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Idina Menzel has a diverse career on the stage, in films and television, and in music. The beloved Broadway star, best known for her work in Rent, her Tony Award-winning performance as Elphaba, the green-faced Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked, and her recurring role in the hit TV series Glee, has spent much of the past two years crisscrossing the country, headlining with dozens of symphony orchestras. This past November, on the second-to-last stop on Menzel's 2011 itinerary, the star recorded her forthcoming PBS special Idina Live: Barefoot at the Symphony. On March 6th, she releases the DVD and accompanying album to the special.
The special, and the album, were captured in Toronto at Koerner Hall, a beautifully modernist, acoustically blessed, 1,100-seat space literally carved out of the city's historic Royal Conservatory of Music headquarters. Menzel performs with the 52-piece Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, one of Canada's premiere symphony orchestras, under the direction of guest conductor Marvin Hamlish (or as Menzel prefers to call him, the legendary Marvin Hamlish) and her equally accomplished music director and pianist, Rob Mounsey (who has worked with everyone from Paul Simon and Steely Dan to Madonna, Usher and Rihanna).
Though Menzel's symphony concerts have attracted sellout crowds and earned consistent critical praise, she was hesitant about the idea at first. "I've toured a lot in my life with different bands and different styles of music, but I stayed away from orchestras and symphonies for a long time, because I like to have a real intimacy with the audience, and I was afraid these big orchestras would usurp my ability to do that. But then I discovered that there's a way to work with 80 musicians and make it feel like we've all known each other for years. It was a bit of me fighting with myself, but that's what turning 40 does to you! I'm still able to explore my edgier side with songs like `Roxanne,' but do it with an orchestra, which is really thrilling."
With the PBS special and the album both completed, Menzel plans to go back on tour this summer. She also hopes to return soon to Broadway for "a brand new, original show that I'm not allowed to talk about, but really excites me." She'll also continue her exemplary work with A BroaderWay, the foundation she established with Diggs in 2010 to help inner-city girls find outlets for self-expression through arts-related programs. But, says Menzel, "my biggest project right now is trying to be a really great mom and learning how to balance family and career. I'm just trying to spend as much time with my family as I can."
Live Barefoot At The Symphony Reviews
Live Barefoot At The Symphony Reviews
| 9 of 10 people found the following review helpful  Surprisingly Good, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Live: Barefoot At The Symphony [+Digital Booklet] (MP3 Download) I have been a fan of Idina Menzel's work off and on. I loved her voice in Wicked, enjoyed her in Rent, and saw her on Glee. Not only does this album feature mentions of all three, but she does some really good versions of the songs from each show. I found her banter between songs to keep my attention and the story throughout the album has good flow. I would highly recommend this album to any fan of Menzel's and to anyone who is interested in hearing a sample of her works. 6 of 8 people found the following review helpful  Disappointed, Ms. Menzel, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Live: Barefoot At The Symphony [+Digital Booklet] (MP3 Download) I LOVE Idina Menzel, but this CD should have never been released. Poor musical selections. Too much banter and she doesn't seem focused at all, more like she's marking it all the way through. There's a couple of "cute" tracks, but you'd be much better off downloading her songs from Glee, Wicked, Rent and her most recent solo CD. Very poor sound quality (recording is "flat")-- I haven't watched the DVD but in "For Good" it sounds like she went into the audience or somewhere else a million miles away from the mic. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful  Great Music, could have cut back on the dialogue between songs, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Live Barefoot At The Symphony (Audio CD) I love Idina's voice & saw this show in New York last year. In person she was very personable & it was fun to hear the stories between songs, but as a long term listener I think it detracts & causes one to want to fast forward to the music. It worked best on "Where or When" when she does a duet with her husband, Taye Diggs. I have to agree with another reviewer that the break on "Poker Face" ruined the song. If you purchase the DVD, then the stories are more tolerable. Also, "For Good" needed the orchestra. It's such a beautiful song, but hearing Idina sing it all alone with no accompaniment was dull. I'd love for Idina to release a new original music cd, but with keeping her Broadway/show tune style in mind.I would have given this a 5 star review had the cd flowed better. |
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