"Pygmalion" by George Bernard Shaw

As usual, I was actually busy with something else but this came my way and it was too good to be missed. The original theatre play (written in 1912) is far darker than later Broadway musical based on it and even though the musical is very entertaining in its own way, I perfectly understand why author was against it and during his lifetime he did not permit anybody setting his basically dark comedy into something as trivial as musical theatre - in order to somehow translate this story for Broadway stage (later famous movie) the story has ben diluted and watered-down to make it appear "entertaining" while original theatre play had much serious undertones. Personally I have nothing against musical version, in fact I even own 1957. original cast recording with Julie Andrews that must have been one of the highlights of golden age of Broadway, brimming with excellent melodies and memorable refrains but checking out this classic musical's theatre origins turned out completely enlightening experience. Honestly, its like seeing the famous old painting from completely different perspective.

Where the musical (and later movie) describes absent minded professor Higgins experimenting with the idea that with proper training anybody can learn to speak like aristocrat - the focus of his experiment being poor flower girl Elisa Doolittle who literary comes from the gutter - theatre play has far more serious undertones. Like Pygmalion from the ancient Greek play, this Pygmalion eventually gets used to her presence in his house but there is not a hint of a love affair between them - this is the main difference between original stage play and later musical. In original, professor Higgins lives with his stern housekeeper and at some point is joined by another professor (Pickering) so two of them share very brotherly, buddy-buddy household where Elisa is like a doll, re-shaped and re-defined into a classy lady but she is never ever seen as a beautiful girl or a love object - like a Frankenstein, she is their creation and the only thing that interest them is how fast can she learn to speak properly, play piano and appear aristocratic. It actually makes a perfect sense, because as Elisa completely changes her character and personality, she starts to see world around her differently and now she becomes aware what a miserable life she used to live previously when she was selling flowers in Covent Garden. One of the interesting things that Shaw suggest here is that Elisa was perhaps perfectly fine previously but now she can't go back again to the life she used to know - now as her eyes are opened, she is bitterly aware of woman's position in Victorian society and where previously as a poor flower girl she could afford to be independent, as a classy lady with manners she has to be property of some husband or other (in any case she has to depend on man to support her, because Victorian ladies did not work for living). To cement his point, Shaw adds a character of Elisa's father - likable and lovable dustman who represents unrepentant low class hedonist and who lives fine by his wits but once he gets in the money, his whole life changes and not for better, he actually starts to feel stress and obligations that come with money. 

At the end of the play, Elisa runs away from her benefactors - her eyes are wide open now and she won't be a doll in their hands. Their experiment was successful and they fooled everybody by presenting her as a duchess, but she is bitterly aware that once the experiment has finished, they have no interest in her anymore and don't care what will become of her. Both professors (Higgins particularly) are surprised and offended with her decision, they can't even understand why she won't simply stay in the house and continue as decorative figurine who is brining the slippers and arranging the flowers around the house. Elisa has different plans and she eventually finds herself a husband - impoverished but sweet Freddy who has never worked in his life and completely relies on her , but he loves her as human being - both professors continue to help them financially and are simultaneously proud and awed with this self-confident woman their created. In light of the original theatre play, it really comes as a surprise that Alan Jay Lerner and  Frederick Loewe thought it makes more sense to make professor Higgins and Elisa a love couple, because Shaw specifically and decidedly insisted that Higgins had no love for any other woman besides his mother, in fact he appears somewhat absent minded but basically self-centered scientist who never grew up and most of the time behaves like a spoiled child - he won't bother with polite society and in fact Elisa behaves far better and more appropriately than he ever does. As much as I love the musical, it was a pleasant surprise to red the original theatre play and  to discover that it has completely different point of view. 

"Svijet Tvoje Čarolije" by Giuliano (2000)

Another powerful vocalist from Split and one more rocker-turned-mainstream-pop, Giuliano Đanić is gifted with naturally strong and beautiful voice that was previously heard in rock music (he was member of several rock bands before he went solo) but here he does something else completely - just like Goran Karan (same town, same rock background) in order to reach audiences, Giuliano is musician tempted to leave music close to his heart for something with more commercial appeal. Where Karan eventually impressed and inspired legendary composer Zdenko Runjić who tailored the whole album for him, young Giuliano got himself composer Tomislav Mrduljaš and kind of dance pop.

