If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
#1If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 11:13ami want to purchase a Les Miz cast recording but would like your opinions. which one is your favorite?
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#2re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 11:27am
Original London Cast is very good, and has in some bits that were later changed.
The 10th Anniv. concert is also good, but recorded at a lower level so you have to blast it to hear it properly.
The CSR is complete, but Valjean is dreadfully whiny.
Original Broadway cast is ok but just doesn't sound "right"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27199361@N08/ Phantom at the Royal Empire Theatre
jejr
Stand-by Joined: 11/29/08
#2re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 11:49am
I prefer the symphonic recording with Gary Morris and Michael Ball. Saw Morris on Broadway when he was a replacement for Valjean. He was great.
Updated On: 5/22/09 at 11:49 AM
#3re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 11:54am
10th anniversary concert.
The London OCR was my first, and I am rather fond of it, but having Lea Salonga on the 10th anniversary totally pushes it to the top of my favorites list.
I've been listening to the Paris 1991 version quite a bit lately too, even though I can only understand bits and pieces!
#4re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 12:26pmjejr - I don't think that exists. Lea is on the 10th anniversary cd, and gary morris is on the CSR.
#5re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 12:54pmUnfortunately, I think every recording has a fatal flaw in terms of casting so it might come down to which characters/songs you most want to hear. Overall I listen to the 10th Anniversary concert the most as the only performance I don't especially care for is Enjorlas, but the rest is very strong.
blueroses
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/18/04
#7re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 12:58pmOLC for me. I'd probably pick the 10th Anniversary recording, but I don't care for Lea Salonga as Eponine. Heresy, I know.
SporkGoddess
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
#8re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:02pm
Kaho Shimada is the CSR's Eponine.
I agree that there is no perfect recording. I just pick and choose which songs I like from each recording.
But overall, I prefer the OBCR. I know the Marius and Fantines aren't that good, but, yeah.
Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!
#9re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:06pmI think the CSR is beautifully orchestrated. I enjoy listening to that very much. For some reason, the OLCR doesn't sound "right", I like the changes. But I LOVE watching the 10th anniv. concert on DVD
#10re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:37pmSynphonic--every gorgeous note.
#11re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:52pmI have always been a major lover of the 10th Anniversary Cast and admit that it is pretty much the only one I listen to regularly even though I have so many different recordings. I know people here have been pointing to the CSR, but that recording practically makes my ears bleed so I avoid it at all costs. I can't stand that casting.
And hang on, when did you win the discus?
#12re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:52pmthanks alot guys. i think i'm going to get the 10th anniversary concert one first and then when i get paid i'll get the OLC. thanks again!
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#13re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 2:19pmOLC is by far my favorite. CSR is wonderful for retaining the complete score, though I'm iffy on some of the cast. OBC is somewhat sterile, but has the wonderful Randy Graff and Judy Kuhn.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#14re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 2:22pm
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=920989
https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=944313
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
#15re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 3:15pm
Unfortunately, I think every recording has a fatal flaw in terms of casting so it might come down to which characters/songs you most want to hear.
I agree completely.
I think for the most part, the Tenth Anniversary Concert recording is a good place to start for your first recording. However, it is recorded live, so bum notes are preserved for posterity. Michael Maguire's Enjolras sounds strained and tired on this recording (he is good on the OBC), and Colm Wilkinson's age does somewhat affect his vocal control. Michael Ball is particularly resonant and emotional here-- this is his best recording-- and the Thenardiers are great. Philip Quast as Javert is widely considered the ultimate Javert (although I personally am not that fond of him). This is the recording with Lea Salonga as Eponine and Ruthie Henshall as Fantine.
The Original Broadway Cast is nice because the tempost are faster and the recording is smoother, but it's missing a lot of music. This is the only disc with David Bryant instead of Michael Ball as Marius, and his voice is very weak. Frances Ruffelle is a controversial Eponine because her voice can become very whiny-- she is the same Eponine on the OLC-- but she gives a powerful performance and the number of people who like and dislike her are about even. Terrence Mann plays Javert on this recording, and many people complain that his voice is too light and nonthreatening for the role. (I personally love him.) Randy Graff is really a powerhouse Fantine-- she's my favorite, though some people think her voice is strident. This is the recording where nearly everyone sings in an American accent, which can be good or bad depending on your preferences.
