Wednesday 22nd November, 2006
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A Thought for Today
Good Morning God and Thank You.
This
One Does It For Me!
Dear Ken,
I can't tell you how thrilled I was when a friend recently presented me
with a tape of Rod and Greta Keller - An Evening in Vienna, I think it's
called.
I loved every number on it so how about the words to some of the songs
one day?
Best wishes and thanks for all you do,
Simone.
An Evening in Vienna it
certainly is called, Simone, and you're lucky to have a copy. I haven't
heard it but by all accounts it's a wonderful album.
Here are the liner notes for your enjoyment along with the lyrics to one
of the numbers.
An
Evening in Vienna with Greta Keller & Rod McKuen
Historic recording of the Brahms-Saal 1971
June 4, 1971 - A historic musical evening in Vienna, a city famous for
its historic music evenings. Here on a beautiful summer night, the best
of two musical worlds came together for the first time. Europe’s leading
chanteuse Greta Keller and America’s only chansonnier Rod McKuen joined
in a magic concert which highlighted each of their talents to the
fullest while blending two individual styles into a captivating new
musical entity.
Both Greta Keller and Rod McKuen traditionally appear only as solo
artists when performing on stage - rarely, if ever, do they combine each
of their programs with a second artist. The talent of each is in itself
so strong, so dynamic that a sharing of the spotlight only would serve
to diminish the impact. But the mutual love between Greta and Rod added
a new dimension to their artistry as they appeared together for the
first time anywhere in the Vienna concert captured on this recording.
For years, each had admired the talent of the other. Rod would write
songs for Greta - and Greta would introduce the songs throughout Europe
giving the poetry and melody of McKuen new life. As they traveled
through the world in different directions, performing separately, it
seemed that the two were drawn closer together by their work and a
growing sense of mutual love and respect. They would visit each other
whenever possible and kept up a steady correspondence. It was inevitable
then that this love eventually would bring them together on a stage -
two unique talents combined for one unique concert: Rod McKuen presented
in his first Vienna concert by Greta Keller. And Greta honored Rod not
only by presenting him in this concert but by also appearing with him in
the Brahms-Saal in a program entitled: “A History of the America Popular
Song Up to and Including Rod McKuen.”
Greta Keller is one of those few performers in the world who can
be called “a legend”. With charm, personality, glamour and pure talent
she has dominated the world of music and entertainment for decades since
her debut as a child star with the Volkstheatre in Vienna, the city of
her birth. Spending her teenage years as an actress in Vienna...
studying dance, dramatics, and voice... learning French, German, and
English - she was preparing for her debut as a cabaret singer ( the
cabaret was the mileau of all great Continental performers seeking to
reach an audience ). While appearing in the Viennese production of the
musical “Broadway” Greta was a young girl working in the chorus - and
together they listened to the newest gramophone records and practiced
their singing... the young girl was named Marlene Dietrich. As Dietrich
went on to become an international star, Greta Keller likewise soon
found herself known around the world. Enthusiastic audiences greeting
her singing in Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Paris, and finally London where
she made her first records and starred in her own BBC radio series.
America beckoned next and Greta appeared on Broadway in “The Fourth
Little Show” in a role created by Libby Holman. She co-starred with Rudy
Vallee on radio and soon had her own program. Concert tours, broadcasts
to the Allied troops during World War II, and television appearances
followed in rapid succession. While other singers were slightly
apprehensive about television in its infancy, Greta recognized its great
future and was one of the first to regularly appear on the medium. She
opened her own nightclub in New York City and continued to sing in
concert halls around the world. Currently living in Vienna, Miss Keller
spends several months each year in the United States performing
frequently either in concert ( such as in New York’s Lincoln Center ) or
in cabarets ( New York’s Hotel Stanhope presents her several times a
year ). Currently in the planning stage in a new off-Broadway one woman
show to showcase her talents. She is active in the recording field and
“An Evening in Vienna" represents one of a series of new Greta Keller
records soon to be released.
Rod McKuen is the world’s best selling poet, one of its greatest
living composer-performers, and a man of so many diverse talents that
the list seems endless. He has written film scores ( “Joanna”, ‘The
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie”, “Me, Natalie”, “A Boy Named Charlie Brown”,
“Scandalous John” ) as well as classical compositions ( two symphonies,
two concerti, and several shorter works ). His popular songs, numbering
over 1000, have been performed by most of the major singers on the scene
today. The books of McKuen poetry (Stanyan Street and Other Sorrows”,
“Listen to the Warm”, “Lonesome Cities”, “In Someone’s Shadow”, and
“Fields of Wonder” among others ) have reached more hearts and minds
than those of any other poet in contemporary literature. As a performer,
Rod McKuen’s one man concerts are sell out attractions wherever he plays
- and those unable to buy a seat to see him in concert, can enjoy him on
television specials filmed in the United States, England, Holland, and
Austria. From his home in Los Angeles, Rod runs a growing book
publishing - recording company and Animal Concern, a foundation to save
endangered species and promote humane treatment of domesticated animals
and wildlife. In the future, there are plans for Rod to adapt his poetry
books for motion pictures and to direct and produce films. A documentary
dealing with his life and performances is currently being filmed and
several major recording projects chronicling his creative career are in
preparation. New poetry books by Rod McKuen include “Pastorale”, “And to
Each Season”, and “Beyond the Boardwalk.”
- from the album "An Evening in Vienna"
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