As you said, the Paris Les Miserables recording is probably my favorite. I also love the German musicals Elisabeth and 3 Musketiere. The German recording of Hunchback of Notre Dame (Der Gloeckner von Notre Dame) is pretty stunning too.
I have a soft spot for Tanz as well--but Jim Steinman is one of my top guilty pleasures. Also love, of course, the German Hunchback of Notre Dame--some of Menken's most gorgeous music.
Umm not sure this counts but I love a lot of the French Romeo and Juliette (which was turned into a brief camp mess in London afterwards)--very French pop, and part of my affection is an ex in Mtrl loved the show (and hated most musicals) but still I play it a lot.
i liek the concept recording of Les Mis even if it's very dated sounding--that's part of the appeal.
I speak French so those shows hold more appeal--and their cast albums than other foreign ones... I do have on video a few Takarazuka shows though...
German cast recording of "Sunset Boulevard" mit Helen Schneider Canadian cast recording of "Sunset Boulevard" with Diahann Carroll British tour recording of "Sunset Boulevard" with Faith Brown and Earl Carpenter (who left the tour before it ended)
"Noel [Coward] and I were in Paris once. Adjoining rooms, of course. One night, I felt mischievous, so I knocked on Noel's door, and he asked, 'Who is it?' I lowered my voice and said 'Hotel detective. Have you got a gentleman in your room?' He answered, 'Just a minute, I'll ask him.'" (Beatrice Lillie)
That Canadian Blvd is my fave Sunset recording (ditto the Canadian Phantom) but do us Canucks really count as foreign? I thought this was more non English--not non Broadway
Although the casting is spotty (I really don't care for Patrick Rocca or Julien Combey), the recording is probably the most cohesive cast I've ever heard -- you can tell they worked well together. Or, at least, in the studio. Some great chemistry there, and great energy.
"This thread reads like a series of White House memos." — Mister Matt
Not foreign to me, seeing I am Australian, but the Australian Cast Recording of Rocky Horror is the best! The American accents are so bad... Almost as bad as an American trying to do an Australian Accent...
A little known fact is that in the original screenplay, Pan's Labyrinth was Pan's FLAByrinth. Hmmmmmmm...glad they changed it.
Both French recordings of Les Mis are lovely, as is the Belgian highlights CD.
I like the Takarazuka version of Yeston's Phantom, and the Vienna recording of ALW's Phantom--the German lyrics are often better than the English ones, not that that's terribly difficult.
I also like the Notre-Dame de Paris French highlights. In my defense, I had no idea when I first listened to it that the production itself was so hideous, or that an English version even existed. The French lyrics are actually quite pretty, unlike that abortion of an English translation.
Glöckner is wonderful of course, and the Düsseldorf recording of Cabaret has its downsides but on the whole it's a really nice album.
I must be the only German-speaking person on the planet who can't stand the music from Elisabeth.
I downloaded this fantastic Hebrew version of "I Just Can't Wait To Be King" from The Lion King. Um... the guttural "chhh" sound was not meant to be used in show(ish) tunes. Enough said.
"Why, I make more money than... than... than Calvin Coolidge! PUT TOGETHER!" ~Lina Lamont
The Spanish Mi Bella Donna (My Fair Lady) is a lot of fun. I have a CD with passages from Notre Dame de Paris and the London recordings of Jerry Springer: The Opera, Mamma Mia and Mary Poppins, all of which I love.
And I have to admit I am guilty of loving Notre Dame De Paris (in French...)
"Whenever I get gloomy with the state of the world, I think about the arrivals gate at Heathrow Airport. General opinion's starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don't see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often it's not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it's always there - fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, boyfriends, girlfriends, old friends. When the planes hit the Twin Towers, as far as I know none of the phone calls from the people on board were messages of hate or revenge - they were all messages of love. If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around."