Edward Lear's Nonsense Stories and Poems - Claire Bloom

There are a half dozen entries total in this fine actress' series of recordings for the Caedmon label, and this is the one that really is over the top in terms of being a phenomenal performance of some truly classic material. Yes, there are other albums she has done of Beatrix Potter or the Brothers Grimm that will have more of a mass appeal amongst the set of shrunken heads known as children. That is not to say that children don't like Edward Lear, provided they are still introduced to him. He certainly can give MTV or Scream 3 a run for their money, especially when accompanied in a text with illustrations. Bloom takes on his works of nonsense, in which language is extrapolated every which way. The actress' diction has already satisfied the ranks of the top Shakespearean scholars, so she is able to take this project on like Charlie Parker doing a fast blues. The original release came with a deluxe enclosed portfolio that was all a teacher needed to make this part of a classroom experience. Lyrics to the poems are printed in extra large type for certain little elves to decipher. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide