Miss Saigon/Les Miserables (Symphonic Suites) - Boublil/Schonberg

Les Miserables Symphonic Recording REVIEW

Advantages: Emotive, expressive story based in France during the Revolution
Disadvantages: None

CD REVIEW: This CD performance captures many emotions, and in the wonderful music composed by Claude-Michel Schonberg expresses the nature of the French Revolution very effectively. Their are 2 CD's provided with this album. The tracks are thought provoking and musically complex. The confrontation between Val Jean and Javert (Disc 1) brings melodic call and response between the two characters - a concept revisited throughout the performance. Thenardier (Played by Barry James) is fantastic throughout - peforming Master of the House, and Beggar of the Feast. He is the comical character of Les Miserables, and bound to produce a few smiles when listening to this CD. The story is seperated into the following tracks on the CD: 1. Prologue 2. Valjean's Soliloquy 3. Empty Chairs At Empty Tables 4. Every Day 5. At The End ...

johnny12345 21.06.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Les Miserables (The Complete Symphonic Recording) [ECD] - Original Cast

Far From Miserable!

Advantages: Michael Ball, Cast, Songs
Disadvantages: No Acting

opened to the American audiences at the Broadway Theatre on the 12th of March 1987. Since opening producers Alian Boublil, Claude-Michel Schonberg and Herbert Kretzmer, who wrote the lyrics, have taken their musical all over the world and picked up a stack of awards on their travells. These awards include eight Tony awards, including Best Musical. Les Miserables is based on the 1862 novel, written by Victor Hugo. The novel intended to be melodramatic, written with the intention of showing that men can rise above any situation and reach personal perfection. Throughout the novel it follows both Jean Valjean's and society's struggles with good and evil. # The Story # Les Miserables starts in 1815, Digne when we first meet Jean Valjean. After spending 19 years in the chain gang after being caught stealing a loaf of bread, Valjean ...

spoilt_little_br 03.10.2006 · Read full review
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Review of Les Miserables (Collector's Edition) (DVD)

When Being Miserable Is A Good Thing

Advantages: Compelling film, beautifully shot, great characters
Disadvantages: Not the musical version you may be familiar with

? THE FILM According to IMDB, the 1998 version is the 21st film interpretation of Victor Hugo?s famous novel. With around 1200 pages of text to work from, I am sure it is easy for each one to have a slightly different slant or emphasis to the others. As this is the first Les Miserables film I have seen, I found myself comparing it to the concert DVD I have, that of the 10th Anniversary production starring Michael Ball. Initially, I did miss the music. It is such an integral part of the whole Les Miserables experience, that it felt somehow naked without the haunting notes and perfectly tuned voices. But I was soon captivated by the story and became just as swept away in it all. THE STORY This seems a good point to briefly explain the story. Our hero is Jean Valjean. He has been sentenced to nineteen years of hard labour for the crime ...

KarenUK 11.04.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Les Miserables (DVD)