Customer Reviews

Les Miserables - The Complete Symphonic Recording

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(46)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After viewing 'Les Miserables' in Sydney two years ago, Ibought the Original London Cast Recording of the musical. However, Inoticed that some things were missing. Consequently, I bought this album to fill in the gaps. I now have three recordings of 'Les Miserables'; the Original Broadway Cast including these other two, and the 10th Anniversary Concert VHS Tape. With a 65-strong orchestra this recording definately has the best sound quality out of all the other recordings I have heard. After listening to Colm Wilkinson perform Jean Valjean, on the OLC, incessantly for a year, it took some time getting used to Gary Morris' portrayal of the saintly criminal. However, after listening to Morris a few times he starts to grow on you. Although I prefer Colm, Morris still depicts Valjean extremely well. Listeners notice the great change in the character of Valjean from the beginning of the musical to the end. Notice the contrasts in Valjean's character in the songs; "What Have I Done?": Valjean: "Take an eye for an eye. Turn your heart into stone. This is all I have lived for. This is all I have known." and "Bring Him Home": Valjean: "If I die, Let me die! Let him live." The character of Valjean is extremely developed and Morris portrays him very well with deep emotion and passion, which serves to involve the listeners into the action of the musical. Javert is my all-time favourite character in literature, film, and music. The cold-hearted Police Inspector is brilliantly portrayed by Philip Quast in this album. Quast is the best Javert I have heard; his voice is so clear, deep and powerful, and it is a pleasure listening to him play the antagonist in 'Les Miserables'....The main contrast can be noticed in the songs "Stars" and "Javert's Suicide". "Stars" is lyrically and musically brilliant, and vividly illustrates Javert's personality and beliefs; the law is above all else....Debbie Byrne's portrayal of the tragic Fantine is similar to Patti Lupone's in the OLC. They have very similar voices because they sing from the back of their throats. Listeners are coerced into feeling pity for Fantine...Debbie portrays Fantine with anger, hopelessness, and despair, which can be heard in the song "I Dreamed A Dream." I have been a fan of Anthony Warlow for a very long time and every song I have heard him sing is infallable. His portrayal of Enjorolas is brilliant (the best I've heard), his rich voice and passionate expression really make the Apollonian Revolutionary Leader realistic and powerful. Warlow is intensely emotional, and listeners are able hear the sheer perfection of his voice when his character is about to die, in the "The Final Battle"; Enjorolas: "Let others rise To take our place Until the earth is free!" Michael Ball has a fantastic voice. He is not overly powerful and he is not soft and weak. His portrayal of Marius is magnificent, as always....One of the strongest characters in 'Les Miserables' is Eponine. Although I believe that Frances Ruffelle and Lea Salonga portray her better, Kaho Shimada does it well here, even if her accent does take some getting used to. Eponine's love for Marius is unrequited, which compels listeners to sympathise with her....'Les Miserables' is, in my opinion, only equalled by Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'The Phantom of the Opera' as the greatest musical ever. The dark themes, emotional energy, and intensity in which Victor Hugo involved in his novel, have served Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg (as well as Herbert Kretzmer), in their creation of a musical and lyrical triumph. This triumph can be observed in the climactic song of 'Les Miserables'; "One Day More" (My favourite song ever). There is something about this song which inspires, amazes, involves and entertains the listeners, which can be said of all of 'Les Miserables'. To own any CD of 'Les Miserables' is great, but to own the 'Complete Symphonic Recording' is divine! END

Ok, I admit it. I have long been a fan of musicals, but I was only exposed to Les Mis a few months ago. My roommate loaned me this recording, and I fell in love. I played nothing but this soundtrack for the next several weeks.

As this is the only recording I've heard fully, I cannot give any comparisons between the performers here and those on other versions, but I do wish to give my general impression of the cast.

*Gary Morris (Valjean) - he has a strong, clear voice with which it is hard to find fault. He sings with emotion and passion, and I cannot imagine ever tiring of hearing him as Jean Valjean. If I had to give a complaint, it would be that I could imagine a voice with a little more distinct character...something a little riskier for the part of someone so complex.

*Philip Quast (Javert) - wow, I love deep voices, and his is so rich! I love when he hits the low note near the beginning of "Confrontation" ...I've seriously replayed that part over and over again just because it sends shivers through me...haha, I think you get the idea. This guy is good.

