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#26

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/25/12 at 5:48pm

My copy shipped from Amazon.com today. I've listened to a few of the songs on AOL Music and think Elena sounds much better than she has on the promo material and TV appearances.
#31

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/25/12 at 8:36pm

Am I the only one who thinks the 2006 album sounded way better than this? Particularly when it came to sound quality and the orchestra. Here the orchestra sounds both tinny and tiny compared to the London album, where an augmented orchestra was used (and was recorded TWICE thanks to ALW's quibbles in that area!). I doubt ALW thinks highly of these severely reduced orchestrations which barely reflects the beauty of the new orchestrations he conceived for this revival.

I also think Elena Roger sounds considerably worse in this, and I LOVE her. Listening to this I can kind of empathise with the complaints I was hearing around me in the Marquis Theatre -- she DOES sound rather acute and Piaf-like here. I thought 'A New Argentina' and 'Buenos Aires' in particular sounded way better on the 2006 album. Ditto the 'Lament' -- why on EARTH did they CUT the choir for this recording? That's one of the most beautiful moments aurally in this production. I didn't think the choir was loud enough in the London album and this time it's not even there at all! And the tempo of the song is absolutely crazy.

Is it just because of a sad state of economics? Is the trade-off for a complete cast recording a rubbish orchestra and rushed tempi?
#33

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/25/12 at 9:02pm

It might be slightly lower live, I think. But even if it was the same speed, I don't think aiming for a 'live' sound is necessarily what a cast recording should be aiming for. I don't expect people to sound out of breath in 'Buenos Aires', for example, on a recording.

But I do think the loss of the choir is an incredible and inexplicable shame.

I can't get over how flat and muffled the orchestra sounds on this. I don't care much for the Really Useful Group and their music division, but it seems when it comes to sound quality they are way ahead of Masterworks.

The whole recording has a this kind of happy, poppy vibe that lacks any sense of menace or corruption, at least from first listen. I was thrilled that this production finally got a complete cast recording, but it seems a price has had to be paid for it.

Updated On: 6/25/12 at 09:02 PM

#34

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/25/12 at 9:08pm

I am kind of liking what I am hearing. I have not seen this particular production and I love the authenticity they are conveying with Elena as Eva. She is trying extremely hard, and you can hear it. She is great, I think. Ricky Martin sounds a little flat and his accent does go in and out several times throughout. I love that we have a new complete recording that is produced well, in my opinion. It does not compare to the original of course (and it seems they tried hard not to be too similar, but everyone has all of these expectations and people know what the show should look or sound like). I haven't finished listening, but it is good/decent so far. Not extremely stellar, but decent... for me... in my opinion...

Updated On: 6/25/12 at 09:08 PM

#35

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/25/12 at 10:47pm

I listened briefly to some of the tracks. It sounds like Ricky Martin is trying too hard to enunciate and sing without an accent (except for words like "Peron"), and so he comes out sounding a bit lifeless. Michael Cerveris, on the other hand, is laying it on thick, and seems to be playing Peron like a patrician old man. I like what I heard of Elena--much less harsh-sounding than the London recording (I saw her in London, too, and thought she sounded much better in person than the London recording).

I think it can be hard to adjust to a new recording when you are so familiar with previous recordings. A lot of the phrasing is different, and it will take repeated listening to really know whether one likes this recording or not.

Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)

Updated On: 6/25/12 at 10:47 PM

#37

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/26/12 at 1:27am

I had pre-ordered the CD (not home, so haven't received it yet) and after reading comments on here for the last few weeks, I wasn't as excited about it. Especially since I was underwhelmed by the 2006 recording.

But I've been listening to the stream on AOL all night and really can't wait to see it now. It hit me, we haven't had a "full" new recording since the movie. And I really love the new orchestrations. Elena sounds great, much better than the live clips I've seen on TV. Martin doesn't sound as edgy as I've come to expect for Che, but he's not bad...

