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Sep. 20th, 2002 09:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sesanaToday was the first day of the yard sale. We sold $150 worth of stuff and it doesn't look like we sold a thing. Sad, innit?
Right, so I'm still listening to the Complete Symphonic Recording (CSR) and I decided it needed to be reviewed. So I'm going to. Right. At any rate, the Tenth Anniversary Concert (TAC) CD is superior in virtually every way, even if it doesn't have everything. Frankly, the only reason to buy the CSR is if you're a psycho fan. Like, y'know, me. As far as I'm concerned, though, the cast on the TAC is obviously superior, in virtually every respect. A breakdown:
Valjean- Guy Morrison (CSR) or Colm Wilkinson (TAC)
This is a no brainer. Morrison wishes he were Colm Wilkinson, it's obvious in his delivery. But he's not. Next!
Javert- Philip Quast (CSR) or Philip Quast (TAC)
Quast is great even on the CSR. Just judging from that, he would be one of the best. But on the TAC, he nails the part. I've heard criticism that on the TAC, he gets too "soft" at the end of Javert's Suicide, but I think even the hardest man is prone to break down a bit upon contemplating his own suicide.
Fantine- Debbie Byrne (CSR) or Ruthie Henshall (TAC)
Again, no competition. Henshall has the vulnerability to pull of Fantine, and, in my opinion, a much better voice.
Eponine- Kaho Shimada (CSR) or Lea Salonga (TAC)
I can't say anything bad about Shimada. She has a lovely voice, and she learned the part when she didn't know English. That alone is impressive. But her Eponine is much softer, more wistful. Salonga's Eponine is assertive and, yes, a touch bitter. I've heard Salonga criticized for having too bitter a performance, but in my opinion, not only is her Eponine not terribly bitter, but Eponine herself is a fairly bitter character who has a right to it. It's a matter of personal taste that I like Salonga better. Or maybe because she's been the singing voice for two Disney princesses. *G*
Marius- Michael Ball (CSR) or Michael Ball (TAC)
Like PQ, Ball is very good on the CSR, but much, much better on the TAC. He's the only Marius who can make me drool, and he's obviously very into the part on stage. Plus, Michael Ball is simply an adorable man.
Cosette- Tracy Shayne (CSR) or Judy Kuhn (TAC)
Shayne's Cosette annoys the hell out of me. For awhile, there was a tendency to cast Cosette as a young lady with a pretty shrill soprano. I hated that. Kuhn, on the other hand, has developed a lovely soprano. Plus, she's the singing voice for a Disney princess as well.
Enjolras- Anthony Warlowe (CSR) or Michael Maguire (TAC)
Among Mizzies, the most divisive issue is, "AW or MM?" I'm an MM girl all the way, and I always have been. When MM does Enjolras, he's really feeling that part. He has all the proper fire that a good Enjolras needs. Yes, he does miss a few notes on the TAC, but even the notes he does miss he sings with authority. I didn't even realize they were off until I heard him sing them correctly on the Original Broadway Cast CD. AW, on the other hand, has a technically perfect performance, with a total absence of feeling. Oh, sure, he occassionally shouts a word or two, but that's not feeling it. It's like he's bored with the part. This is even more annoying since I know what wonderful work he can do. He sounds like a totally different person on the Jekyll and Hyde concept recording- like someone who likes what he's doing. As far as I'm concerned, the mark of a good Enjolras is that I would follow him to the barricades and die with him there. When MM sings Red and Black, I would follow him to death and beyond. When AW sings it, I'm going to go home and read a good book, thanks.
Grantaire- Kenny D'Aquila (CSR) or Anthony Crivello (TAC)
I've already made my love for AC very well known. Broadway Sex God, remember? But D'Aquila is no competition. For some reason, he feels the need to croak out half of his lines in an excrutiatingly ugly voice. I *know* he can sing fairly well, and he wouldn't drive me nuts if he didn't insist upon sounding like he's been strangled to the point of death two or three times. AC's skill and nuance blow him out of the water.
the students in general-
For the most part, the students on the CSR are pretty good. They are, for some reason, all taken from the Los Angelas cast. Uh, sure. On the TAC, though, they're stellar. They picked the best of the best. Drink With Me is my favorite song, and the blend on the TAC is just perfect. CSR, not so much. Plus, like some of the other actors on the recording, you can tell they're standing in a recording studio. The vocals for the TAC were recorded live onstage, and the students perform as if the barricade were up and running.
Like I said before, TAC is a much better bet than the CSR. It is, quite simply, the best version. There's no reason to own the others for anyone who isn't a psycho fan. The Original London Cast is interesting because of the changes that have been made, the Original Broadway Cast because... I'm not entirely sure why. But it's slightly better than the OLC, at any rate.
And now that I've picked two CDs to death already, I'll attack one more. I said that AC is a Broadway Sex God? He used his divine power of The Sexy Voice and The Sexy Eyes to make me buy a CD I'd never heard before, Do I Hear a Waltz? It's a cute little musical, and I wouldn't mind seeing it... But I never would have bought if he weren't in it. That aside, I think he does a wonderful job. Kiss of the Spider Woman is still his best work, though. Now, all I need is the Jane Eyre album that is apparently not available anywhere in the world! Yay!
