#51
Posted: 4/9/26 at 8:05pm
Do we know if a CD is being released ?
CHESS 2025 Broadway Cast Recording Thread — Page 3
#52
Posted: 4/9/26 at 8:09pm
hak5 said: "Do we know if a CD is being released ?"
Both CD and Vinyl are coming later.
#53
Posted: 4/9/26 at 8:47pm
Did Benny produce this?
Beyoncé is not an ally. Actions speak louder than words, Mrs. Carter. #Dubai #$$$
#54
Posted: 4/9/26 at 9:27pm
I had to go to Playbill to find out who is playing bass on the recording. I am now a fan of Yuka Tadano.
Updated On: 4/9/26 at 09:27 PM
#55
Posted: 4/9/26 at 10:02pm
I'm loving what I'm hearing on these individual songs!
They really let the songs rock & flaunt their 80s aweomness! The drums, guitars and synths are prominent in all of that places I want them to be!
Maybe it's the clear sound on these recordings & and optimal mixing, but the songs almost sound better here than they did at the Imperial in January!
#56
Posted: 4/9/26 at 10:10pm
He is a Man He is a Child has such an ABBA vibe to it, very Frida. I love Hannah's version.
Speaking of Hannah, she finally posted that photo of her and Lea at the Spring Awakening stage door that she's been teasing for a while to celebrate the release of their duet.
Updated On: 4/9/26 at 10:10 PM
#57
Posted: 4/10/26 at 12:00am
Now streaming. Enjoy, everybody!
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”
#58
Posted: 4/10/26 at 12:01am
Bless whoever conceived/wrote/orchestrated this new overture.
#59
Posted: 4/10/26 at 2:27am
I knew the singing performances would be good but the surprise is how gorgeous, clear and loud all the orchestrations are generally. I don't think I will or can listen to another recording of this now.
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
#60
Posted: 4/10/26 at 5:55am
binau said: "I knew the singing performances would be good but the surprise is how gorgeous, clear and loud all the orchestrations are generally. I don't think I will or can listen to another recording of this now."
Agree.
#61
Posted: 4/10/26 at 6:25am
DAYUM....... this is how you make a cast recording!
Slotted spoons don't hold much soup
#62
Posted: 4/10/26 at 11:12am
CATSNYrevival said:
The length of the song, studio vs live, is practically identical on my end. I don't think it's slower."
Correct, it's not. Wow, the orchestrations have never sounded better. The soaring voices, the clarity, everything. This is how you do a cast recording 🎶
Updated On: 4/10/26 at 11:12 AM
#63
Posted: 4/10/26 at 11:46am
The overture sounds STUNNING. Have some quibbles with some mixes (I miss when recordings felt like the performers were in the theater and not in a lab controlled studio, a problem with the majority of recordings today) but overall grateful that the score was preserved in this condition with this cast. Gonna wear this one out
#64
Posted: 4/10/26 at 1:02pm
The score is a gold mine and shines right through on this album. When it soars, it ROCKS in a way that only CHESS can. Lead guitarist Jakob Reinhardt gets to really let loose here.
This overture is all Brian Usifer, who is credited with new orchestrations for this production.
And I will also praise the vocals and mixing on this album as a whole.
Likely won't get me to see this live, but this is a good record to finally own.
“I am furious, but I am sailing.”
#65
Posted: 4/10/26 at 1:31pm
This is a great recording. Orchestrations sound awesome.
And the performances really do shine through. Cruz should get a Tony nom for this. Christopher feels locked.
Updated On: 4/10/26 at 01:31 PM
#66
Posted: 4/10/26 at 1:54pm
This will probably get the most plays from me of any new album this season, and I can confidently say that having not even seen or heard the new musicals this season that haven’t dropped albums yet. The only minor quibble from me is that I would have liked some dialogue in the beginning to help set the scene, and some dialogue at the end to tie things up, but it seems there was a conscious choice to record very little of the new book and just let the score shine and I can’t really argue with that choice either. They could have skimped out and gave us a highlights album which would have been really disappointing. The fact that they literally preserved the entire score, even the short songs that maybe usually wouldn’t make it on to a cast album, is more than I could have hoped for.
#67
Posted: 4/10/26 at 1:59pm
theatergoer3 said: "This is a great recording. Orchestrations sound awesome.
And the performances really do shine through. Cruzget a Tony nom for this. Christopher feels locked. "
Cruz’s He is a Man, He is a Child is fantastic. I normally don’t really care about that song but she makes so many great vocal/acting choices.
#68
Posted: 4/10/26 at 4:24pm
Duplicate
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Updated On: 4/10/26 at 04:24 PM
#69
Posted: 4/10/26 at 4:24pm
I just listened through the whole thing and I give it a solid B.
