Best Chess Recording- Page 2

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 6/19/25 at 6:56pm

Check you tube and search the Australian production ( Sydney ) late 80’s opened before the American production, but was one of the first have changes. The full audio and video is one there. 

[joevitus]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 12:59am

Thank you, Musicgamist!

[TBFL]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 1:36am

Another vote for the 2disc 2001 Danish Tour. I think the entire cast are excellent.

Zubin Varla and his signature cracks is so good.

[TBFL]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 1:40am

rosscoe(au) said: "Check you tube and search the Australian production ( Sydney ) late 80’s opened before the American production, but was one of the first have changes. The full audio and video is one there."

Sydney was in 1990, 2 years after Broadway and was a mix of London, Broadway and some new elements. It's such a confusing mess to watch, especially if you're only familiar with later versions.

[chewy5000]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 4:05am

My vote goes to Whitney and Cissy Houston's recording of "I Know Him So Well"

[morosco]

Posted: 6/20/25 at 2:11pm

I prefer the 2-CD 35 track Danish Tour Cast Recording.

Act One

Act Two 

• The 2001 Danish tour:
  
  This production of "Chess" was notable for being the first to record a complete version of the score, including incidental music and additional songs created for the stage. 

• Complete recording (later recalled):
  
  The initial release of the cast album contained all the music from the show. However, due to rights issues, it was later withdrawn and replaced with an edited version. 

• Edited version:
  
  The edited version of the recording omitted some of the previously recorded tracks. 

• Significance:
  
  The original, complete recording is significant because it captured the full scope of the musical's score at the time. 

[inception]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 8:31pm

I ripped a copy of that Danish cast album off YouTube & have been listening to that & the London concert recording.  I don't know a lot about voice, but I have a question about the numbers for the character of Freddie - it seems like in some songs, like One Night in Bangkok, they really are straining a bit, so I wonder how singing this role for a long time might effect a singer?  Does anyone who knows more about singing have any thoughts?

Edit: not sure if that song was best example.  I hear it in the "Interview" section of the second act on the Danish recording.  It just sounds to me like the Freddie is straining 

Updated On: 7/8/25 at 08:31 PM

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 9:36pm

It’s hard material but also that’s just what Zubin Varla sounds like.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 10:09pm

You guys weren't kidding.

 

The Danish album is the one

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/8/25 at 10:59pm

Yes that’s pretty much just how Zubin sings in some parts of the stave. Check out his “Judas’ Death” for more of the same, especially the “Murdered me, murdered me…” in the final minute. 
Philip Casnoff on the OBC sings all of Freddie’s stuff with a healthier sound while still filling the rock requirement. He’s pretty remarkable. 

The Danish recording is overall really good, but I think Stig Rossen as Anatoly isn’t even nearly equal to the other performers. Tommy Körberg from any of the other albums is the Anatoly to beat. 

Scroll down to Gallery for photos of the 2001 Danish production  https://musicals.dk/show/chess-2001/?lang=en

Updated On: 7/8/25 at 10:59 PM

[WearSunblock]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 12:04pm

I have never seen Chess, and I admittedly don't know the music well.  (I know One Night in Bangkok, Anthem, and a lot of Florence's songs).  Part of me wants to listen to the different cast recordings, and part of me wants to wait until I see it.  I did look up the song list and background information, and I was surprised to see that the actors who originated Freddy in the West End and on Broadway were not nominated while the other two leads in both were. ( I thought for sure Murray Head was, he was that song!!!!).  Is Freddy not as much of a lead as the other two or is the role not as good?  

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 12:08pm

WearSunblock said: "I have never seen Chess, and I admittedly don't know the music well. (I know One Night in Bangkok, Anthem, and a lot of Florence's songs). Part of me wants to listen to the different cast recordings, and part of me wants to wait until I see it. I did look up the song list and background information, and I was surprised to see that the actors who originated Freddy in the West End and on Broadway were not nominated while the other two leads in both were. ( I thought for sure Murray Head was, he was that song!!!!). Is Freddy not as much of a lead as the other two or is the role not as good?"

Freddy doesn't really get much of the dramatic arc that Anatoly and Florence does.  All three are billed as co-leads but I'd say Freddy is more of a supporting lead (kind of like how in Merrily it's about the three of them, but Frank is more of the "lead" lead)

[inception]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 12:30pm

BorisTomashevsky said: "

Scroll down to Gallery for photos of the 2001 Danish productionhttps://musicals.dk/show/chess-2001/?lang=en"

To be honest, I thought those photos made it look awful.  But the recording is good.

