Disney's Der Gloeckner Von Notre Dame (1999 German Stage Version) [CAST RECORDING] [IMPORT]

Stephen Schwartz, Alan Menken

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 19, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording, Import
• Label: Stell
• ASIN: B00002DFMR
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #321,162 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can't WAIT to actually see this show!, March 15, 2000

By	Peter Jenkins (Pearcedale, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

Wow! Contrary to popular opinion, I always believed that "Hunchback" was one of Disney's finest soundtracks. Sure, the songs weren't as catchy as Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King, but the score was so rich and had such a dark, medieval edge to it, it sent shivers up the spine.

Now Disney's richest score has just got richer! Thanks to a 50 piece orchestra, the sound from this stage production is phenomenal! All of the old songs have been improved and added upon except for "Court of Miracles," the only song I DIDN'T like from the movie, which has been trashed - yippee!) and the new songs are all fitting as well. In particular, I love the "Hoch Uber Der Welt" song ("Top of the World") and the Act I finale, "Esmeralda."

Menken has done it again! If you even half enjoyed the music to the Hunchback movie, you must own this! Now we just have to wait for an English version so that we can understand what on Earth these people are singing! (It's not that bad, most of the time you can guess) As it is currently though, I'm learning quite a bit of German from it.

The whole tone of the show seems much darker than the movie. The gargoyles are more than just comic relief - in fact, I'm not sure if they're comic relief at all anymore.

And the ending! In the movie, where Esmeralda died, and... came back to life... followed by when Frollo... fell... off of the cathedral... the stage show has Esmeralda STAYING dead (the music is beautifully tragic) and Quasimodo going beserk and hurling Frollo from the tower, just like in the book! Thus, the stage show has a much darker, gloomier ending than the movie, which works wonders! It fits the tone of the story much better! I'm just stunned by this C.D., and recommend it wholeheartedly. By the way, I contacted lyracist Stephen Schwartz himself, and the English titles to the new songs are: "Zuflucht" - "Sanctuary" "Tanz Auf Dem Siel" - "Balancing Act" "Ein Bisschen Freude" - "Rest & Recreation" "Hoch Uber Der Welt" - "Top of the World" "Trommeln In Der Stadt" - "City Under Siege" "Weil Du Liebst" - "Out Of Love" "Wie Aus Stein" - "Made Of Stone" Hope that helps a bit!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GET IT NOW!, May 29, 2003

By	L. Bandoquillo (Toronto, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I can't express how much I love this special soundtrack. I even burnt 2 copies just to avoid overusing the original. And I absolutely think the price is more than appropriate for this astounding classic. Anyway, here's my review:

The Bells of Notre Dame(Die Glocken Notre Dames) *****
- This piece was amazing to begin with and, with the extended dialogue, still remains perfect. The choir is very powerful.

Sanctuary(Zuflucht) ****
- An extended version of Frollo's part in Outhere. The lyrics are amazing and the melody is equally astounding (the gargoyles are a welcome addition, too) but there's a minor piece in the melody that oddly sounds 'happy' in contrast to the rest. Just a minor quip, though.

Out There(Draussen) *****
- Identical in every way to the original. Still excellent.

Rest And Recreation(Ein Bisschen Freude) ****
- Phoebus' theme now with sharp and witty lyrics! Fits perfectly for his character and fairly catchy, especially the end.

Balancing Act(Tanz Auf Dem Seil) *****
- Intersting at first, but it grows on you. The intgration of Esmeralda's theme is seamsless and adds an amazing touch. Once again, the choral ending and the chorus is the highlight.

Topsy Turvy(Drunter Druber) *****
- The biggest improvement among the original songs! The addition of Quasimodod's 'Outhere' and the new ethnicized dance theme of Esmeralda are fantastic and the whole song now feels more upbeat and alive.

God Help The Outcasts(Helf Den Verstoss'nen) *****
- Minor additions, notably Quasimodo's duet with Esmeralda in the middle. Otherwise, identical to the original.

Top Of The World(Hoch Uber Der Welt) *****
- A great new song for Esmeralda and the Gargoyles. It's very upbeat and pleasant, remiding me of 'Somthing There' from Beauty and the Beast.

Heaven's Light(Das Licht Des Himmels) ***
- The weakest song, in my opinion, because of it's short length. No changes whatsoever. The melody is still charming, though.

Hellfire(Das Feuer Des Holle) *****
- Almost identical to the original, only for some odd reason it's now more powerful especially at the end.

Esmeralda *****
- SPECTACULAR! My absolute favourite song by Menken. The power this song delivers is simply indescribable and definitely unsurmountable. The highlight is the last half of the song when Frollo, Phoebus and Quasimodo sing together along with the masterful choir. Simply perfect.

City Under Siege(Trommeln In Der Stadt) *****
- Another amazing improvement on the already amazing 'Sanctuary' instrumental sequence of the original. Mainly just the choir. My second favourite song right after Esmeralda.

A Guy Like You(Ein Mann Wie Du) *****
- Almost identical save the wittier and appropriate lyrics and the fact that Quasimodo joins in at the end. Nay sayers of the original will definitely have a change of heart.

Out Of Love(Weil Du Liebst) *****
- Great melody and even greater lyrics for Quasimodo and Phoebus. The diagologue is suprisingly amazing and the entire song is almost as emotional as 'God Help the Outcasts'.

Out Of Love - Reprise (Weil Du Liebst - Reprise) *****
- Excellent reprise, this time concentrating on Esmeralda and Phoebus' love, and Quasimodo's pain. More emotinonal amd powrful than the first.

Made Of Stone(Wie Aus Stein) *****
- A dark and bitter song similar to 'Hellfire' and will definitely take you a while to get used to. The lyrics are its most powerful aspects. You will definitely learn to love this piece.

Someday(Einmal) *****
- Now more effective and powerful than the original. This song is sang by Esmeralda, Phoebus and the choir culminatiig in a painfully powerful end.

Grand Finale(Finale Ultimo) *****
- A chimera of most of the songs sewn together seamslessly by amazing lyrics and integrated dialogue. An equally powerful ending fitting perfectly to an equally powerful soundtrack.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Phenomenal, July 7, 2009

By	Leyan Sun - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If there's currently a copy being offered at a reasonable price on this product page, I'd take the opportunity and order it immediately. Prices seem to fluctuate at a moment's notice, so steal it while you can.

I would like to take the time to explain this CD's overall production and mixing, since other reviewers' have done an excellent job reviewing the songs themselves. If you read the German equivalent of this product page, you'll notice criticisms regarding how the CD is mixed. While some of them are a bit exaggerated, I feel the CD does have one mixing flaw. I'm not sure how to explain this, but the whole sound seems to get progressively louder as the CD moves forward. I find my self turning down the volume after track six or seven. Another point that was mentioned earlier was the lack of the fullness found in the original movie's soundtrack. I don't fault them there, since the orchestra had space constraints during the original production. It's just a different sound you'll get used to. After all, they had the requirement of performing this nightly when the show was active.

In terms of the overall CD, I feel this recording is much more complete than the movie's original soundtrack which (lyrically) leaves you scratching your head in terms of character development. However, if you're into orchestration by itself without any voices, this CD isn't exactly for you - and rightfully so. There's perhaps only one song on this CD without the actors' involvement. I'd be disappointed if this stage recording was a simple rehash of the movie score - and I'd also be disappointed if the soundtrack was exactly like the stage recording, leaving no room for the fullness of the score by itself.
If you have a chance, buy both the score and the stage recording. They complement each other beautifully.

If not, this CD is perfectly fine by itself. It's a phenomenal production, and it's a farce that Disney won't continue the production in another location.