Posted: 5/21/15 at 12:09am
Is it a coincidence that most of Tesori's cast albums are incredibly hard to find?
Caroline, or Change, the original Violet recording, and now the original off-broadway recording of Fun Home seem to have gone out of print.
And while we're on the topic of Jeanine Tesori, what is your favorite Tesori score and cast recording?
Posted: 5/21/15 at 11:36am
Interesting. I popped over to Amazon and they had Caroline used and new. Figure that new is already purchased but not open.
My favorite of hers is Caroline or Change.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 11:56am
Fun Home doesn't surprise me. They discontinued the Off Bway recording of Grey Gardens once they released the Bway version.
Really surprised about Caroline or Change.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 12:03pm
As a whole: Thoroughly Modern Millie (LOVE.. and she didn't compose all the songs).
Some songs: Lot's Wife from Caroline, or Change (that's it), Ring of Keys from Fun Home (that's it), some songs from Shrek, and Let It Sing from Violet (that's it)
Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:04pm
I love all her scores except Shrek. I like a couple of songs from Shrek, but find the score mostly generic and contrived. I've been a HUGE fan of Violet since the firs recording was released. Was thrilled to finally see a regional production a few years ago and seeing the Broadway production was thrilling. Caroline, or Change remains one of the most intelligent and creative musicals I've ever seen and Anika Noni Rose's I Hate the Bus was one of the single best performances of a song I've witnessed on any stage. The simplicity and honesty was emotionally overwhelming to me.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:17pm
Everything Matt said.
Caroline is certainly not a conventional score, but it has such depth and beauty. I love how the score just kind of flows wherever it needs to.
Kushner's libretto of course sets the style, but Tesori's lovely and emotional music brings it to life (including many household appliances).
I don't hate Shrek, I mean the music isn't bad in any way. Some of it's very catchy actually.
But I don't really like it either. I think it has more to do with the fact that I didn't care for the show though.
Fun Home is just perfect. There's been plenty said about how moving and original (original as in breaking new ground within the parameters of musical theater) and I can't put it any better.
But just listen to Ring of Keys, Days and Days, and Telephone Wire. Those are some emotionally raw songs.
Updated On: 5/21/15 at 01:17 PM
Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:28pm
For what it's worth, all of her scores are available of Spotify except for Violet.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:41pm
The GREY GARDENS off-Broadway recording was at least available on iTunes many years after the CD was replaced by the OBC.
I'm always torn over SHREK because while I agree most of it is generic and corny I think certain songs are just outstanding storytelling ("Who I'd Be," "I Know It's Today," I Think I Got You Beat") that are more in line with her other amazing work.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:46pm
Posted: 5/21/15 at 1:47pm
That's the only song I really enjoy from Shrek.
And I like Morning Person.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 2:34pm
That three way counterpoint is amazing, is it not!
Posted: 5/21/15 at 3:15pm
I have mixed feelings about Shrek. I love "Who Id Be" "I Know It's Today" "More to the Story" and "Freak Flag", but the rest of it is pretty predictable and a little forced
Posted: 5/21/15 at 4:13pm
I found Violet's off-broadway recording on Amazon last year for a very affordable cost (the number escapes me now, but it wasn't a lot).
I thoroughly enjoyed Thoroughly Modern Millie. Violet and Fun Home are probably my favorite of her works.
Caroline, or Change...I have to admit it still hasn't caught my heart. I have it and I've listened to it and I've wanted to love it but it hasn't happened. I hope it will happen soon though (there's many shows I've heard that took time for me to go back to listen again then loved).
Posted: 5/21/15 at 4:49pm
It took me awhile to fall in love with Caroline, but it's now one of my favorite musicals. It's just very complicated, but it's absolutely beautiful when you get to appreciate it.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 7:46pm
CAROLINE and FUN HOME are neck in neck for me. I might give the edge to FUN HOME as I think it represents/encompasses her entire body of work so far.
Sadly SHREK is a dud, except for "I Know It's Today." There are some nice melodies though, and I largely pin its failures on the unimaginative lyrics and bad humor of David Lindsay-Abaire.
Posted: 5/21/15 at 10:14pm
Jeanine Tesori may yet land me in divorce court. I just downloaded CAROLINE, OR CHANGE (available from iTunes) and I think it's pretty much genius. My husband says that after 12 songs about pocket change, he wanted to bang his head on the coffee table.
Stay tuned...
Posted: 5/22/15 at 4:22pm
Are any of her Disney songs on CD? (She did stuff for Little Mermaid III, Mulan 2, I think Emperor's New Groove 2... )
I haven't heard them, but the *movie soundtracks* (and by that I mean scores, not songs) for Night in Rodanthe and Every Day are in print it seems. Her incidental music for the Broadway Twelfth Night was recorded (out of print but can find cheap) and is a beautiful score.
I agree with Matt's take on Tesori's work as well--pretty much completely, though Caroline and Fun Home are neck and neck at the top for me.