I am liking the London Concert album a bit more because I really like Menzel & Groban.

Lea Michele is going to have to be really good to compare to Idina for me.

[KrupYou]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 12:45pm

original is still the best

[darquegk]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 1:00pm

Freddy is a hard role because it's somewhat underwritten. There is SOMETHING going on with him- is he a drug addict, a closeted gay man, mentally ill? But most versions of the book just make him an enigmatic jerkass of a cipher. 

I read somewhere that there's a certain amount of overlap in the characters of Freddy and the Arbiter, and they were differentiated arbitrarily into two different lead roles during the writing process. This explains why Freddie becomes a chess-obsessed media personality who makes queer-coded innuendos throughout Act 2, when he was an implied corner of a heterosexual love triangle in Act 1.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 1:22pm

Honorable mention to Tommy singing Anthem in his native Swedish. 
 

https://youtu.be/K4Lxh6A0aDA?si=q3ZRGaPkRRTHhr8S

Updated On: 7/11/25 at 01:22 PM

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 2:05pm

I own most of these recordings on CD. I’ve also got most of them digitally, too…for streaming. Almost all of the CHESS recordings have things that make them worth listening to; some more than others.

I wish the OBC recording was available to stream. Hopefully, we’ll have a new Broadway cast album by the end of the year or shortly thereafter.

[BorisTomashevsky]

Posted: 7/11/25 at 2:13pm

MichelleCraig said: "Hopefully, we’ll have a new Broadway cast album by the end of the year or shortly thereafter."


In hot pink vinyl. 

[Fan123]

Posted: 10/14/25 at 4:23pm

MichelleCraig said: "I wish the OBC recording was available to stream."

As per an eagle-eyed Reddit user, that 1988 album has recently become available to stream: https://www.reddit.com/r/musicals/comments/1o6gc6c/judy_kuhn_announces_chess_1988_broadway_cast_is/ .

Judy Kuhn's Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPwhoG1D6Kw/

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 10/14/25 at 6:02pm

I never got why they had to recall it--surely the writers were involved and knew what was going to be recorded?  Just to be clear the Danish Tour comes the closest to representing the original London production in terms of songs (with the addition of Someone Else's Story) and orchestrations.

 

morosco said: "I prefer the 2-CD 35 track Danish Tour Cast Recording.

Act One

Act Two

• The 2001 Danish tour:
  
  This production of "Chess" was notable for being the first to record a complete version of the score, including incidental music and additional songs created for the stage.
• Complete recording (later recalled):
  
  The initial release of the cast album contained all the music from the show.However, due to rights issues, it was later withdrawn and replaced with an edited version.
• Edited version:
  
  The edited version of the recording omitted some of the previously recorded tracks.
• Significance:
  
  The original, complete recording is significant because it captured the full scope of the musical's score at the time.

"

 

[John Adams]

Posted: 10/14/25 at 6:52pm

WOW... Thanks for the tip re: the Danish Tour recording! I'm so impressed with the orchestral interpretations!

For example: on the song "Where I Want to Be", the versions I have (original concept and 1988 Broadway), the orchestra sounds very "Tim Burton/Beetlejuice". On the Danish recording, the orchestrations are played like a film score (less electric instruments and with more legato), so they sound like "James Bond/007". 

It's like I'd never heard the score before - and I've listened to the recordings that I own many, many times.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/14/25 at 10:28pm

The Danish Complete "One Night in Bangkok" adds some campy, trashy sound effects that put the song over the top in the best way: not only are there record scratches, but the TARDIS sound effect occurs once or twice.

[John Adams]

Posted: 10/15/25 at 6:57am

So. First preview tonight. I have every confidence in the cast for their success, but now I'm wondering...

What will the orchestrations sound like? My current goal is to add the Danish Tour recording to my collection (which is a very difficult task, but with patience, may be achievable).

If, and ONLY IF, the orchestrations are on par with the Danish recording, I would also buy the 2025 Broadway recording (for both the cast AND the orchestra).

I didn't think I would ever need another recording of "Floyd Collins", but I was wrong. I would be happy if the 2025 "Chess" is as good as "Floyd".

Updated On: 10/15/25 at 06:57 AM