Classic Julie - Classic Broadway

After a period of relative inactivity as a recording artist, Julie Andrews, then in her late fifties, returned to the recording studio for a series of projects for the Philips label in the early '90s. First, there was a studio cast recording of The King and I in 1992 in which she naturally took the role of Anna Leonowens, singing songs like "Hello, Young Lovers" and "Getting to Know You." Then there were two songwriter albums, Julie Andrews: Broadway - The Music of Richard Rodgers, released in 1994, and Julie Andrews: Broadway - Here I'll Stay - The Words of Alan Jay Lerner, held for release until 1996. Finally, Andrews took the original Broadway cast album of Victor/Victoria to Philips in 1995. Selections from these releases have been combined to create this compilation. Andrews is heard re-creating some of the music she is best known for, including medleys from My Fair Lady and Camelot, as well as The Sound of Music. But she also takes the opportunity to try out songs she never got the chance to sing onstage or in films, such as "On a Clear Day" from On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and "A Cock-Eyed Optimist" from South Pacific. Even in the works she did do, there are songs which were sung by others that she here appropriates, such as "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music. Even in her maturity, Andrews retains not only her famous poise and precise intonation, but also a wonderful voice. There are occasions when the orchestrations are overly bombastic, and there are song choices that do not entirely suit the singer, particularly the lusty "Bewitched." But most of the collection is impressive, if poignant, since, at least at the time of its release, it seemed to present the best of Andrews' final recordings.