*Debbie Byrne (Fantine) - her voice took some getting used to because at first it seemed to me a little uncontrolled, almost like she could capture the fullness of the sound but not quite hit the notes. However, the more I listen to her, the more I enjoy her. Her voice has a wonderful texture, something you totally miss when listening to the super-clear, trilling sopranos that seem to be found all over most other musicals.

*Kaho Shimada (Eponine) - her voice took a little getting used to as well. I was a little confused until I realized she was Japanese, for though I wouldn't say you hear an accent, her voice does have a very different quality to it. Still, I enjoyed her performance very much. Her voice is trembling with emotion the entire time, almost like she can hardly control it...it is quite moving.

*Tracy Shayne (Cosette) - wow. I'm sorry, is Cosette supposed to be this shrill? Turn it off! While I'm impressed at some of the notes she hits, I don't think it's supposed to make you want to cover your ears.

*Michael Ball (Marius) -Ball makes Marius, a rather annoying character if you ask me, into someone actually likable, if not lovable. He's passionate and romantic, but not vapid. Probably my favorite vocal performance.

*Gay Soper and Barry James (the Thernardiers) - their voices are rather grating, but that's the point, right? Very entertaining performances...particularly in "Master of the House" (which, it's true, somehow manages to be stuck in your head all day).

*Anthony Warlow (Enjorolas) - very appropriate voice...manly and vibrant. If he doesn't make you want to go out and fight, then there's no help for you!


Overall, the performances were wonderful. I highly recommend this CD. A great recording of a great musical!

Right now, there are four official English-language versions of Les Miserables: the Original London Cast Recording, the Original Broadway Cast Recording, the Complete Symphonic Recording, and the 10th Anniversary Concert Recording. Les Mis' addicts are best served by purchasing all recordings, as they showcase different stages (as in the OLC and the OBC) of the development of this mega-musical, as well as the interesting variations in presentation and performances by the different casts and orchestras.

If you're the average musical-theater listener who can't afford to buy all available English-language recordings, however, my advice would be to get the CSR (due to the fact that it's "complete") and the TAC recording (due to the fact that performer- and performance-wise, it's leaps and bounds better than all of the other recordings). You deserve no less.

The performances are way better in the 10th Anniversary Concert Recording, which has the dream cast. Since this is a great musical, however, you'll also want to have the complete score, especially since it's available. Get this and the 10th Anniversary Concert DVD/VHS for the optimum Les Miserables listening experience.

I share the same sentiments. It's indeed refreshing to have all these different Eponine versions; we can certainly enjoy all of them. Comparisons in acting and singing abilities are inevitable, but contrary to some people's claims, the character in the musical (whether portrayed by Frances Ruffelle, Kaho Shimada, or Lea Salonga) remains faithful to the book, despite differences in the nuances each actor has given. I also agree that since this is not a book but a MUSICAL, and a big one at that, a certain standard is expected singing-wise (the claim that Eponine's voice in the book is not pretty is not a valid excuse for bad singing on stage), which, unfortunately, is the cause of less-than-favorable reviews regarding Frances' performance.

I feel bad for Frances that people have made such a huge deal about the weaknesses in her performance, especially when multi-awarded Lea Salonga entered the Les Miserables scene and played the role to critical acclaim in Hawaii and London, leading to Salonga's casting as the dream Eponine in the 10th Anniversary Concert and to an invitation to play the role again in the tribute performance for grand musical producer Cameron MacKintosh (Hey Mr. Producer). But I still think Frances is a good actor and is worthy of much of the praise she received for the role.

The third of four major (English) recordings. Performed by an international cast. Great performances. All Les Miserable fans should have a copy of this because it is, as the album title says, the COMPLETE version.

I have seen this show twice, and listened to the 10th anniversary, obc, and this cd. This one is the best of all those three in my mind. All of you people who keep dogging on Gary Morris have absolutely no right. This man has a wonderful talent, he just doesn't sound exactly like your precious Colm Wilkinson. Colm does a very good job as Jean, and so does Gary, he just has a different interpretation, and a much better trained voice. Enjolras is so powerful in this version, it is worth to buy the whole set just for his voice, it is really that wonderful! Michael Ball and Phillip Quast are both wonderful as always. I think The Thenardiers are absolutely hilarious on this cd. Eponine is great, maybe not as great as Lea Salonga, but Kaho Shimada does a really great job. I do prefer Ruthie Henshall as Fantine, but this Fantine has a lot of passion, which goes a long ways. This cd has a wonderful orchestra behind it, and a lot of talented people, who just sing it a little differently than most are used to. Buy this cd if you are a Les Miserables fan. It is an absolute necessity to hear the whole story, and this is a great cd!

