Wildhorn's CAMILLE CLAUDEL Demo Posted Online!

[philly03]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 1:27pm

For those who haven't heard it, the demo for Camille Claudel has been officially posted on Nan Knighton's website!

In my opinion, it's one of Frank's bests and Nan is his best lyricist! Def worth a listening, looks like all but one track is on there. More info wsa posted too - hopefully good will come out of this.
Nan Knighton's Camille Claudel Recordings

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 1:42pm

Ugh, wish I could download it!

[uncageg]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 1:51pm

This made my Saturday. An really overcast, partly rainy and cool day here in Denver just right for listening to showtunes! Thanks for posting!

[tazber]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 4:01pm

Thanks for sharing philly!

I like it! I hope they actually release this score.

[philly03]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 5:27pm

Awl, it's actually a sad day...Pierre Cossette, the man who has given Frank Wildhorn more help than ANYONE getting his stuff on Broadway and record deals just passed . Cossette is personally responsible for putting up huge funds for The Scarlet Pimpernel to makeit through it's first summer and of course finding other investors for it's additional seasons.

This is pretty much my favourite Wildhorn score. Eder has been mentioning recently (or atleast when I saw her in concert a few months ago) that Camille may not be on the shelf forever, but with the Wildhorn & Friends stuff it could've meant that. The show gets you really into her story, .. I know people have said "Wildhorn wanted an EVITA," but they're very different - they both overcame obstacles, but that's about it. Nothing too glamourous about Camille!

I do not believe this score will be released - Nan (as with Pimpernel) writes much more book-scores and there were only I think 16 tracks with reprises and all. Also - it's not really as fully orchestrated with the show, save for "Gold" (which is a nice effect!). Back in 2004? a few copies of the demo (which was then not as many) were given out as a sampler for NYMF!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/12/09 at 7:21pm

Does Frank Wildhorn ever think about character or location when he writes? This whole score sounds like it might have been written for Barbara Streisand in the 1976 A STAR IS BORN. Awful.

[philly03]

Posted: 9/13/09 at 10:20am

Michael - he absolutely has?? You probably don't know the story of Camille, and when you're writing a score for Linda Eder, why not showcase that voice?

I think he did both near-perfect for Camille -- some of his other shows, not so much; but here, I like it.

Specifically do you have any songs that you don't see why they fit? It's surprisingly one his few scores that'll get even me in a sweep of emotions!

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 9/13/09 at 11:15am

I know the story of Camille all too well. I don't say Wildhorn's music isn't passionate, but it evokes nothing of the era or the characters. You could take any of these songs and interchange them with songs from Jekyll and Hyde or Dracula, and it wouldn't make much of a difference. People used to make that complaint about Andrew Lloyd Webber, but Wildhorn has taken that to new heights.

And lets be frank here, great voice and all, Linda Eder has no business playing a dramatic tour de force role like Camille Claudel. The woman can't act. I could envision a musical of St. Joan for Celine Dion and it would be just as misconceived...

[philly03]

Posted: 9/13/09 at 12:51pm

While Linda's not the greatest actress around, she has certainly come along way from her pre-Broadway national tour Jekyll & HYDE stint where she virtually walked on the stage, sang, applause, walked off...Back in 2003 I know she was very serious about the role and did lots of acting lessons to try to get into the groove of it.