Fans of both soprano
Barbara Hannigan and the
Ludwig Orchestra may be surprised to see this album, containing the likes of
I Could Have Danced All Night, for both have generally specialized in contemporary music. However, both are capable of handling these pop dance tunes idiomatically;
Hannigan, like
Renee Fleming, sang jazz and pop earlier in her life, and the
Ludwig Orchestra has performed pop dance charts from the classic era as interludes between concerts of contemporary works.
Hannigan gets top billing here, but those attracted to the album mainly by her presence should note that she sings on only four numbers, but her work with the orchestra crackles with energy, and she is one of the few classical singers who can handle this repertory well. The
Ludwig Orchestra, bulked up with a quartet of saxophones, is really the star of the show. Each number illustrates a different dance from the first half of the 20th century, from a slow fox-trot by
Glenn Miller, to the one-step
Fluffy Ruffles, to a steaming-hot samba, and the album could serve quite well for a classroom or community center survey of these. The show concludes with an arrangement for orchestra of
Elgar's
Salut d'amour for violin and piano, Op. 12, and this brings things to a nice romantic close and does not disturb the mood in the least; it is the kind of piece many pop orchestras have in their repertoires. It is hard to imagine who might dislike this album, unless it be those who maintain that classical music and pop should be separate and never meet. ~ James Manheim
