Passion

#1

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 9:34pm

Hello all! I'm interested in downloading/buying the soundtrack to Sondheim's Passion. Which is the better recording,the 1994 Original Broadway Cast, or the 2013 Off-Broadway Cast.

#2

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 9:39pm

There is no soundtrack. It's not a movie. There are cast recordings.

#3

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 9:49pm

Jon, you are absolutely correct and this is something I am extremely nit-picky about, especially when I download a CAST RECORDING from the iTunes store and the damn thing is labeled under SOUNDTRACK which I promptly change to CAST RECORDING.

So now the youngins refer to cast recordings as soundtracks because of it.

But back to the original question.

I am only familiar with the Original Broadway Cast Recording. So it's really the only one I would suggest for you to get.

#4

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 10:08pm

I love the 2013 Off Broadway Cast Recording. Top notch quality. Sorry not familiar with the OBCR.

#5

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 10:36pm

I own all 3 recordings. The OBC is absolutely unbeatable. 2013 is a very nice recording though. The London recording is OK, worth it for the extended "No One Has Ever Loved Me."

#6

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 10:47pm

Dude, chill.

#7

Passion

Posted: 1/25/14 at 10:53pm

I say start with the OBC and if you enjoy it try the others.

#8

Passion

Posted: 1/26/14 at 2:26am

the OBC recording is absolutely wonderful. Donna Murphy as Fosca will break your heart. I have not heard the new cast recording, but I am a huge Judy Kuhn fan so can't imagine that isn't a great album as well.

#9

Passion

Posted: 1/26/14 at 8:32am

I LOVE my OBC recording. Donna Murphy is absolutely wonderful as Fosca! Unfortunately I couldn't find it on iTunes (I'm too ADHD and if it doesn't show up right away I'm not looking any further) but the plus side to that was that I got it cheaper from Amazon!

I haven't heard the new cast recording, however.

#10

Passion

Posted: 1/26/14 at 8:38am

The 2013 recording is more complete, including more dialogue. It's also beautifully sung. However, you can't beat the OBCR. Donna, Marin and Jeri define these roles and sing beautifully and, in my opinion, more expressively than the 2013 cast.

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Art has a double face, of expression and illusion.

#11

Passion

Posted: 1/26/14 at 9:58am

Both are excellent, so as a few others have noted you might want to start with the OBC and then move to the recent revival. I greatly enjoy the CSC cast album because of some nuances in characterization, often in spoken lines, that Silverman and Kuhn bring to their parts. And like the OBC, it is very well sung.

#12

Passion

Posted: 1/26/14 at 10:36am

I own the OBC and revival recordings. This is my favorite Sondheim and up there on my musical list. I think each recording has its merits. (I like Ryan Silverman better as Giorgio than Jere Shea. That's blasphemy, I know.)

I think it's worth having both recordings. Both ladies are great Foscas. (They are very, very different.)

#13

Passion

Posted: 1/26/14 at 11:35am

Because of this thread I woke up this morning and the first thing I did was play the Original Broadway Cast recording. Such a beautiful score...I purchased the Revival recording with Luker, Kuhn and Silverman today and I will listen to it later.

#14

Passion

Posted: 3/30/14 at 3:39pm

I finally purchased the OBC recording and have listened to it several times since this thread was started. I loved the CSC 2013 recording and can now say that I love the OBC recording as well. I have to agree with Dreaming that I like Ryan Silverman better than Jere Shea.

I prefer Kuhn's "I Read" over Murphy's but like Murphy's "Loving You" better.

#15

Passion

Posted: 3/30/14 at 4:29pm

I would actually recommend a "newbie" to Passion start with the DVD. But, while the OBCR is my favorite, I think either recording is great (I'm less fond of the London one, but it's not bad, and it's out of print anyway.)

#16

Passion

Posted: 3/30/14 at 8:28pm

The OBCR is exquisite.

I see the wisdom in Eric's suggestion that you start with the DVD, but, honestly, I feel everything one needs to know is contained within the 1 hour CD. To me, the book is mostly padding to get to a 90 minute "full length".

ETA: I saw the Broadway production and greatly admired the show's refusal to compromise in any way. It just seems to me the audio recording has a power that is dissipated when more dialogue is added. (It occurs to me the same could probably be said of a lot of shows; but I don't feel the same about FOLLIES or ANYONE CAN WHISTLE, despite the knocks on those books.)

Updated On: 3/30/14 at 08:28 PM

#17

Passion

Posted: 3/30/14 at 11:34pm

Well after writing that, I did realize that I got into Passion, and fell for it, thanks to the OBCR. It was my first "new" Sondheim score after becoming a fan--I remember being amazed that my local CD store actually had copies of theCD on the day of its release (something that will never happen for me again.) Phil Ramone and, I assume, Sondheim and Lapine did a great job of knowing what to include and what to cut for the cast album, and it does work as a complete listening experience.

#18

Passion

Posted: 3/31/14 at 12:30am

Honestly, Donna Murphy is the only Fosca that's ever worked for me in terms of feeling some connection to the character. She carried herself with this quiet dignity that offset or at least balanced the emotional instability and desperation.

I'm also not a big fan of the later addition of "I Love Fosca." I've probably said this on here before, but I feel like it ruins the intensity of "No One Has Ever Loved Me."

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Jimmy, what are you doing here in the middle of the night? It's almost 9 PM!

#19

Passion

Posted: 3/31/14 at 2:07am

I really need to give the new Passion recording more listens--and I don't have it here, but hasn't that part for Giorgio, which was added in London and *I believe* included in the Ceveris/LuPone televised concert, been cut?