The Complete Symphonic is a good recording to buy AFTER you have one of the first two. It contains all of the music, so if you love Les Mis, that's great, but if you just kind of like it, the extra bits might become repetitive and irritating. Gary Morris plays Valjean, and I believe he's an American country singer doing a Colm Wilkinson impersonation. On some songs, he actually sounds really great-- he has a stronger voice than Wilkinson-- but most of the time he just sounds weird, like he's going to burst into tears. It's like Michael Cerveris singing in falsetto with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.
Also, Kaho Shimoda, Eponine on this recording, spoke no English learned her role phonetically. She has a very strong accent, and her performance suffers because of this. Anthony Warlow is a powerful Enjolras, and many people like his Enjolras the best. Philip Quast and Michael Ball are both on this recording, and I personally think Quast sounds a lot better here than he does on the Tenth Anniversary concert recording.
I only have a few tracks from the OLC, but Michael Ball sounds about twelve and Enjolras sounds like a weenie...
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
#16re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 4:07pmI only listen to the Symphonic. Though, I went in and made some cuts. It's way too long.
#17re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 4:08pm
I also for some reason like how the OLC starts off, It is not as powerful as what they use now (mini-mini-overture) but its different.
I think it is the american acccents that drove me off the OBC
http://www.flickr.com/photos/27199361@N08/ Phantom at the Royal Empire Theatre
#18re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 4:33pm
It's like Michael Cerveris singing in falsetto with a mouth full of mashed potatoes.
*snurfle*
I sort of like Gary Morris, but that's a hilariously vivid description.
The interesting thing about Ruffelle's whiny Eponine is that it is very much a product of its time. I remember her singing style being quite pop and trendy back then. It was the definitive rendition of On My Own and shamelessly mimicked by countless starry-eyed waifs at every musical theatre audition for YEARS.
I started with the OLC, which probably has something to do with my affection for it, but I do prefer the accents for whatever reason. And Patti LuPone's Fantine is exquisite. Since I had originally purchased it on cassette, I was delighted to hear the additional material on the CD release including the dark opening (the opening measures of One Day More, but in a minor key) which has since been replaced with the more bombastic Look Down instrumental. And I adore hearing the full version of Little People, which makes so much more sense before they cut the number, but not its reprise. Isn't there new material instead of the reprise now? I remember hearing something very different the last time I saw the show and it just didn't work for me.
"What can you expect from a bunch of seitan worshippers?" - Reginald Tresilian
#19re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 4:49pmYeah, the revival replaced the Little People reprise with Ten Little Bullets, which I actually liked, except for the fact that they used the same melody that Gavroche sings in act one. Little People at least gave him a new melody to sing in the second act.
#20re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 4:53pmOf course they used the same melody (from "Look Down") -- that's how it was when James Fenton first wrote it.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
SporkGoddess
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/27/05
#21re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 5:12pm
I like Ruffelle's Eponine better than some others, actually. I don't think she should have a smooth, polished sound. I love Lea Salonga to pieces, but she doesn't sound like a French street urchin.
That's why I like Kaho Shimada, I think she's a good in between: doesn't sound perfect, but doesn't make me want to stab my eardrums either.
Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!
#22re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 5:16pm
I don't really like any of them... but then again, I can't stand the character of Eponine. I always skip her songs.
In my pants, she has burst like the music of angels, the light of the sun! --Marius Pantsmercy
Updated On: 5/22/09 at 05:16 PM
#23re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 5:57pm
The 10th Anniversary Concert recording is very good. There aren't any obvious weak cast members. The cast was backed by a huge choir, so the "big" numbers are much fuller. I love it.
The OBC sounds a bit dated in my opinion.
Your latest 7in sounds obscene unless you spin it at a 45.
#24re: If you had to pick i Les Miz recording..
Posted: 5/22/09 at 6:21pmI really dislike the "Stars" on the OLC. I enjoy the new version much better
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