Nicholas Christopher indeed has a pair of mutant lungs and sold everything with gusto. His Russian accent is more pronounced on the album as well, which can get lost in the theatre. I also have to admit I didn’t hate Lea’s singing as much as I thought I would. She nailed some of her bigger rock songs and they felt less Glee-ified to me.
They slowed The Arbiter by a hair and that rankles me just because I’m used to the high energy rock concert tempo in the theatre and this left me wanting a little pick-me-up in tempo, but Bryce was reliably excellent. Dean and Cruz also deliver on their big numbers (I’m a sucker for The Soviet Machine)
I was not entirely sold on Tveit at all. It was nice to hear some of his opt-ups again that he seemed to forgo after previews, but it’s still blatantly clear that he is not a rock tenor and that is painfully evident in some of the songs that should sound like a roaring cri de coeur (Pity The Child #3) but come off as a bit whiny. I also had trouble with One Night In Bangkok since it felt like he was snarkingly talk-singing through it and I REALLY missed the 80s synth that made the original pop. It’s fine, but certainly not the go-to version I’ll listen to in the future.
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#70
==> this board is a nest of vipers <==
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Posted: 4/10/26 at 4:40pm
quizking101 said: "I also had trouble with One Night In Bangkok since it felt like he was snarkingly talk-singing through it and I REALLY missed the 80s synth that made the original pop."
I definitely thought him to be the weakest link, and I found the actual performance of this song to be cringy when I saw the show.
Does anyone know of a YouTube channel that has all the tracks? Usually each show's official YouTube channel publishes the entire cast recording, but the channel for this production only has a handful of songs so far.
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
#71
Posted: 4/10/26 at 5:08pm
Lot666 said: "quizking101 said: "I also had trouble with One Night In Bangkok since it felt like he was snarkingly talk-singing through it and I REALLY missed the 80s synth that made the original pop."
I definitely thought him to be the weakest link, and I found the actual performance of this song to be cringy when I saw the show.
Does anyone know of a YouTube channel that has all the tracks? Usually each show's official YouTube channel publishesthe entire cast recording, but the channel for this production only has a handful of songs so far.
"
give them time.
#72
Posted: 4/10/26 at 5:10pm
Lot666 said: "quizking101 said: "I also had trouble with One Night In Bangkok since it felt like he was snarkingly talk-singing through it and I REALLY missed the 80s synth that made the original pop."
I definitely thought him to be the weakest link, and I found the actual performance of this song to be cringy when I saw the show.
Does anyone know of a YouTube channel that has all the tracks? Usually each show's official YouTube channel publishesthe entire cast recording, but the channel for this production only has a handful of songs so far."
Try this:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lk3fV40m8PlhkwseFHvFmHi_udYEbeJrc&si=NDGdRkKa69grlSHV
#73
==> this board is a nest of vipers <==
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
Posted: 4/10/26 at 5:24pm
Ball of Buttah said: "Try this:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lk3fV40m8PlhkwseFHvFmHi_udYEbeJrc&si=NDGdRkKa69grlSHV
"
Thank you!!
"Michael Riedel...The Perez Hilton of the New York Theatre scene"
- Craig Hepworth, What's On Stage
#74
Posted: 4/10/26 at 5:47pm
quizking101 said: "I was not entirely sold on Tveit at all. It was nice to hear some of his opt-ups again that he seemed to forgo after previews, but it’s still blatantly clear that he is not a rock tenor and that is painfully evident in some of the songs that should sound like a roaring cri de coeur (Pity The Child #3) but come off as a bit whiny. I also had trouble with One Night In Bangkok since it felt like he was snarkingly talk-singing through it and I REALLY missed the 80s synth that made the original pop. It’s fine, but certainly not the go-to version I’ll listen to in the future."
Having listened to this cast recording and seen this production twice I will admit that Tveit's vocals don't do justice on this recording whatsoever his Bangkok and Pity the Child is so much better hearing it live and in person.
I'm also surprised nobody has mentioned how good the ensemble sounds as well especially on "Dangerous and Difficult Times"
Updated On: 4/10/26 at 05:47 PM
#75
Posted: 4/10/26 at 6:43pm
His Bangkok and Pity The Child are not his best vocal performances, and are likely bolstered by the live atmosphere and acoustics.
Having seen it 12 times, 11 with Aaron, he was finding his voice in the beginning, but it felt like he never truly got there. Later trips saw him leaning on the ensemble blending in Bangkok and opting down for many notes in Pity The Child, usually trying to save himself for one big note at the end.
While Bangkok can usually be skated on by someone who is good with rap/patter style, Pity The Child is purely rock, and Aaron is not. My friend and I each saw different understudies the last time we went - I saw Adam Halpin, he saw Aleks Pevec, and both of us said our respective understudy beat Aaron vocally.
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