Now, at the very first listening, the sheer combination of singer's attractive voice and this fluffy dance pop is almost sacrilegious: I understand this is something appealing to young audiences in clubs & bars around Split, but this guy surely deserves something more substantial. He was born with really good, strong voice that sounds expressive in ballads but this album decidedly leans towards upbeat dance pop (calculated marketing) and at first I cringed with embarrassment for him, thinking how bravely he embraced something that must have been far removed from music that initially attracted him into business. Or could it be that it sounded different as demo and was later re-modeled  as dance pop during post production? I decided that it was production: singer actually sounds very good and committed (specially on slower numbers) and he is joy to listen, so all this dance pop candy must have been added later. That everything actually works in spite my initial reservations (I still can't warm up to this generic, anonymous dance pop and its forced giddiness) just shows what a good singer Giuliano is - I believe he is one of the best voices currently around and wish him better luck with repertoire and collaborators. The only good music is the music coming from the heart, everything else is calculation destined to be eclipsed with new trends.

"Kao Da Te Ne Volim" by Goran Karan (1999)

Goran Karan always had powerful, expressive voice but it took right composer to bring him into big time and celebrated Zdenko Runjić was the right man for this. Runjić had already impeccable back catalogue and reputation as a man behind legendary singer Oliver Dragojević - in a way he might have been his Pygmalion because majority of Dragojević's now classic songbook was tailored for him by this composer, who took interest in a fledgling Karan that worked in rock bands previously.

This whole album was composed by Runjić (lyrics by Nenad Ninčević) and even Oliver Dragojević stops by for attractive duet on "Tu Non Llores Mi Querida"  - album combines singer's strong rock voice with composer's trademark sentimental ballads and it deservedly brought singer into limelight, in fact it was one of the most successful albums of the year - it still sounds very good and hearing such strong voice singing gentle ballads brings almost intoxicating effect - Karan is constantly convincing and in comparison, famous Gibonni is just whining. Karan burns in this music and his sincerity is obvious. The opener, highly effective and unexpected tango "Lipa Si, Lipa" is one of late composer's true masterpieces. 

"Vanna u Lisinskom" by Vanna (2001)

Cavernous concert hall "Vatroslav Lisinski" has been capitol's most prominent and celebrated music temple for the last four decades and every artist worth his salt proves status by performing there - personally I was never impressed with its interior or acoustic, since many smaller venues around the town posses far classier and intimate atmosphere that serve music far better, while "Lisinski" always strikes me as triumph of self-congratulatory middle class that wants to be seen, but to each his own, until we get something else "Lisinski" is here to stay.

The most interesting thing about this live recording is how Vanna, previously known as singer who suggest fire under the ice is actually very passionate, enthusiastic and entertaining in concert - faced with live audience she is actually great entertainer and as caught here she is in high spirits indeed. Her solo career up to this point is nicely represented with walk trough some of the biggest hits and most famous songs, though audience responds most to her earliest songs from time she performed as part of band 

Electro-Team and it makes me wonder have this strong start of her public life perhaps been a curse, since everything she did subsequently would always be compared to those beginnings. The dance music itself is not exactly suited for stately old "Lisinski" but Vanna and her backing band definitely gave their best shot, specially backing vocals sounds inspired and well-rehearsed. The highlight of the concert - and encore - is her cover of old Carole King chestnut "A Natural Woman" that got audience roar with approval and she deservedly got standing ovations. 

"Tvoja u duši" by Doris Dragović (1987)

Second of two albums released in 1987 finds young Croatian singer continuing extremely successful collaboration with composer Zrinko Tutić and lyrics writer Marina Tucaković, in fact she is backed by exactly the same production team as previously so naturally there is a certain cookie cutter, mass-production quality to this music which is perhaps not necessary bad thing in itself as the projects were always very warmly embraced by wide audiences - producer and his backing band worked with so many pop stars at the time that results were sometimes hard to distinguish and to my ears they all tend to sound alike (in fact, many of the songs here could have been recorded by anyone from Neda Ukraden to Jasna Zlokić) but as usual, Dragović gives her best and her melodious, slightly detached voice makes these simple tunes better than they might have been in other hands. It is unassuming radio fodder, sentimental and good natured, obviously targeted to the widest mainstream audience that idolised Dragović as a national sweetheart and everyone's favourite girl-next-door. The way I see it, Zrinko Tutić follows the path of Rajko Dujmić and his super-successful band "Novi Fosili" that ruled the radio waves in early 1980s, so it is no coincidence that on her next album Dragović will be served by both of them, two celebrated pop masterminds working together and the results will be quite irresistible.