Really hope Evita sticks around for awhile
#39

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/26/12 at 5:22pm

The quality must not be so great on the stream. I am listening to CD right now, and it does NOT sound thin and tinny. It's a major improvement over the atrocious London recording.
#40

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/26/12 at 6:28pm

I scanned the actual cd cover art to use as my album cover art on my ipod instead of the (imo) horrible album cover they created as the outside paper thing. If anyone is interested, here is the link

i49.tinypic.com/fn4jvd.jpg










I only want variety--notoriety!

Updated On: 6/26/12 at 06:28 PM

#41

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/26/12 at 8:43pm

I like the tango arrangement of I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You.

The vocals are very extremely disappointing. Not the mixing, the actual singers.

How did Roger ever get cast in a role she can't sing?
....but the world goes 'round
#42

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/26/12 at 10:44pm

The quality must not be so great on the stream. I am listening to CD right now, and it does NOT sound thin and tinny. It's a major improvement over the atrocious London recording.

I do hope you're right, although there's no doubting the quality of the orchestra was far superior on the London album. Not keen on the synth replacements here.

And I think Elena's voice was actually stronger on the London recording...it seems to have thinned out slightly in the intervening six years. Either that or her technique is different.

I heard the alternate on YouTube and really don't understand why a lot of posters here apparently prefer her. Each to his/her own. To me her voice is very cookie-cutter Glee/Wicked-sounding, and she's at least as shrill if not more so than people claim Roger is. It's hard not to sound shrill in Evita, those keys are ridiculously high, albeit thrillingly so.

And yay for the scan of the proper album art! Thanks for that; I'll use that in my iTunes. Really don't like the outer cover.

Updated On: 6/26/12 at 10:44 PM

#43

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/26/12 at 10:51pm

t's hard not to sound shrill in Evita, those keys are ridiculously high, albeit thrillingly so.

Well LuPone sure didn't sound shrill. I don't think anything LuPone has ever sung could be considered shrill. Roger just can't sing the score, plain and simple. Her diction has improved since the London recording, but her voice is still very unappealing.

How did Roger ever get cast in a role she can't sing?

The only reason has to be because she is a native of Argentina. They made huge deal about that in London. But I think it was a massive mistake to bring her Broadway. Her reviews were tepid, and she received no Tony nomination.
#44

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/27/12 at 12:30am

Having now seen Roger in the role, I think the critics were unfair in their reviews. No, she's not Patti LuPone, but who is? I found her voice exciting in some places (and a little disappointing in others), but her acting, dancing and overall stage presence were fantastic.

Watching the show, I found myself missing Mandy's voice more than Patti's.
When I see the phrase "the ____ estate", I imagine a vast mansion in the country full of monocled men and high-collared women receiving letters about productions across the country and doing spit-takes at whatever they contain. -Kad
#46

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/27/12 at 6:02am

The only reason has to be because she is a native of Argentina. They made huge deal about that in London. But I think it was a massive mistake to bring her Broadway. Her reviews were tepid, and she received no Tony nomination.

She did, however, receive an Olivier nomination for her performance in this role. Here are some of her reviews from London:

“Ms Roger has that rare thing you can’t define - but you know it when you see it: an Everest-sized dose of star quality.”
Baz Bamigboye, The Daily Mail

“This Evita is set to dazzle…a dazzling British debut…the evening belongs to Roger, who is mesmerising from the beginning.:
Sheridan Morley, Daily Express

“Roger is quite a revelation”
Benedict Nightingale, The Times

“Tiny though she be, Argentine Senorita Roger is big, big news. She opened in the lead in Evita last night and she’s going to make this fine musical a great hooter of a hit all over again. A top star…what she has is a sparky charge of talent”
Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

“Oh, what a show!..the piece not only survives but thrives on the violent eruption of reality that comes in the diminutive shape of Elena Roger. Roger is simply sensational Ms Roger has a clarion voice capable of thrilling shrillness and of a pensive purity”
Paul Taylor, The Independent

