Dietrich in Rio is a live album by
Marlene Dietrich
Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
, issued on
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
LP, catalogue number WS 316, and reissued on CD by Sony Music Special Products. Though marketed as a "live" album, it likely consists of studio recordings done in New York, overdubbed with applause recorded on tour to create live atmosphere.
Four tracks of this album can be heard without the "live" atmosphere on 1991's CD: ''The Marlene Dietrich Album''.
Background and production
From the early 1950s until the mid-1970s, Dietrich worked almost exclusively as a cabaret artist, performing live in large theatres in major cities worldwide. On July 24, 1959, Marlene Dietrich, disembarked from a Varig plane in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
for a short season concerts there and in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...
, she was accompanied by pianist
Burt Bacharach
Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...
with whom she performed in highly successful recitals.
Many artists and renowned people were waiting for the artist at the
airport of Galeão, one of them was Marshal Teixeira Lott then Minister of War of the
Juscelino Kubitschek
Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosp ...
government.
Dates of the tour include
Copacabana Palace Hotel
Belmond Ltd. (formerly Orient-Express Hotels Ltd) is a hospitality and leisure company that operates luxury hotels, train services and river cruises worldwide. In 2015, the company had 35 deluxe hotels, 7 tourist trains, 3 river cruises and rest ...
(from July 27 to August 2, 1959 (except day 1)) and at the
Teatro Record
Teatro may refer to:
* Theatre
* Teatro (band)
Teatro, Italian for "theatre", is a vocal group signed to the Sony BMG music label. The members of Teatro are Jeremiah James, Andrew Alexander, Simon Bailey and Stephen Rahman-Hughes.
Band members ...
(São Paulo) (from 4 to 9 August). According to
Billboard Magazine
''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...
, Columbia Records taped Marlene Dietrich's night club act at the
Copacabana in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
in July, 1959.
[Rolontz, Bob]
Billboard Magazine
Nielsen Business Media, Inc., August 3, 1959, p.22. This was the only time Dietrich would do shows in the country, new shows were scheduled in the 1970s but had to be canceled at the request of the artist for personal reasons.
Critical reception
The album received mixed to favorable reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
.
''
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...
'' website gave the album two out of five stars and pointed out that the album "finds Dietrich in a sly, almost silly mood, singing with lusty humor and coy flirtatiousness" and that "Dietrich's voice is huskier than it was in her heyday, but this suits the material, which has been rearranged to fit her new lower register, very well".
''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...
'' magazine includes the album in their list of "Strongest sales potential of all albums reviewed this week" and wrotes that Dietrich "has never sound better" and praised the cover and the artwork of the album.
Track listing
See also
*
Marlene Dietrich discography
Marlene Dietrich's recording career spanned sixty years, from 1928 until 1988. She introduced the songs " Falling in Love Again (Can't Help It)" (from the film ''The Blue Angel'') and "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" (from " Destry Ri ...
References
{{Marlene Dietrich
1959 live albums
Marlene Dietrich albums
Columbia Records live albums
Live traditional pop albums