Which Les Miseraables recording for a novice?- Page 2

[canmark]

Posted: 12/29/12 at 6:32pm

I'd recommend the Original Broadway Cast. It retains Colm Wilkinson (Valjean) and Frances Ruffelle (Eponine) from the London cast and adds the likes of Randi Graff (Fantine) and Terrence Mann (Javert).

Tony Awards performance of One Day More: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGdsnb6rahI

Randi Graff performs I Dreamed a Dream (on Donahue): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pOwOCZrqVo

Updated On: 12/29/12 at 06:32 PM

[michellek45]

Posted: 12/29/12 at 10:52pm

I'd watch the 25th anniversary DVD to get a feel for the story- it's not the best cast, but I find it more engaging, complete, and easy to follow than the 10th. After that, my two favorite recordings are both not in English: the 1991 French Revival and the Japanese Red Cast. The 1991 French has one of the best casts ever assembled, in my opinion, and this is coming from someone who does not like listening to French. I love the Japanese Red Cast because the way the levels are, you can really hear the low instruments and the percussion much better than in other recordings. It's not as keyboard-heavy as the early shows, which I appreciate, but it hasn't become the "modern" version they use for the 25th anniversary yet. It is also very complete.

[My Oh My]

Posted: 12/30/12 at 1:24am

For those of you orchestration appreciating nuts out there, I'm sure you've asked yourself which recording contains the best representation of John Cameron's definitive, original 1987 orchestration?

Well, look no further than the 1991 Paris Cast Recording, also known as the French Revival Cast. Other recordings vary, most featuring a fair balance of Cameron's instrumentation; however, good mixing does make all the difference, and the Paris Cast Recording's mixing is simply magical.

Yes, it features the iconic (and in my opinion, beautifully gritty) keyboards that the show is so known for. Unfortunately people will always be ignorant about music, and like one very naive person over at IMDB, who calls the use of synths "pathetic" and wrongly assumes they were meant to replace orchestral elements with synthetic ones, those of us more enlightened well know John's original orchs had a wonderful variety of sounds that included a dominant and very large orchestral component made up of 10 string; 5 brass; 4 woodwind; drums; a percussionist; a guitarist; a bassist; and 2 keyboard players. To say the original orchs placed no focus whatsoever on the orchestra and was basically ALL synthetic sounds, is not only ignorance, it's willful stupidity and selective hearing.

Sorry. That person's post infuriated me beyond belief. As a huge fan since 1986, I've read too many ignorant assertions made about John's brilliantly atmospheric keyboard component, but that was just blatantly misinformed and incredibly naive.

At any rate!

The Paris Cast Recording stands out among the many albums that feature his original orchestration for how tight the mixing is. Those of you who know and appreciate John's original work know just how complex it is, often revealing whole counter melodies and sides that aren't immediately easy to isolate and identify. This recording manages to do what I never thought possible due to the sheer number of different voices that blend and create the musical language of Les Miserables: you are able to hear every single instrument clearly. That's amazing. And this is the only recording so far to achieve it.

The result is a work that represents John's work at its absolute peak. Every instrument is properly balanced, positioned within the stereo image, its dynamics fine-tuned, and the texture at its rawest, the recording is a joy.

It's also the best representation of John's keyboard sounds, which are usually either mixed in too heavily and are dominant over the orchestral component (OBC & OLC recordings) or their dynamics and textures suffer and come across like alien entities that aren't cohesive with the orchestral (the horrid new patches used for the 25th ann. thing). In the Paris Cast Recording, those patches do exactly what they were meant to do; set mood, color the moment; strategically fill-out and support the orchestra; infuse with character and texture; and to create atmosphere. Never during the course of listening to that album does one's senses jar at the sound of those keyboards. It all blends beautifully, as it should.

Do yourselves a favor and pick up a copy. Mp3 downloads put you at risk of receiving badly compressed versions of a recording that demands the highest quality, if one wishes to appreciate the stunning work of John Cameron, which to me, is the true voice of Les Miserables.

Updated On: 12/30/12 at 01:24 AM