Music Store: Chess In Concert (1994 Swedish Concert Cast) CD or Cassette

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Average Rating: Rating: - If you like "Chess: the Musical", you need this CD I have owned, and have been a huge fan of, the original London cast recording of Chess since 1985. I love the mix of classical and rock stylings, and I'm also a major fan of practically anything that Benny and Bjorn turn out. However, I approached this album with some reservations. I know the original album of Chess backwards and forwards, so I was a little skeptical as to how a "live" version would compare to the studio version. I needn't have worried. For the most part, this is an absolutely incredible concert, with only one or two weak spots. It boasts an excellent cast, and a wonderful choir and orchestra. Of the main characters, there is only one returning member from the London concept album; Tommy Korberg reprises his role as the Russian, but my gosh........what a difference a decade makes! He was excellent the first time around, but now, Tommy injects his performance with so much fire, it will make your hair stand on end. The showstopping duet with Svetlana (Lena Ericsson)on "Endgame" is worth the price, alone.......just breathtaking. Not everything works equally as well, but as I said above, there are more "hits" than "misses". Having been a fan of the duo, "Gemini", (Anders and Karin Glenmark), I was thrilled to see them step into the spotlight again, this time as the American and Florence, respectively. I was, however, a little disappointed to discover that Anders' performance is not quite up there with Murray Head's in the original. Anders has the better voice, no doubt, but the conviction is just not the same; Murray was more convincing in the role, and I agree with another reviewer who said they didn't like Anders' histrionics. It's a bit "over the top" at times. As for Karin, she is a fabulous singer, (as is her brother.....don't get me wrong on that point....). My only problem with her is her pronunciation on a few words, but seeing how this CD was recorded in Sweden, released on a Swedish label, and probably really isn't intended for an American market, it's kind of understandable too. A couple of good things to point out in general; this CD finally adds two songs that were missing from the original recording; the gorgeous "Someone Else's Story", (beautifully performed by Karin Glenmark), and "The Soviet Machine", (part of which appears in the track "Opening Ceremony"). The reprise of "Merano" is a great addition at the end of the concert, with an ecstatic audience clapping along and cheering at it's conclusion. All in all, this is a great addition to your collection, even if you have the first recording. With variations in tempos, different interpretations of pieces, and two bonus songs, it's the same musical, and yet, not quite the same. Rating: - great voices, mediocre singing As a longtime fan of the London cast recording of Chess, I'm in a better position to appreciate this concert recording than those who prefer the Broadway version: this recording is an almost song-for-song duplication of the London soundtrack, the only changes being two additional songs. The voices are beautiful (although I miss Murray Head's edgy hoarseness) and the orchestration excellent for the most part, less powerful than the London version on some tracks ("Nobody's Side," "The Deal/No Deal"), more powerful and up-do-date on others (such as The American's entrance in "Merano"). This cast's Florence in particular has a more pleasing, less strident voice than either previous Florence, and "Someone Else's Story" is one of the album's highlights. The only real disappointment this recording held for me, and a significant one, is that often the singers are too preoccupied with emoting (or just plain hamming it up) and with--I assume--"livening up" the well-known tunes to just sing them as they should be sung. Phrasing and even enunciation suffer, and the end result is annoying. Some tracks suffer from this tendency more than others, but all the singers seem equally prone to this improvisational, uncontrolled style. It's well worth a listen, or even several, but overall I still recommend the first and greatest version with the London cast. Rating: - The Greatest Musical in the Greatest Way Chess introduced me to the possibilities of pop music in musical theatre when I first heard (and then performed) the piece back in 1993. Yet even then, I had no idea of the possibilities with this score. These are the best performances I've yet heard, and I love the larger orchestrations. Special kudos to "Pity the Child", which FINALLY has its much-needed soul and emotional impact and to "Soviet Machine" - it's a wonder why this was not a part of the Broadway version with changed lyrics like everything else (but then again Richard Nelson didn't know what he was doing, I fear). Anyway, this is a must-have for the musical theatre Grandmaster or the Novice.

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