Customer Reviews

Notre Dame De Paris

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

This album is incredibly moving, filled with everything that one needs for an hour of sheer magic and passion. Garou is by far the pick of the bunch, his gravelly voice giving a stirring interpretation of Quasimodo. This man's talent is first class and we should hopefully hear more of him in future. Steve Balsamo is the only disappointment. The French Phoebus songs are far better with Patrick Fiori's powerful voice giving more depth to the role. Daniel Lavoie also gives an excellent rendition of Frollo. Some of the translations are a bit dubious as some of the songs lose some of their meaning in translation. Having said that there are other songs which have flourished under Will Jenning's treatment of them. I heartily endorse this CD and recommend it.

After being a hit in both France and Canada, NOTRE DAME DE PARIS opened to less-than-rave reviews in London and Las Vegas. Listening to both the French and English versions clearly show why. The English translation tends to repeat phrases over and over in some of the songs and the tendency to be literal makes some of the songs jarring and flat. The character of Frollo is especially a victim as both his songs sound too much alike. Why sing 2 songs of your lust, when one will do? Garou is VERY effective as the tragic Quasimodo and his songs are the best of the bunch. Tina Arena makes for a solid enough Esmeralda with her version of "Live" being much better than the over-blown Celine Dion version. Overall, a decent score which needs a better translation. Recommended for fans of musicals and the Victor Hugo novel on which the show was based.

I am a real fan of Notre Dame de Paris. I've seen it in Quebec, London and Las Vegas. The French CD is astounding. The American cast (at the Paris Hotel in Las Vegas) is THE BEST. And several of the performers from the French album sing on the London Cast album. HOWEVER, this album doesn't begin to capture the excitement and drama and passion of Notre Dame. GO SEE THE SHOW IN LAS VEGAS AND WAIT FOR AN AMERICAN ALBUM. The performers there are unbelievable. I can't figure what a show of this caliber is doing in Vegas. Or go see the London cast. Either show will give you a better idea of how this show should be performed in English. This album has new arrangements of the song "LIVE" sung by both Tina Arena and Celine Dion. Celine's version is powerful. Although Tina is a great singer, the arrangement on this album has backup singers singing do-wop and sounding like they escaped a cut from the "Lion King" to sing here. The original 4 Canadians from the French cast, Garou, Luck Mervil, Daniel LaVoie and Bruno Pelletier sound tired and bored here. They were directed badly. Quelle Domage. The material is so great. And Steve Balsamo and Natasha St. Pierre don't hold up in their roles, either. Lifeless performances. This highlight album only features the ballads and none of the exciting upbeat dance numbers. Sorry. I'd like this album to be great.I want it to be great. In my opinion, it's a pale imitation of the English version. I can only hope and pray for an American cast album.

The first thing to point out is that this CD is certainly not all that Notre Dame de Paris really is. The musical contains song after song after song of outstanding music, and only half of it is given on this 16-track long CD. Celine Dion's track is pointless, her version of Live can't be compared to Noa's Vivre, and the same thing can be said for Tina Arena, who does an uninvolved, bored version of Esmeralda's haunting Mediterranean tunes that have now been arranged into shallowy pop. I can hope this will do well in London, where it soon opens, because some of the performers are simply outstanding, and the music is so touching and great... but I wouldn't bet on it, not with Will Jennings' way-too-literal translations of many of the songs. What might have sounded powerful on French, doesn't sound half as good on English (many lines sound outright silly). Steve Balsamo, a newcomer in the English version, is good, as are the old French performers (although Luck Mervil has the great La Cour des Miracles cut out for some disappointing reason, and now has little to do). I'm glad they included "The Birds they put in cages" which is the only song Arena is good in. Still, with all the flaws it has acquired in the translating process, some credit should be given to a few songs that sound pretty nifty in English (The Birds, Belle, My Heart if you will Swear, The Refugees). The rest of the translations are cringeworthy. In the UK, only a handful of people know about this CD, and I somehow can't help wishing all the Brits could speak French, so they could enjoy it in the fabulous, original French version.

I bought this album in France, after being captivated by Garou's wonderfully raspy and melodic voice, and hearing some of the French-version songs sung by cast members on French television. Unfortunately, being an English speaker, I dutifully bought the English version -- and found that the lyrics were so second-rate that I could hardly enjoy the beauty of the voices. If you have a low tolerance for super-sweetness and bad rhymes, then seek out the French language version. (And then revel in Garou's gorgeous voice and passionate interpretation!)

I'm surprised to see that 1-star review there, so I just want to give my two cents. On the contrary, I think this album has a lot of emotion. If you think it lacks it, go listen to the French Concept, which is also a studio recording, and you'll realize that the beauty of singing is left for studio recordings, and the emotion for the real-live thing. I like the new performers: Tina Arena, Steve Balsamo, and Natasha St-Pierre, much better than their French cast counterparts (Segara, Fiori, etc...), so for this reason, this album is even better. I find the lyrics lacking though... some things just sound a bit strange in English. As for the emotion, it is quite there still, but when you listen to one version too many times (ie: the French), you get used to it. This is just a review for those who don't seem to understand this.

