Spring Awakening's Score: Changes in the Orchestrations

I understand that there were SEVERAL changes in the orchestrations for Spring Awakening. The most noticeable changes were in Mama Who Bore Me (Reprise) and The Song of Purple Summer. In the London production they added a harmony for Melchior in 'Whispering' and a reprise of Totally F*cked, not to mention that they took out the cello in 'The Word Of Your Body' (why? That cello is so pretty). What other changes were made for the score and were most of them added for the tour (I know for a fact that the 'Whispering' harmony was added recently).

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The orchestrations for Mama (Reprise) are DRASTICALLY different. There is a heavy use of guitar and upright bass (which is not present on the cast recording) and in the middle there is very deep percussion (also, not in the OBCR). The BOOM BOOM BOOM's in the Broadway version was so some sort of heavy drum, but for the tour (and london production) they used an upright bass for the boom boom boom's (a very annoying change).

You can here the differences here
OBCR:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1Qfhjd7IY8&feature=channel_page

Current Version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jJHCtQYpYE&feature=PlayList&p=AAAA6A154D15173D&index=42


ETA: They actuall changed the 'booms' to an upright bass later on in the Broadway run. My bad.

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Updated On: 7/19/09 at 03:54 PM

That always confused me. Did Act I originally close with Sadness/Blue Wind, or did Act II originally open with Sadness/Blue Wind

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That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard...that makes no sense. Sometimes, these creative teams amaze me...

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My belief is that the album was rushed in order to be available ASAP and they didn't have time to incorporate the mass amounts of changes to both the score and the lyrics.

As for the new additions to the tour, I absolutely love the new part written for Melchior in "Whispering." I think it adds something really beautiful to the song. And as for the minor changes to the tour/London production's orchestrations, I think they're more out of necessity than for artistic purposes. Like the use of a bass instead of a drum for the beginning of the MWBM reprise. One less instrument to incorporate maybe? I don't know.

I adored the version of Song of Purple Summer that I heard when I actually saw the show (4th to last performance, oh yeah ;D). I really wish that was the one on the album.

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