****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Liza Minnelli at Carnegie Hall.” Telarc. Minnelli’s three-week run at Carnegie Hall in May and June set box-office records, and this double-CD (also available on album and cassette) makes it easy to see why. Minnelli brings intensity and passion to selections ranging from rousing show-stoppers like “Some People” to bluesy torch songs like “Maybe This Time.” The disc is highly recommended not only to collectors of show music, but also to those fans of “grown-up pop” who snapped up Linda Ronstadt’s “What’s New” and Barbra Streisand’s “The Broadway Album.” The quality of the recording, which was mixed live to digital two-track, is excellent. Suggested companion piece: Judy Garland’s classic “Judy at Carnegie Hall” album (now available in CD), which won the 1961 Grammy for Album of the Year. ****