I saw this musical in London on a whim, and boy, was I blown away. I admit, the production does not fit the high standards of a musical purist, but as a person with a heart it just caught me by surprise and floated me away. The musical itself is a mixture of modern pop and medieval darkness, with a very old story that remains true to the original, but modern lighting effects and props and amazing athletics that often took my breath away. I hurried home and bought the CD online (much cheaper in U.S. dollars) in both French and English - English so that I could understand it, and French so that I could hear ALL the songs. I WISH the English version was a full recording. The English version is the one album I own that I listen to constantly. (Previously it was Phantom of the Opera.) I love all of the songs except "I'm a Priest", which grates on my nerves. "Belle" is the song I most often play, because its emotion builds to a crescendo and leads perfectly into "My Heart If You Will Swear", sung so beautifully by Natasha St.-Pierre. I wish her other songs were on this album. I believe she was the best in the show. Bruno Pelletier (so stunningly handsome in person) croons "Age of the Cathedrals" and "Moon" with so much power and emotion. I had heard "Age of the Cathedrals" in a London restaurant before going to the show, and I actually thought it was a song by Andreas Bocelli. Even though I think Tina Arena's voice is too much raw power and not enough emotion (I prefer the French Esmeralda...or even the understudy, who I saw at the matinee I attended), the musical arrangements of her songs keep drawing me back again and again. I particularly like the spanish guitar found in the middle of "Bohemienne". "Refugees" and "Cast Away" bring me to my feet and make me want to jog in place or do jumping jacks to the powerful rhythm. "God You Made The World All Wrong" and "The Pagan Ave Maria" are emotional string-tuggers. The rest of the songs have grown on me to the extent that I can't listen to just one song anymore, I have to hear the whole album. I skip Celine Dion, though. The inclusion of her song is pointless.

So, despite the flaws I mentioned, I still give this album 5 great big stars because I never get tired of this CD. It's been 8 months now, and I still long to see the musical again. Until then, this CD is a FINE substitute.

What has finally happened to this album is perfectly logical - a musical should be translated into English and staged in London to become popupar! This recording features some major performances by the original singers and at least two new brilliant stars who undoubtedly deserve to be members of this dreamcast. The first compliment concerns the wonderful translation by Will Jennings - although the English lyrics don't always match the French original (actually they shouldn't!), they perfectly convey the exciting spirit of the show and individual personalities. It was hardly possible to find someone who could perform the part of Quasimodo better than Garou - Pierre Garand (it is quite a furtune that the members of the Canadian cast are bilingual), - his antivocal singing voice of an extraordinary range perfectly suits the character, his rhythmic line is repeatedly found and clearly recognisable throughout the whole musical (compare, for example, the intro of 'The Bells', the themes of and 'Dance my Esmeralda'). Tina Arena delivers a heavenly performance as Esmeralda, her prayer' beauty in 'The Pagan Ave Maria' is comparable to that of Schubert's 'Ave Maria'. In addition, she is an exceptionally beautiful woman! That Celine Dion's performance of 'Live for the One I Love' is featured on this album is a good marketing trick, but it obviously lacks passion and good artistic quality. Daniel Lavoie's baritone is haunting and even more beautiful on this English conceptual album than on the French original one - luckily he performes the part more opera-like! Bruno Pelletier as Gringoire is exceptionally fine, he's got a brilliant tenor, but his part does not significantly contribute to the general understanding of the plot - otherwise the recording would deserve 5 stars. Steve Balsamo's performance as Phoebus is a nice follow up of 'Jesus Christ Superstar', he is able to beautifully demonstarate his outstanding vocal power. It's a pity that this album doesn't feature the love theme of Phoebus and Fleur de Lys - the album lacks a credible illustration that Phoebus is 'torn apart' and wants 'two women's love'. Happy will be those who'll be able to see this beautiful story of 'lust and love so true' live on stage!.. In sum, a triumphant beginning of a great new musical!

--i have to give this 5 stars, because i don't see any problem with it other than the lyrics. how come no one mentioned lyrics? they are bad, much worse than on the french version. and as someone who has heard the french version, i cannot say i find this one so bad. it has the most successful songs from the show-- how can they be 'boring' all of a sudden, if they weren't boring on the first concept album that got all 5-star ratings? they are not "all ballads" either. i much prefer the new esmeralda (tina arena), the new phoebus (steve balsamo-- jesus in the new 'jesus christ superstar'), and natasha st.pier (new fleur de lys). i agree with the person below who also said this. i am disappointed with many of the songs' translations, but then, some of the translations are quite nicely pulled off! i must say i expected it to be far worse. the french recording was brilliant, and it was hard to match, but this one does a decent job.

It's true, the English lyrics are a far cry from the original French, but in all fairness to Will Jennings, this must've been a difficult son-of-a-b to translate. With such a poetic and brilliantly written original, how do you keep the essence of the story, make it sound good AND make it all rhyme at the same time? Often, the perfect words simply aren't there in English. Most of the stuff is too poetic and simply doesn't translate. As a result, it's true, some of the lyrics are HORRIBLY awkward, like in "Bohemienne"...
French: "Je suis fille de grands chemins"
English: "I was born on a road that bends"!!!!

Anyway, I saw the original for the first time the year it came out, and have seen it three times since then (and it just came back to Paris for a limited time!). As soon as I found out there was an English version, I couldn't wait to check it out. I was not disappointed. For the most part, it's pretty well done. Just don't listen to the French first. And like some already pointed out, even if you don't understand the French, it'll still sound a lot better.