Oklahoma!

This spring Angel Records launched a new series of soundtrack releases: Classic Musicals. Therefore it is highly appropriate that to coincide with the newly restored DVD releases, the first three albums be devoted to big-screen adaptations of musicals by the legendary team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Oklahoma! was a Broadway smash in 1943 and ran for five years, with over 2,200 performances. Adapted into a 70-mm, widescreen Todd-AO film version in 1955, the film starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones in the lead roles as Curley and Laurey.

For this new album, over 30-additional minutes have been added to the original soundtrack release, and it\'s all been beautifully remastered. The album begins with the sweeping \"Overture\" and soon moves into the classic \"Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin\'\". Most of the songs are the same as were on the original release, however the addition of the ballets is where this album truly makes its mark. With ballets for \"Kansas City\", \"Many A New Day\", \"Out of My Dreams\" and \"The Farmer and the Cowman\", we finally get a chance to really listen to the wonderful orchestral arrangements.

As a bonus, the original LP version of the \"Overture\" is included. The sound quality for this album is surprisingly good, although there are a few moments that have a slight bit of hiss and distortion (from age, no doubt) - but it\'s nothing to detract from the enjoyment of the album. The liner notes by Didier C. Deutsch and Charles L. Granata (the producers of the album) are extensive and insightful. If you are a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, this is a no-brainer - definitely a top-quality release.