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Elisabeth
Original Vienna Cast
Starring Pia Douwes, Uwe Kroger, Ethan Freeman, Viktor Gernot
Music by Sylvester Levay
Lyrics by Michael Kunze
23 Tracks
Read my Synopsis of the show.
So far, this is my favorite recording of Elisabeth, although it only just beats out the Essen cast. Owning this CD is a must for all fans of the show - even if you are an American and end up having to import the darn thing all the way from Europe. It's definitely worth it, I assure you.
This CD is more complete than Essen, though it's still pretty much a highlights album. The songs "Wenn ich tanzen will" and "Nichts, nichts, gar nichts" were added to the show after the recording was made, and so do not appear on it. But you do get to hear gems like "Jedem gibt er das Seine" "Die Froehliche Apokalypse" and "Totenklage."
This whole cast is superb; I can't think of a single performer I don't like. Although sometimes I think Pia Douwes's voice sounds slightly better on the Essen album, there is a freshness in the original performance that is absolutely not to be missed. She sounds so incredibly young in "Wie Du" you'd swear it wasn't an act. It's amazing how she manages to sound sleepy in "Ein Kaiserin muss glanzen." How do you simultaneously sing beautifully and sound like you were just dragged out of bed?
Uwe Kröger is equally fantastic. This is my favorite version of "Der letzte tanz" - his performance here just sounds more lively than the Essen version. Again I think it's inevitable that you're better when the material is new than when you've been doing it for ten years.
Ethan Freeman is my favorite Lucheni. He seems to really get into it. I was suprised to learn that he was trained for opera, although he does have an awesome voice. It's just that Lucheni has a very rock-star style part and Freeman pulls this off so marvelously he seems born for it. If I had to describe his performance with one word I would probably choose "enthusiastic."
I like Viktor Gernot as Franz-Joseph. He puts so much emotion into what he sings that he makes me feel sorry for the character - even though I do usually describe Franz-Joseph to my friends as "her husband the wuss." :) Gernot really has a great voice.
Andreas Bieber is wonderful as Rudolf. His voice is unusual, but it perfectly suits the character - scared, alone, and desperate. I'm not sure I'd like him in other musical theater roles, but he's great in this one. You can hear that he brings a lot of emotion to the part.
The supporting cast doesn't disappoint either. Markus Neubauer sounds incredibly cute as the young Rudolf. Else Ludwig as Sophie manages to convey a lot about the character just by the tone of her voice in "Ein Kaiserin muss glanzen." She's great. So is Wolfgang Pampel as Elisabeth's father Max; it's not a huge part but he is kindly and sympathetic in a stern way in "Wie Du," and his part in "Sie passt nicht" is appropriately indignant and worked up. And the big ensemble numbers sound awesome; there are no weak points in this cast.
This CD is fantastic. Everyone run out and buy it right now. :)
And one last thing - do not, I repeat do NOT order this CD from Footlight.com. No matter what they say, they do not have it. I tried ordering from there, and was told it would be back in stock in about a month. I was willing to wait. Three months later they were still telling me it was coming soon. Apparently they were under the impression that God was going to drop it in their laps any day now. Meanwhile, I could have ROWED to Austria, bought it, and rowed back instead of waiting for them to send it. I highly reccomend Musical-Shop.de for recordings of German musicals. No hassle, and the prices are good!)
