The
Story Behind Margaret's Last Studio
Recording: Send
In The Clowns/This Nearly Was Mine Margaret Whiting
and Gary Kline June 29, 2001
This wonderful
late-life recording of Margaret's was the
inspiration of Gary Kline. Gary is
a singer, a Professor of
Musical Theater and Assistant Head of Acting, Musical Theater at Carnegie Mellon University,
as well as a nationally known voice teacher.
Back in the summer of 2000, he was part
of the staff at the Cabaret Symposium at
the O'Neill Theater in Connecticut. On the
faculty that year (and for many years) was
song legend, Margaret Whiting.
At
one point during one of the symposium's
shows Gary performed a Mark Blitstein song.
Upon finishing, he heard from the darkness
a loud, confident, voice say, "That
was beautiful." It was, as Gary recalls,
"love at first hearing" and the
beginning of his treasured friendship with
Margaret.
Having
been a long time fan Margaret's, he didn't
let the week end before asking her if she
would record a duet with him. He envisioned
her singing Stephen Sondheim's "Send
in the Clowns." She was thrilled at
the possibility as she'd never recorded
it and really wanted to. Margaret's daughter
remembers that in her mom's later years,
her apartment was almost always filled with
the sound of Sondheim's music. Her mother
seemed to be at a place in her life where
his lyrics really spoke to her, and she
was able to connect with them in a way she
hadn't before. Unknown to Gary, the chance
to finally record this song held incredible
meaning for Margaret. It's fitting that
it ended up being her last studio
recording.
Gary
had his musician friend, Gerry Dantry, create
a lovely arrangement of "Send in the Clowns" coupled
with "This Nearly Was Mine."
When Gary first heard it, he knew it would
be "the golden ticket for Margaret
and me."
The
pre-recorded track and music were sent to
Margaret, and she spent time rehearsing
it with her long-time musical director,
Tex Arnold. They made the decision to lower
the key from C to B flat for Margaret's
comfort.
Gary
let Margaret know that he was making plans
to be in New York the last week of June
2001 and wanted to record with her. Margaret
was hesitant to set a specific date for
recording. When Gary arrived in New York,
Margaret had still not committed to a time
to record. Finally, about mid-week, while
waiting patiently in his New York hotel
he got a call from Margaret, she was ready
to record. Miraculously he was able to book
studio time for that Friday, June 29th at
3:00 p.m. (just hours before his flight
back to Pittsburgh was scheduled to depart).
Gary
recalls, "I still remember picking her up in a
taxi (yes, a taxi) that afternoon and riding down to 47th and Broadway to a studio on the
9th floor. Margaret was amazing. She leaned on a cane the entire time,
donned very thick glasses, but sang so amazing - I wept. Though her voice
has lost much of the quality it had in it's
prime, the emotion and the life experience she brought to it is
unparalleled. One only has to listen to the way she spoke the final note, 'they’re finally.....HERE!' or
hear the humor she found in singing, "one
who can't move," while relying on her
cane for complete support."
The
other amazing part of this recording is
that she didn't have to re-record a single
note. To accommodate her decreased stamina,
they recorded the song in sections, but
what you're hearing is completely authentic,
first takes.
Gary
left on that plane with tape (yes, tape) in
tow. He almost didn't need that plane to
get him back to Pittsburgh. He was practically
floating, having just experienced one of
the happiest days in his musical career.
The
entire experience was a master class for
Gary and continued even after the recording
was released. Margaret, never one to mince
words, gave Gary her honest critique of
all the songs on his CDs. Gary teaches amazing
students at Carnegie Mellon, and Margaret's
presence in his life continues to inspire
him to inspire them.
Margaret
was, as all of her friends and family will
attest, one of the most positive people
on the planet. She continually looked forward
and didn't have time for living in the past.
And in spite of her limitations and frailties
that had come with age and a stroke, she
sang this song with not one ounce of self-pity.
And while fans may have wished she'd recorded
it a time in her career when she was capable
of a little more flare, the poignancy of
this legendary singer approaching this song
with unbridled honesty, is cause for tremendous
applause.
|