PETERS LIVE AT CARNEGIE
In December Tony-winning actress/ singer Bernadette Peters made her solo Carnegie Hall debut to a sold-out, enthusiastic audience. The evening, which benefited the Gay Men's Health Crisis, was recorded live, and Angel Records recently released a CD/cassette that features highlights from the thrilling evening, and portions of the proceeds will also benefit GMHC.

Peters performed two wonderful acts at the famed hall the first included a mixture of songs she has sung on Broadway and in her night-club act for the past two decades, while the second act consisted of all Stephen Sondheim tunes, many of which she had never before sung. Highlights of the first half include the humorously ribald "Making Love Alone," which Peters introduced a few years back on "Saturday Night Live," and two of her show-stopping theatre tunes: Mack and Mabel's torchy "Time Heals Everything" and Dames at Sea's "Raining In My Heart." Peters concluded the first half with a bring-down-the-house version of Gypsy's "Some People."

Standouts in the Sondheim half were numerous, although her joyous "Being Alive" deserves an extra mention as does her powerful versions of "There Won't Be Trumpets," "Not a Day Goes By," "Move On" and a beautifully sung "Johanna" from Sweeney Todd.

SOUND BYTES
A recording of Floyd Collins, a new musical by Adam Guettel and Tina Landau that played a limited run at Playwrights Horizons is now available on the Nonesuch Records label. . . .The critically acclaimed revue, Forbidden Broadway Strikes Back, created, written and directed by Gerard Alessandrini, has been recorded by DRG records and features the multi-talented cast (Bryan Batt, Donna English, Christine Pedi, Tom Plotkin and Matthew Ward) skewering a host of Broadway favorites.

MUSICAL STAGES
Following the success of Stage 1: How I Love You, comes Stage 2: The Human Heart, a collection of love songs sung by men to men that focuses on the intricacies of romantic relationships. Stage 2 features songs from the musical theatre with contemporary orchestrations, and Francis Cruz, Charlie Owens, Ralph Pena and Sean Ray are the four vocalists who shine on such songs as "Blame It on the Summer Night" from Rags, "I've Been Here Before" from Closer Than Ever and "I Wish I Could Forget You" from Passion. Stage 2 is available on DINK Records.

SPOTLIGHT
For more than 20 years, Maureen McGovern has been thrilling audiences and critics with her multi-octave range and silky voice. McGovern has recently released her latest album on the Sterling Records album, a tribute to the lyrics of the Oscar-winning husband and wife team, Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Titled The Music Never Ends, McGovern lends her unique sound to a host of Bergman songs, including "The Summer Knows," "Windmills of Your Mind" and Tootsie's "It Might Be You." McGovern delivers passionate readings of "Ordinary Miracles" and "Where Do You Start?" plus a beautiful rendition of the moving love song from the film The Promise, "I'll Never Say Goodbye." -- By Andrew Gans