Violet was recorded by a tiny Christian music label (seriously) and I believe they even pressed the discs themselves, so I'm not surprised that it's out of print.
Caroline, or Change is an especially odd case. It was on Hollywood Records which at least at the time, Disney owned. They are a label best known for rock and pop acts (I believe they currently own Queen's back catalog, for example and most of their acts have been Disney related teen acts (Hillary Duff, Selena Gomez, etc, etc.) I don't even think I own another cast album from them. I am sure it never sold particularly well, and is a 2CD set--I'm glad they offer it for download at least. It's a cast album that would be served better on PS Classics or Ghostlight where, due to its importance, I have no doubt it would remain in print. New CD copies on Amazon are going for $90 though when I got a new copy last year I was happy to find one online for under $20 (but, while genuinely new, it did have a remainder cut out on the back cover--which again makes me think it wasn't exactly a best seller, although I have gotten a number of obscure cast albums cheaply as remainders.)
Posted: 5/22/15 at 4:45pm
"Everything Matt said.
Caroline is certainly not a conventional score, but it has such depth and beauty. I love how the score just kind of flows wherever it needs to.
Kushner's libretto of course sets the style, but Tesori's lovely and emotional music brings it to life"
This isn't meant to be an insult or a complement particularly, but Tesori is one of the theatre composers I think whose style depends and changes depending on the lyricist (and material,) the most.
There's always been the rumour and gossip that Tesori did most if not all of the writing for the Ghost chorus, etc, stuff in Secret Garden (it is no secret that Lucy Simon is not too technically learned a composer, so I believe there's some truth there.)
Posted: 5/22/15 at 5:52pm
Honestly my favorite is Fun Home. Violet is overall fine (it has a couple really good songs though). Shrek is annoying as all get out. Millie is also fine; not one of my favorites though. But Fun Home I think is really great!
Posted: 5/22/15 at 8:01pm
""Everything Matt said.
Caroline is certainly not a conventional score, but it has such depth and beauty. I love how the score just kind of flows wherever it needs to.
Kushner's libretto of course sets the style, but Tesori's lovely and emotional music brings it to life"
This isn't meant to be an insult or a complement particularly, but Tesori is one of the theatre composers I think whose style depends and changes depending on the lyricist (and material,) the most.
There's always been the rumour and gossip that Tesori did most if not all of the writing for the Ghost chorus, etc, stuff in Secret Garden (it is no secret that Lucy Simon is not too technically learned a composer, so I believe there's some truth there.)
"
To be fair, there are a lot of composers who are not too technically proficient and depend very heavily on their music teams to really fill out arrangements, harmonies, etc.
Caroline or Change is still available in digital formats, so it's not completely impossible to get a hold of if you still don't own it.
Posted: 5/22/15 at 9:13pm
I literally bought Fun Home Off-Broadway digitally the day before it was taken off Amazon, I was shocked to find it gone the next day. I actually enjoy it more than the Broadway version, SO glad I randomly got it in time.
I was surprised by how much I loved Shrek. One of the few movie to musicals that I adore and worked just as well on stage as screen in their own way (IMO). Billy Elliot being just about the only other.
I LOVE Lot's Wife, but am ashamed it's the only Caroline song I know at this point. Reminds me of "Days and Days." As in certain lyrics hit you like a hammer in the feel bone. "Scour my skin, till I stop feeling." Ugh. Amazing.
Posted: 5/22/15 at 9:16pm
I got my CAROLINE OR CHANGE on CD new for just 7 bucks on amazon if I recall correctly. That was at least five years ago though.
I find that score to be so amazing but also so much that I've only made it through twice, and would never dream of just taking songs and listening individually.
Posted: 5/22/15 at 11:47pm
I got my copy of the original cast recording of Violet from The Broadway Store last summer. They have it for $7.95!
Updated On: 5/22/15 at 11:47 PM
Posted: 5/23/15 at 1:19am
I'll have to give Caroline, or Change a good listen soon. Maybe it'll catch (the same happened to me with Grey Gardens recently and I can't stop listening to it).
I took a look through my email and the copy of Violet (from 199
I bought last year was 11.99.
I remember thinking I would hate Shrek but then I watched it on Netflix and found it to be surprisingly good.
Fun Home is the best thing she's written. It is so various and delightful and moving and thoughtful. A triumph.
Posted: 5/23/15 at 1:49am
I really love how Tesori cast recordings (Fun Home, Violet, Caroline) include bits of dialogue leading up to the song as its own track. It kinda makes me think of an audiobook. I also love how Tesori went to a Seven Sisters College...just like me :)
I enjoyed most of the songs from Shrek with I Know It's Today taking the cake. The music was fine, but the book was eh. Not my kind of humor.
Thoroughly Modern Millie holds a special place in my heart, it was one of my first musical obsessions. And Fun Home is just...I'm sure we all know how genius that one is.
