In Bagdad, a thief’s daughter meets the young Caliph, thinking he is a gardener. The two fall in love, but their road to happiness is beset with many trials and tribulations…

Kismet is a musical romance, Book by Charles Lederer and Luther Davis. The story was based on a 1911 play by Edward Knoblock. The show was commissioned by Edwin Lester, founder and director of the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, with music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, the music was heavily based on the work of classical composer Alexander Borodin (1833 – 1887), the influence is most noticeable in the songs ‘Stranger in Paradise’ and ‘And This Is My Beloved’. Such was his influence that Borodin was awarded a posthumous Tony for the show.

This version of the musical is taken from the show's first revival at the Lincoln Centre’s New York State Theatre, starting on 22 June 1965, the show ran for 39 performances and stared Alfred Drake, Lee Venora, Anne Jeffreys, and Henry Calvin. Calvin and Drake had appeared in the same roles in the original Broadway cast.

It’s hard to move past your own prejudices. I first encountered Kismet not at a theatre but via the film with Howard Keel, Ann Blyth and Vic Damone. The film version has a much softer tone to it. Compare the version of ‘And This is My Beloved’ from this recording to the version from the film. The show's overlay of many voices makes for a confused mix, to the point that it nearly drowns out the main melody.

The same can be said of ‘Stranger in Paradise’ where the vocals are less in balance with the orchestra than they should be; you get the desire to turn the vocals down so they mesh with the music much better. It's a problem which besets many of the tracks and probably comes down to the way it was originally recorded and mixed, but it makes for harsh listening.

The recording is crystal clear and in some cases this gives rise to a discordant sound, mostly because of the way the vocal overpower the music, still it’s the nearest thing you’re going to get to the original show.

The track listing is:

'OVERTURE' 5:11 - Orchestra
'SANDS OF TIME' 2:03 - Rudy Vejar & Muezzins
'RHYMES HAVE I' 2:32 - Alfred Drake & Lee Venora
'FATE' 2:09 - Alfred Drake
'NOT SINCE NINEVEH' 3:08 - Anne Jeffreys, Henry Calvin & Chorus
'BAUBLES, BANGLES AND BEADS' 2:58 - Lee Venora & Chorus
'STRANGER IN PARADISE' 4:07 - Lee Venora & Richard Banke
'HE’S IN LOVE' 2:25 - Albert Toigo & Chorus
'GESTICULATE' 4:20 - Alfred Drake, Anne Jeffreys, Henry Calvin & Chorus
'BORED' 2:53 - Alfred Drake & Anne Jeffreys
'NIGHT OF MY NIGHTS' 3:16 - Richard Banke & Chorus
'WAS I WAZIR?; 2:20 - Henry Calvin & Chorus
'RAHADLAKUM' 3:44 - Alfred Drake, Anne Jeffreys, Anita Alpert & Chorus
'AND THIS IS MY BELOVED' 4:11 - Alfred Drake, Lee Venora, Richard Banke & Henry Calvin
'THE OLIVE TREE' 2:41 - Alfred Drake
'ZUBBEDIYA' 1:08 - Anita Alpert
'FINALE' 2:58 - Alfred Drake, Lee Venora, Richard Banke & Chorus

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Charles Packer