Judy at Carnegie Hall

July 10^th marked the 50^th anniversary of the release of Judy at Carnegie Hall, the recording of Judy Garland’s landmark performance at that venue.  The album notes describe Judy’s performance on that evening of April 23, 1961 as “probably the greatest evening in show business history,” a claim that is seldom disputed to this day.  Garland celebrated 50 years of American music that night, performing songs by, among others, Harold Arlen, George and Ira Gershwin, Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart, Alan Jay Lerner and Fredrick Loewe, Irving Berlin, and Johnny Mercer. 

Judy Garland became a household name in 1939 when she starred as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, the film in which she introduced Arlen’s “Over the Rainbow.”  Garland would go on to great personal and professional triumphs and failures (all of which have been documented and debated ad nauseam in both credible and non-credible forums). 

The performance and recordings are a matter of continued interest.  Vanity Fair published a detailed account of the evening, as well as the days preceding it, in May.  Rufus Wainwright recreated the concert in 2007.  A documentary film, which recalls the historic event through the eyes of those who were there, is in production, and due to be released in 2012.

From the overture to the final (fourth) encore, the album is a master class in communicating songs - not just the music and lyrics, but also the story - to an audience.  Every instant is Garland at her very best – complete with the signature Garland vibrato.  The final verse of the "Almost Like Being in Love" and "This Can’t Be Love" medley is a punctuation contest between Garland and the orchestra.  The collective, relentless pulse, with just the right amount of cymbal, intensifies into an inescapable awe.  "Do it Again" is a masterpiece of phrasing.  Her rendition of “The Man that Got Away," a Garland signature, is complicated and raw.  Garland alternates between moments that tremble with despair then melt away, and explosive, cathartic moments that shake one's foundation.  

By the time we reach “Over the Rainbow,” we have already been through quite a bit.  Her rendition is filled with longing and sadness, and we are reminded: we have lost a great, irreplaceable legend.  The album continues to inspire generations of musicians, and is widely know as the gold-standard for live performance.    

Garland ended the historic concert with a soaring rendition of Fred Fisher’s Prohibition Era “Chicago,” highlighting the great sites of our wonderful, windy town:   

"On State Street, that great street,

I just wanna stay, I just wanna stay.

They do things they don’t do on Broadway.”