“Elena Roger dances with real verve. She occupies the stage by right rather than default and captures all of Eva’s iron-willed determination”
Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Elena Roger glows with star quality in the lead role of Evita. Her frail physique dominates the stage with a tremendous presence while the ensemble is first rate…a socking great star performance from the diminutive, authentically Argentinian actress Elena Roger…Elena Roger’s tiny and apparently frail Evita dominates the stage with tremendous presence…In short she (Elena Roger) has exactly the star quality the role requires…I have a strong suspicion that Evita is going to be a huge and durable hit all over again”
Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph

“I have fallen head over heels for Evita again, with Michael Grandage’s dynamic production offering a charismatic title-role performance, ripe for superlatives, by unknown Argentinian Elena Roger…Miss Roger rises up strong, fervent and passionate. Miss Roger, all vulnerability and cunning, with enough sex appeal and raw erotic energy to snare half a government, initially sports dark hair, a terrific dancing technique and a taste for young men. Her performance brought first nighters to their feet”
Nicholas De Jongh, Evening Standard

“Don’t cry for her: she’s sensational!”
Quentin Letts, Daily Mail

“Such electrifying energy needs a source, and it’s got it in triple threat dynamo Elena Roger as Eva. When Elena Roger sings, “put me down for a lifetime of success,” not a soul in the audience is likely to disagree”
David Benedict, Variety.com

“This tiny Evita is a huge star. Elena Roger proves herself every inch, and some, to be a worthy first lady of musical theatre…Her flashing eyes, wide smile, belting voice, sex appeal and sheer force of personality blow you away. What’s more, she doesn’t just dance up a storm, she tangoes up a tempest…Roger’s triumph - is that you believe she loved the people as ferociously as they worshipped her… A sensational hit, all over again”
Georgina Brown, The Mail on Sunday

The audiences in London loved her too. No-one here has heard of Patti LuPone outside musical theatre junkies and even then LuPone is not who first comes to mind when Evita is discussed.

On that basis, if I were the producer of the show, I would have brought Elena Roger over too. It would be stupid not to. It's not Elena's fault nor the producers' that Broadway audiences prefer cookie-cutter Glee-type vocals and privilege those over fine acting.

When they were originally auditioning for the show, Michael Grandage and Andrew Lloyd Webber both said that they were deliberately trying to avoid finding an Eva who basically did the same thing as Elaine Paige and Patti LuPone and Madonna. Elena was one of the few, if not the only, who didn't come across like either of them.

Too bad Evita is a show about the SINGING.

Says who? For me, and I think for London audiences in general, acting is far more important than singing. I'd rather see a great actor who's not a great vocalist than a good singer whose acting is subpar...hence why I'm not particularly enthralled with Ricky Martin's Che.

And everyone has apparently forgotten LuPone never sang like how she does on the OBC or on the Tony Awards live every night. Elaine Paige never belted out those high Es either and used her head voice. Anyway, I think Elena's voice is quite beautiful. No, it's not what is conventionally thought of as a pretty instrument, but it is incredibly soulful.

If Broadway audiences don't like her, too bad for them. London and Buenos Aires are more than happy to keep her.

Updated On: 6/27/12 at 06:02 AM

#47

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/27/12 at 6:37am

JESUS CHRIST!!!! This LuPone fetishism needs to stop! Why don't you people just a start a religion centered around Patti LuPone being the latest re-incarnation of the Blessed Virgin or something and get it over with.

Patti LuPone is not the first nor is she the last person to play Evita. This bizarre belief that every single musical that LuPone touched at one point or another needs to permanently shut down after she leaves is idiotic!

Elena Roger is fantastic in the role. Yes, her voice is not perfect, but have you tried singing the title role in "Evita" every day in an open ended run? She actually found a great balance in giving a fantastic vocal performance and reserving her voice for other shows. Patti on the other hand could not control her vocal performance and her voice was nearly ruined by the time she left the show. Also, what you hear on the American Premiere Recording is NOT how Patti sang live. Her voice was just as flawed as Elena's live, if not more-so, but I guess the blatant xenophobia shown towards Elena amplifies all of her alleged short comings. Anyone can sound good recorded and edited in a studio setting, though why Broadway Masterworks did such a crappy mix with the new recording is beyond me. Is New York out to sabotage Elena Roger or something? At times, it seems like a freaking conspiracy.