If you are a Les Miz enthusiast, then this 3CD set is definitely for you. This set contains all songs being played in current English productions around the world, including all the musical interludes. The cast is made up of performers from the various Les Miz production, including Kaho Shimada, the girl who played 'Eponine' in the Japanese production. Note that she only sung the role in Japanese before recording for the CD set was done.

I've read that Gary Morris is a famous country singer in the US and I thought that his rendition of Valjean might not be as good as Colm Wilkinson (which at that time was the only 'Jean Valjean' for me). But when I heard him, I thought that he was really good. Of course, Michael Ball, as Marius, was great, 'though I would have wanted somebody other than him to play Marius in this recording since he already appeared in the Les Miz London cast recording.

Other notable performances are that of Philip Quast and Anthony Warlowe. The rest of cast was equally good, complementing each other with their superb performances.

Overall, the 3CD set is technically superior. The instrumentation was very rich considering that there more than 50 instrumentalists in this recording. I can just imagine the difficulty of the musical director in splicing all the vocals together as though they were all singing in front of each other.

But if you're an Eponine fan, it's best to go for the 10th Anniversary Concert version. Lea Salonga not only shows that one doesn't have to whine her way through the songs (refer to the very bad and squeeky Frances Ruffele interpretations on both the London and Broadway recordings), but Lea Salonga gives the character, as many revieweres have noted, PRESENCE.

I have never seen the production of "Les Miserables" but read the hefty novel in three short weeks and fell in love with every character. I have listened to both the Broadway cast recording and the symphonic recording and judged this one to be far superior.

The whole idea of an "international" cast does not catch my ear as much as a symphonic recording, but the vocals flow seamlessly together and do not sound at all like the singers were on soundstages continents apart. What repulsed me from "Les Miserables" the first time I listened to it after reading the book was how silly the synthesizers, tiny string section and showy brass section sounded. I liked the hummable musicality in the score, but thought that the orchestration (or lack thereof) did Hugo's epic a terrible injustice.

However, with the arrival of the symphonic recording, my dreams came true! There are sweeping strings and a very minimum of synth action. In addition, this is the only version of Les Mis that is presented in its entirety. To top it off (a complete, symphonic recording would be enough to convince me to buy), this recording is a virtual dream-team of vocalists, beginning with Gary Morris (curiously enough, a country singer). As Valjean his voice can convey the vulnerability and humility Valjean feels in "What Have I Done?" and "Bring Him Home," but still give the strength needed in such pieces as "Confrontation." Judging by previous reviews, Morris' only fault is that he is not Colm Wilkinson. (I intensely disliked Colm's performance of Valjean until I had listened through the Broadway recording a few times).

Philip Quast is the ULTIMATE Javert. His voice is smooth and rock-solid with so much power and richness. It seems as if actually becomes his character, struggling with upholding the letter of the law. "Javert's Suicide" is amazing.

Debbie Byrne is superb as Fantine. She has a distinctive, quavering voice that communicates the fragility that is Fantine but can conjure up some anger when necessary.

Michael Ball as Marius is serviceable. He was the best Marius at the time, but I wonder if there is a better singer for this part. He fills his solos with emotion, such as in "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables."

Anthony Warlow as Enjolras is almost divine in his projection and power. He captures the essence of Enjolras, the man who has thoughts only for his country and gives a spectacular performance, his voice almost operatic at times.

Kaho Shimada is amazing as Eponine. She doesn't have a traditional Broadway belter voice, but give her a break; she doesn't speak English. She was the Japanese Eponine and learned English phonetically for this recording.

The respective Thenardiers are uproariously funny. Barry James is appropriately weasel-like and crude as M. Thenardier and Gay Soper exactly sounds like the "Thenardiess" which Hugo described.

Young Cosette and Gavroche are perfect for their roles, with Gavroche giving a heart-wrenching death scene.

The only letdown about this recording is Tracy Shayne's Cosette. Shayne has a high voice that resembles a bleating lamb's. Judy Kuhn (the only bright spot in the ridiculous Broadway recording) made a much better Cosette than Shayne.

Overall, this is a stellar recording with a minimum of cheesy synthesizers (the part I like the best)! I do not currently own it, but I am saving my pennies, nickels, dimes and lunch money to buy it!

Happy Listening!
Dani Girl