he decided to "pay tribute" to Judy Garland with this concert?
One could admire him in his efforts (reads blind ambition) in perpetuating the memory of Judy Garland in this day and age. However, his song-for-song "recreation" of Judy Garland's legendary performance at Carnegie Hall seriously falls short in honoring the talents and showmanship of the legendary singer.
Given the limitations and texture of Mr. Wainwright's voice, it is difficult to watch (and more painful to listen to) his renditions of songbook standards. What makes this disconnect between performer and the chosen material all the more apparent is the juxtaposition of Mr. Wainwright's thin, reedy, scratchy voice with the accompaniment of the supporting 36 piece orchestra.
Mr. Wainwright was not alone in his troubled journey as he had a few travel companions including Ms. Garland's daughter and performer, Lorna Luft. Thank god, Liza Minnelli exercised better judgment in avoiding this spectacle.
It would have been a better deal for all parties had Mr. Wainwright limited his tribute to Ms. Garland to a single selection, carefully chosen for its suitability to his limited vocal range and quality.
Rating: -
This is quite an amazing endeavor on a couple of levels. I wasn't a Rufus fan at first and, honestly, found his voice "whiny" and irritating. But, here you have Judy Garland's arrangements - the ones EVERYBODY knows by heart - perfectly reconstructed AND THEN lowered a fourth in pitch [for a male voice], which isn't the easiest thing to do orchestration-wise. The end result is that Rufus gets into the heart & soul of each song and somehow he recreates Judy while keeping his "Rufus-ness." He's got humor; he's got pathos; he's got Judy. Who could ask for anything more? As a filmed concert, it's superbly shot and the music is very well mixed. The orchestra is excellent. Mother McGarrigle & Sister Martha also perform, which may irk some "Judy purists," but, Hey! it's his gig.
Rating: -
Much as we appreciated the postmodern elements of this undertaking -- what with Mr. Wainwright and company's performing the entire Judy @ Carnegie Hall reportoire using the original Mort Lindsey arrangements, to boot -- and the effort expended by all and sundry connected to this production, we couldn't help but be reminded of a quote from fictional character Addison DeWitt which I paraphrase below:
"Mr. Wainwright's talent wasn't tall enough for that gesture."
Watching this concert felt frighteningly like those occasions when one was made to sit through a neighbor's precocious child being made to perform for his relatives. Makes one question just how inured we've become to mediocrity and ersatz "talent" for lack of anything better. Rufus!Rufus!Rufus! doing Judy!Judy!Judy was Sad!Sad!Sad, indeed.
|