Right, so I'm still listening to the Complete Symphonic Recording (CSR) and I decided it needed to be reviewed. So I'm going to. Right. At any rate, the Tenth Anniversary Concert (TAC) CD is superior in virtually every way, even if it doesn't have everything. Frankly, the only reason to buy the CSR is if you're a psycho fan. Like, y'know, me. As far as I'm concerned, though, the cast on the TAC is obviously superior, in virtually every respect. A breakdown:
Valjean- Guy Morrison (CSR) or Colm Wilkinson (TAC)
This is a no brainer. Morrison wishes he were Colm Wilkinson, it's obvious in his delivery. But he's not. Next!
Javert- Philip Quast (CSR) or Philip Quast (TAC)
Quast is great even on the CSR. Just judging from that, he would be one of the best. But on the TAC, he nails the part. I've heard criticism that on the TAC, he gets too "soft" at the end of Javert's Suicide, but I think even the hardest man is prone to break down a bit upon contemplating his own suicide.
Fantine- Debbie Byrne (CSR) or Ruthie Henshall (TAC)
Again, no competition. Henshall has the vulnerability to pull of Fantine, and, in my opinion, a much better voice.
Eponine- Kaho Shimada (CSR) or Lea Salonga (TAC)
I can't say anything bad about Shimada. She has a lovely voice, and she learned the part when she didn't know English. That alone is impressive. But her Eponine is much softer, more wistful. Salonga's Eponine is assertive and, yes, a touch bitter. I've heard Salonga criticized for having too bitter a performance, but in my opinion, not only is her Eponine not terribly bitter, but Eponine herself is a fairly bitter character who has a right to it. It's a matter of personal taste that I like Salonga better. Or maybe because she's been the singing voice for two Disney princesses. *G*
Marius- Michael Ball (CSR) or Michael Ball (TAC)
Like PQ, Ball is very good on the CSR, but much, much better on the TAC. He's the only Marius who can make me drool, and he's obviously very into the part on stage. Plus, Michael Ball is simply an adorable man.
Cosette- Tracy Shayne (CSR) or Judy Kuhn (TAC)
Shayne's Cosette annoys the hell out of me. For awhile, there was a tendency to cast Cosette as a young lady with a pretty shrill soprano. I hated that. Kuhn, on the other hand, has developed a lovely soprano. Plus, she's the singing voice for a Disney princess as well.
Enjolras- Anthony Warlowe (CSR) or Michael Maguire (TAC)
Among Mizzies, the most divisive issue is, "AW or MM?" I'm an MM girl all the way, and I always have been. When MM does Enjolras, he's really feeling that part. He has all the proper fire that a good Enjolras needs. Yes, he does miss a few notes on the TAC, but even the notes he does miss he sings with authority. I didn't even realize they were off until I heard him sing them correctly on the Original Broadway Cast CD. AW, on the other hand, has a technically perfect performance, with a total absence of feeling. Oh, sure, he occassionally shouts a word or two, but that's not feeling it. It's like he's bored with the part. This is even more annoying since I know what wonderful work he can do. He sounds like a totally different person on the Jekyll and Hyde concept recording- like someone who likes what he's doing. As far as I'm concerned, the mark of a good Enjolras is that I would follow him to the barricades and die with him there. When MM sings Red and Black, I would follow him to death and beyond. When AW sings it, I'm going to go home and read a good book, thanks.
Grantaire- Kenny D'Aquila (CSR) or Anthony Crivello (TAC)
I've already made my love for AC very well known. Broadway Sex God, remember? But D'Aquila is no competition. For some reason, he feels the need to croak out half of his lines in an excrutiatingly ugly voice. I *know* he can sing fairly well, and he wouldn't drive me nuts if he didn't insist upon sounding like he's been strangled to the point of death two or three times. AC's skill and nuance blow him out of the water.
the students in general-
For the most part, the students on the CSR are pretty good. They are, for some reason, all taken from the Los Angelas cast. Uh, sure. On the TAC, though, they're stellar. They picked the best of the best. Drink With Me is my favorite song, and the blend on the TAC is just perfect. CSR, not so much. Plus, like some of the other actors on the recording, you can tell they're standing in a recording studio. The vocals for the TAC were recorded live onstage, and the students perform as if the barricade were up and running.
Like I said before, TAC is a much better bet than the CSR. It is, quite simply, the best version. There's no reason to own the others for anyone who isn't a psycho fan. The Original London Cast is interesting because of the changes that have been made, the Original Broadway Cast because... I'm not entirely sure why. But it's slightly better than the OLC, at any rate.
And now that I've picked two CDs to death already, I'll attack one more. I said that AC is a Broadway Sex God? He used his divine power of The Sexy Voice and The Sexy Eyes to make me buy a CD I'd never heard before, Do I Hear a Waltz? It's a cute little musical, and I wouldn't mind seeing it... But I never would have bought if he weren't in it. That aside, I think he does a wonderful job. Kiss of the Spider Woman is still his best work, though. Now, all I need is the Jane Eyre album that is apparently not available anywhere in the world! Yay!
