On the contrary, from the moment this CD went into my player, I was extremely affected by the beauty, and just downright struck by the emotional impact of this piece. When an artist performs their own work, it always strikes an extra chord inside of me. On this album, SATURN RETURNS and HERO AND LEANDER are especially wonderful sung by Guettel himself and make the album mean so much more. To me, HERO AND LEANDER might be the most beautiful song ever written for the stage. Absolutely no exaggeration...anyone who isn't touched by this song can't have a heart and can't be a fan of musical theater.

The first SATURN RETURNS track serves as a question or an inquiry which is answered in the last song, and thesis SATURN RETURNS (REPRISE). The message this sends is wonderful and can't even be described without sitting down and listening to the whole album.

Basically, if you want a musical that has catchy melodies, funny stories, and happy endings...this isn't the one for you. If you want something that's beautiful, crafted, and intellectual, this is a good piece for you. Guettel begins where Sondheim left off in his best intellectual works ("Company" and "Sunday in the Park with George"). Buy it for Audra McDonald, buy it for Mandy Patinkin, buy it for HERO AND LEANDER, buy it for SATURN RETURNS, make any excuse possible...just GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS ALBUM!


An impressive sequel   September 15, 2000
 9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Very few people live up to the critical standards set in a field, nowhere as much as in musical theatre. The bar is continually set so high that most people are fortunate if they bump their forehead on it during the leap. Adam Guettel is one of those rare creators who not only flew over the bar on their first try, but stepped lightly over it as if over a stick on the ground with their second. Myths and Hymns maintains that unique sound which theatre afficionados are coming to find is all Guettel's, while venturing away from the bluegrass sound that permeated Floyd Collins. Here, synth programmed drum beats (Pegasus), country-tinged guitar (How Could I Lose You?), and simple, piano-driven ballads (Migratory V) combine to create a very theatrical experience outside the confines of a traditional book musical. The music is extraordinary (Hero and Leander ranks among my all-time favorite ballads and is easily my favorite for men) and the lyrics manage to tell small, self-contained tales of hope, love, longing and belonging. To know that these stories tell the personal tale of Guettel's earlier years only serves to make them that much more important and understandable. They ocassionally go a bit abstract (as in the prayer-like Migratory V) but they always enthrall. Guettel is, without a doubt, the greatest composer to never have a Broadway show. Someone give this man the money he needs to mount a show and establish himself as THE new important theatre composer.


A Soaring, Brilliant Album   May 10, 1999
 7 out of 7 found this review helpful

After first discovering Guettel for myself when I bought "Floyd Collins", I was quite anxious to obtain "Myths and Hymns". I am happy to report that I am not disappointed at all -- in fact, I believe this album surpasses the brilliance of "Floyd Collins", despite the fact that it is a song-cycle and not a complete show. Guettel's music soars to the heavens in the brilliant "Saturn Returns" and "Icarus", gets playful in "Pegasus" and the delightful "Sisyphus", and turns romantic for "Hero and Leander" and "Awaiting You". Perhaps the most haunting is "Come to Jesus", which rattles around in my head and kept me awake on the night I first listened to the album. The songs have to grow on you: on first listening, I didn't much care for the songs, and was a bit disappointed. However, upon further listenings, my disappointment changed to great admiration and pleasure. One of the highlights of the album, for me, is to hear Guettel himself sing so many of the songs -- his voice is quite unique, and a joy to hear.

All in all, this is one CD that a true connoisseur of musical theatre won't want to pass up. Since this is only Guettel's second album, I can only shiver with anticipation at what he might come up with next!


A Beautiful, Personal Song Cycle - But Pales to the Original   December 9, 1999
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

I had the incredible pleasure of seeing this work at the Public Theater in New York when it was under the title of "Saturn Returns." Unfamiliar with Guettel's work, but aware of the buzz surrounding this young composer, I was nowhere near prepared for the depth and scope of this work. Mixing a response to Episcopalian hymns he first read in an antique book shop with a study of the Greeks' mythological god structure, Guettel reflects on emotional longing and everyone's desire to find where his or her heart belongs. While his influences range from musical theater to jazz to gospel, every piece in this extraordinarly touching work resonates with melodies that twist and turn and defy gravity. Whether Guettel's talent makes him the heir apparent to Sondheim's legacy remains to be seen, but that's entirely beside the point. This work is beautiful and touching and deserves a place in any serious musical theater lover's collection. The only reason for four stars instead of five is that Guettel took the lion's share of the songs for his own in this recording, robbing everyone of hearing the incredible talents of Jose Llana, the soloist featured in the Public's production.


A fine new voice in musical theater   July 18, 2003
 6 out of 6 found this review helpful

"Myths and Hymns" brings a fine new talent to musical theater. Adam Guettel has taken Greek myths and combined them with songs found in an old hymnal to create a unique cycle of songs ranging from funny ("Pegasus" and "There's A Land") to poignant ("Migratory V" and "Hero and Leander") to uplifting ("There's A Shout"). And, for this recording, we get to hear some of the original cast members from "Saturn Returns," the off-broadway show which featured the 16 tracks on this album. Theresa McCarthy, Audra McDonald, Billy Porter and Mandy Patinkin, to name a few.

Some of my favorites are "Hero and Leandro" sung by Adam Guettel, "How Can I Lose You?" sung by Annie Golden and "Awaiting You" sung by Billy Porter. But, the entire album is filled with fantastic music and wonderful voices.