Spring Awakening Wins Grammy for Best Musical Show Album — Page 2

Ouch, people. I think it is great that they won the award. I didn't know the best album was simply all about production. Though I don't think the production is that horrible.

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Another award that belonged to Grey Gardens.

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Spring Awakening is better than Sondheim?

Cool.

(Ohhh dear.)


I am SO going to get hammered for this one. but um. In my completely honest opinion, YES. :)

(I have tried to like Sondheim, I really, really have. It just hasn't happened. He is not my cup of tea. There are certain songs of his I really like, but in general, give me Spring Awakening over any Sondheim show ANY day! Sorry, I know, it's blasphemy but I'm not going to lie and pretend I like his work just because it's the "elite Broadway fan" thing to like)

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I love Spring Awakening, I thought it deserved most of the Tony's it won. I didn't love Grey Gardens, and I think it got the Tony's it deserved. And in the case of the Grammy's COMPANY deserved it! Loved Company, and no one can deny Sondheim anything!
Then again, whoever votes for these probably never really listen to the recordings..... And if they do, they're more likely to go for Spring Awakening with its rock-y music and whatnot than a fantastic, beautiful score by Sondheim.

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To be fair I haven't heard the WSS album, but I thought COMPANY so wonderfully captured what the show was about on the album, not to mention everyone sounds great on it, and there's real feeling behind the songs, and the spoken scenes on it are actually entertaining to listen to as well. I'm a big Spring Awakening fan, but I think COMPANY is by far the better album. Just my thoughts. Not that it matters. Good for Spring Awakening for winning.

Personally liking something does not make it, objectively, technically, better. Like it better all you want, but the difference in the level of mastery and talent between the two is practically astronomical. It's possible to like something else better and still understand and respect that. It took me a very, very long time to get into Sondheim, and I would've taken many things over his work any day, but I still could still appreciate his work for what it was. Even if it wasn't my thing, that didn't stop me from understanding that it's some of the best theater writing in existence.

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Updated On: 2/10/08 at 08:12 PM

It is clear from the choices in the last few years that voters DO NOT listen to every disc, even though they probably were given a free copy. They go for name value, largest selling, or that year's Tony Winner.

"Personally liking something does not make it, objectively, technically, better. Like it better all you want, but the difference level of mastery and talent between the two is practically astronomical. It's possible to like something else better and still understand and respect that. It took me a very, very long time to get into Sondheim, and I would've taken many things over his work any day, but I still could still appreciate his work for what it was. Even if it wasn't my thing, that didn't stop me from understanding that it's some of the best theater writing in existence."


oh I most definitely can appreciate the beauty of Sondheim's work, for sure :) I can totally respect why he is hailed as one of THE great composers of all time. I get it. But it's just really hard for me to say that I feel Company should have won over Spring Awakening when I love the Spring Awakening score SO much more. And maybe that's wrong- maybe I should try and be more objective than that. But I can't help it. I think the Spring Awakening score is absolutely gorgeous, and though it may not be as technically *difficult* or something as Company, I feel it's just as well written and performed for what it is.

I would never ever lie and say I think anyone from the Spring Awakening cast is at ALL in the same league as Raul, or even the other members of the Company cast for that matter, but the score? I have no problem saying that I feel the Spring Awakening score is stronger. Because I honestly feel that is true.

And as I originally said, I agree that the production of the recording itself was NOT good. But the material is.

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And I know I'm in the minority but I'm not a fan of the Company revival disc. It is badly sung, especially Barbara Walsh's screaching, over-shot "Ladies Who Lunch". Esparza is appealing, as he always will be to me, but the cast he is with isn't top notch, not even close. They play their instruments well, but vocally, this disc is hit or miss. It is nice to have more of Furth's book, but I wish it were on a more conventional production, like the greater Barrowman production at Kennedy Center. That cast was a million times better, especially Ripley. Here "NOt Getting Married Today" is out of control, though I've seen the preview on the PBS website and it works much better live. Esparza gives a great "Being Alive" and "Marry Me a Little", while I think he missed what "Someone is Waiting" is about. His version, along with the orchestration was kind of like a weird lullaby. More "Hushabye Mountain" that confused bachelor. I found the opening number a wreck musically, both orchestration and playing quality. I am happy this show will have a visual life, because I imagine the vocal weakness is easier to take when you see the product as a whole. I'll stick with my OBC of Company any day


I know I will get shot, but my favorite cast recording during this voting period was Legally Blonde.

I have listened to all the recordings except the West Side Story one because of all the nightmarish things people are saying about it. If I were to vote, it would have been between Company and Spring Awakening. The Spring Awakening cast recording is odd because it was recorded in between the Off-Broadway and Broadway mountings at a sort of in-between phase musically. Still, I think it's a great recording that sounds like it was produced as an alt rock album. It seems like an album rather than a recording representing the show, and there's nothing wrong with that. I think this Grammy win is a deserved one, although whenever I listen to the Company recording, I keep wondering why the show wasn't nominated for its wonderful orchestrations. Company is an exquisite, timeless recording that is a great alternative to the dated original cast recording.

~Steven

I have no problem saying that I feel the Spring Awakening score is stronger. Because I honestly feel that is true.

"Blah blah blah, Bobby, my junk is you!"

Yes. Clearly a misstep by Sondheim. He WISHES he wrote Spring Awakening.

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Then you could hum them!

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It's times like this that I wish I was good at lyrical parody.

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