During an era when Columbia Records made a series of “cover” albums of musicals, this studio album starred Barbara Cook, who had recently played Anna in a 1960 City Center revival of The King and I. Cook was joined by Theodore Bikel as the King, along with Jeanette Scovotti, Anita Darian, Daniel Ferro and the United Nations International School’s Chorus. The album, recorded in June 1964, boasted new orchestrations by Philip J. Lang, under the musical direction of Broadway veteran Lehman Engel.