Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert
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Free Music Notes for Les Miserables 10th Anniversary Concert
Free Music Review: Best Les Mis Album
Hit: 5 Stars
What makes this the best album for me? The combination of the excellent cast and the extended length. This concert was an abridged version of the play, and the live performances give it a certain energy that the other albums lack. Certain scenes are missing, like Javert's Intervention, but you can still follow the plot. Now it's hard for me to listen to the Broadway and London albums without thinking about how short the tracks are. Many cast members are clearly too old for their parts, but who cares? They sound great!
In general, I like the male cast members better on this album than the London Album. Colm Wilkinson's performance is a little weaker, but he is still better than Gary Morris from the Complete Symphonic Recording. Michael Ball plays an excellent Marius, as usual. Michael Maguire is the patriotic Enjolras, and Alun Armstrong gives an even better performance as Thenardier this time around. But the real show stealer here is Philip Quast as Javert. This man can act intensely as well as sing beautifully. His version of Stars is my favorite song out of all four Les Mis recordings. It helps to watch the performance on the DVD. The look on his face is always so intense. His Javert is someone you don't want to mess with. I must also compliment the Bishop. His role may be small but he is one of the highlights of the album for me.
I find the women to be better on the London Album, except for Jenny Galloway. She's hilarious as Madam Thenardier. While all the female cast members give respectable performances, I find Lea Salonga's Eponine to be a little robotic. Ruthie Henshall is a decent Fantine but I just don't think her voice is nearly as good as LuPone's, but I seem to be in the minority. Judy Khun is probably the best lady in the cast, she makes a very good Cosette. But all in all this album has a well balanced cast; there is not a severely weak link in the chain like in the London and Broadway albums. The songs are backed up by a very large chorus, made up of former Les Mis cast members, which makes each song seem epic.
Another reason to buy this album is the performance of "Do You Hear the People Sing" by an international cast of Jan Val Jeans. Each performer only has one line but it is fun to compare them. The Irish Jean val Jean really blew everyone else out of the water. From the Japanese singer's performance I would imagine the whole play must sound very nice in Japanese.
The album has a few flaws. As I mentioned before, Colm Wilkinson's performance is inferior to his earlier performances. A balloon pops during "Castle on a Cloud." I do not listen to that song very often but if it is one of your favorites I would imagine it would be very annoying. The great Michael Maguire cracks on a few high notes, unfortunately.
Nevertheless if you are going to buy one Les Mis album, this should be it. Great sound quality, great cast, great orchestra.
Free Music Review: THE BEST. PERIOD!
Hit: 5 Stars
I absolutely love this musical more than life itself! I hope to some day fulfill my dream of seeing it on Broadway, but it would of course have to come back, but I'd settle for London or Shea's (my local theater) if it doesn't happen.
The first Les Mis song I ever heard came from this CD, "Master of House" which is one of my favorites. Alun Armstrong sings the best version of it on here. I also love Colm Wilkinson, who will always be THE original Valjean. Michael Ball and Judy Juhn do an awesome duet of "A Heart Full of Love," and he does an amazing solo of "Empty Chairs." And Lea Salonga last but not least, is great as Eponine. Her and Ball do a very uplifting, but very sad version of "A Little Fall of Rain," the second Les Mis song I ever heard, which I personally like better then either of Cosette and Marious' duets simply because it sends shivers down my spine evry time! Being in concert, I think the Chorus also sounds better.
They don't call it the Dream Cast in Concert for nothing, if you want a Les Mis CD, and you don't mind that it misses like 2 songs, buy this one!
Free Music Review: Love of Music
Hit: 5 Stars
My wife and I love GOOD music. We see as many musicals as we can afford. We are not critics, but know music. Critics are just that.....born to criticize. We go to enjoy the performances of the actors and the songs they sing.
Le Mis is one of our favorites, that's why we bought this CD. The fact that there was a "crash" of something backstage during one song shows that things do happen in live performances. Did I hear it? Yes I did, but it in no way demeans the performance or my enjoyment of the music. In fact, I only heard it because I read the review of a critic. Normally, I never read those things.
Was this product good? No it was really good, enjoyable and worth the purchase. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys good music and Le Mis.
Free Music Review: Stunning
Hit: 5 Stars
Others have said everything that can be said about this stunning concert so I will confine myself to a few brief observations.
This cast is truly the dream cast. Wilkinson IS Valjean and his perfomance is extraordinary. Bring Him Home is stellar, the Confrontation with Philip Quast's Javert is perfection and his Who Am I is the standout performance of the show. Philip Quast, Ruthie Henshall, Michael Ball, Lea Salonga...could it get any better than this?
Simply put, this is the best of the best in every sense.
Free Music Review: best version available!!!
Hit: 5 Stars
I have been a fan of musicals for the last 20 years and can say without doubt this is the best audio version of Les Mis EVER! When they say dream cast, they mean it. from Colm Wilkinson to Lea Salonga, Michael Ball and Ruthie Henshall, this audio version of the 10th anniversary concert is better by leaps and bounds than the Both the American and London Original cast discs. The ending with the Jean Val Jeans from around the world was amazing! This is a must for any musical theatre aficionado!!!