Also, Chrisitna DeCicco is absolutely VILE and MISCAST in the role. How brain damaged does a person need to be to consider her better than Elena? Her vocals are too Disney-ish, too shrill, it's like a generic Eva from some low-rent shoddy regional production. Plus it appears she has no clue or interpretation of Eva Peron, other than "OMG MY FIRST BIG ROLE ON BROADWAY, I'M SO AWESOME!!!!" I guess her casting was the trade-off to accommodate the brain-damaged "Glee" tainted fangirls/boys.

This is not the Hal Prince production, it was never intended to be and Elena is not Patti, thank God. Her take on Eva is refreshing and hasn't been seen since Paloma San Basilio. There was more to Eva than a vindictive caricature of a two faced b*tch. After seeing a slew of casting couch/nepotism regional productions, this was truly a light at the end of a long, obnoxious tunnel. It's sad that no one else in the US can appreciate what a fantastic production and leading lady they got.

I wouldn't blame Elena if she declines other offers to work on Broadway, she does not deserve or warrant such vitriol and abuse from a bunch of whiny queens who can't get over the fact that some overhyped 63 year old diva played the role more than 30 years ago.

"But your despicable class is dead! Look who they are calling for now!"

Updated On: 6/27/12 at 06:37 AM

#49

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/27/12 at 8:32am

Most people who have mentioned LuPone here are the ones who are trying to defend Elena Roger's performance, not the ones who don't care for it. I know she's not LuPone. I don't give a flying f*ck that she's not LuPone. I just want her to sound good. She does on a few numbers (I'll always enjoy her "Don't Cry For Me..."), but not on enough of them. And in the theatre, she didn't sound good on any of them except for "Don't Cry for Me..."

And Scorpion- it's a completely sung through show. I know that acting is important and I am one of the first people to say that it often takes a front seat to vocals (see: my defense of Michael Hayden's Billy Bigelow, and Paul Nolan's performance in JCS, which I find incredibly well sung with nothing behind it ). Acting is definitely important in Evita. But you don't get by on just acting in it.

Acting isn't going to help your Eva hit those E's in "A New Argentina" (or that G). It's not going to help her for the key change in "Rainbow High." It's not going to help her during the end of "Buenos Aires" and it's not going to help her for the other hour and 45 minutes where she's singing a ridiculously difficult score to sing.

In every show acting is important. In Evita, where it is a SUNG THROUGH MUSICAL, it's not going to be what gets you through it. This is Musical Theatre. There needs to be emphasis on both aspects. You need to be able to convey your character's development throughout the show, but you also need the musicality to allow audiences to WANT to listen to you. It's not asking for much. It's what actors are supposed to do.

I can accept weaker vocals in shows where music isn't as prominent, but in a sung through musical it's a necessity. Evita is no exception. In fact, it's the prime example.
"Sing the words, Patti!!!!" Stephen Sondheim to Patti LuPone.
#50

Listen to the new Evita Cast Recording on AOL Music

Posted: 6/27/12 at 8:53am

Acting isn't going to help your Eva hit those E's in "A New Argentina" (or that G). It's not going to help her for the key change in "Rainbow High." It's not going to help her during the end of "Buenos Aires" and it's not going to help her for the other hour and 45 minutes where she's singing a ridiculously difficult score to sing.

But she hits all those notes. She doesn't cop out of them. I've heard her miss the top G in 'A New Argentina' once ("...is ONE of you"), but every other time she's hit the notes. Whether you like the sound or not is your prerogative, but it's nonsense to say she can't hit them. And I've never heard her miss any note in 'Rainbow High'.

I could understand someone saying that the singing is horrendous if we were talking about, say, Gerard Butler's turn in that dire Phantom film, but here...? Elena is far better than that. I will admit though her voice is not as good as it was when she first did the role; either that or she's changed her singing technique and the results maybe don't sound as good.





Updated On: 6/27/12 at 08:53 AM

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