Best Les Mis Recording- Lost thread

Hey guys im seeing Les Miz tomorrow and wanna get the soundtrack off iTunes, what is the best one? help?

thankyou thankyou thankyou...

are they not doing a revival recording...?

what one is complete and most like the revival?

Yes but apart from Ms. LuPone the London Cast recording isn't as exciting as the other recordings, its kind of slow... but Ms. LuPone as Fantine is a treasure!

NO they're not recording the revival.
and none of them are "most like the revival" since the revival lacks a lot of the original qualities of the show.

The Complete Symphonic Recording is the most complete, however it lacks Colm Wilkinson, although it does have Anthony Warlow as Enjorlas, who is undoubtedly the best in the role!

Updated On: 6/19/07 at 09:07 PM

Definitely has to be the CSR or the 10th Anniversary Concert. Both have Philip Quast as Javert, so both do it for me. ^_^ (Both have Michael Ball as Marius so that's fine too.) From there, you have to decide if you want an amazing Valjean (TAC) or an adequate one (CSR), an amazing Enjolras (CSR) or a decent one (TAC), an Eponine with powerful enunciation and a strong voice (TAC) or a soft and heartbreaking one with a Japanese accent (CSR), a shrill Cosette (CSR) or a bearable one (TAC), and uh... well, deciding between Fantines is really a matter of personal taste. Oh, and if hearing applause is going to upset you, avoid the TAC. But if you would totally be sold by a bevy of Valjeans singing 'Do You Hear The People Sing?' in a variety of languages, then you shouldn't choose anything else.

When I add it all together, I prefer the CSR. Many people prefer the TAC. Personal taste, I'm afraid. The CSR is a little more complete, but the TAC has enough that you don't notice it's lacking in a few places.

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The only reason I would recommend the CSR is because of its completeness. I feel the cast has very little chemistry (except for the Eponine and the Marius) and some of the larger ensemble numbers are just plain awful (they used past Valjeans and Javerts for the student chorus, I think). And for me both Fantine and Cosette are horrible.

I do think that the TAC is the best all around cast that is on an English recording. The only reason I would recommend a different album is if you wanted the best Eponine (Original Broadway Cast recording).

Yes, but the CSR has the lame LA students, who seem (inexplicably) uninspired by Anthony Warlow's Enjolras.

I think it really depends. If you want completeness (at least, complete as the show was then), the CSR may be for you, although the tempos are a bit weird as different singers were recorded in different countries. I prefer the TAC as far as many of the performers, and it has tempos that don't confuse me.

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If you want Frances Ruffelle's Eponine, get the London recording. It's pretty horrible in places, but she herself is much better on the London recording than the Broadway one. You also get a pretty nifty Fantine. Patti something? Lu-whatnow? She's all right, I s'pose.

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Updated On: 6/21/07 at 06:36 PM