Les Miserables (Il Concerto Del 25° Anniversario)

La differenza tra il film(musicale) con Russell Crowe e il concerto del 25°(per chi non conosca la storia, si suggerisce di vedere prima il film, perchè nel concerto vengono eseguiti direttamente i brani) è che nel primo prevale la recitazione(semplicemente stratosferica Anne Hathaway, che ha infatti vinto l'Oscar come migliore attrice non protagonista), nel secondo il canto e... l'orchestra, che si sente decisamente bene.
A tal proposito, per gustare un musical occorre un impianto audio all'altezza e un volume adeguato(si consiglia in orario compatibile con gli eventuali vicini...) o almeno una buona cuffia, poiché non si può apprezzare appieno con il solo audio del televisore, per quanto di qualità.
A differenza di un "qualsiasi" film, un musical va inoltre ascoltato più volte e più volte, esattamente come un cd.
Ciò detto, Les Miserables è veramente notevole, un pizzico inferiore a The Phantom of the Opera, ma si tratta di gusti personali.
Il dvd(che si tratti del film o del concerto, preferibile in blu-ray) risulta all'altezza delle aspettative.
Con i suggerimenti di cui sopra, da non perdere.

5 persone l'hanno trovato utile

Lo spettacolo di una vita

Servi Ginevra

Recensito in Italia il 12 febbraio 2016

Allora premetto che lo spettacolo è sotto forma di concerto,dunque vi è pochissima scenografia e interazione tra i personaggi.Ma questo è un dettaglio irrilevante visto la bravura dei cantanti.
Ramin Karimloo ci regala un Enjolras potente ed emozionante,Samantha Barks interpreta un Eponine al massimo della forma,Katie Hall una dolcissima Cosette,Alfie Boe canta con una naturalezza straordinaria come se non gli costasse fatica!Unica pecca la voce di Nick Jonas che si perde tra quella di così tanti artisti talentuosi e praticamente non si sente.
Nonostante ciò,tutte le volte che lo guardo mi vengono i brividi,non so cosa darei per tornare indietro e poterlo vedere!
Se amate Les Mis non potete perdervelo!

3 persone l'hanno trovato utile

lilli

Fantastico musical!

Recensito in Italia il 24 ottobre 2012

E' un musical davvero ben realizzato. Tutti i personaggi trasmettono emozioni perchè recitano e cantano con sentimento e consapevolezza artistica. Il personaggio di Marius interpretato da Nick Jonas ha una voce meno potente delle altre perchè si è dovuto confrontare con grandi voci (ad esempio il tenore k impersonava Jean Valjean). Secondo me proprio la sua capacità di essersi messo in gioco sfruttando le sue possibilità canore (elevate per carità), lo rende un personaggio a tutto tondo e riuscitissimo. Nonostante la sua giovane età (è nato nel 1992) possiede già una lunga carriera teatrale e anche musicale alle spalle, avendo già interpretato il musical "I Miserabili" all'età di sette anni impersonando il piccolo Gavroche e emozionando il pubblico con la sua splendida voce bianca. Tutto questo per dire che nonostante Nick Jonas (Marius) nn raggiunge, quando canta, le tonalità degli altri personaggi, riesce a immedesimarsi nel personaggio talmente bene che questo riesce a soppesare alle lievissime carenze canore rispetto agli altri personaggi, risultando così il mio personaggio preferito fra tutti.

Una persona l'ha trovato utile

Eccezionale sotto tutti i punti di vista

Elisa

Recensito in Italia il 14 maggio 2013

Il film del 2012 mi è piaciuto molto, così mi sono voluta procurare il musical da cui è stato tratto e posso dire che non ci sono parole: è stupendo a dir poco. Le interpretazioni sono da brividi, forse migliori di quelle del film.
L'edizione "25° Anniversario" è bella e curata, sia nei contenuti, che nella veste grafica.
Si tratta del concerto tenuto alla O2 Arena di Londra nel 2010 (quindi è la versione concertale del musical), con la partecipazione del cast originale del 1985, del cast contemporaneo al Queen’s Theatre e del cast del tour internazionale, per un totale di 500 tra artisti e musicisti.
E, credetemi, vederli e sentirli tutti insieme sul palco, alla fine, in "One day more" è uno spettacolo.
Il DVD costa poco e vale veramente la pena, quindi acquistatelo.

Una persona l'ha trovato utile

marx66

semplicemente magnifico

Recensito in Italia il 8 marzo 2014

Amo i musical, ma questo non lo conoscevo, dopo aver visto la fantastica trasposizione cinematografica, ho pensato subito che gli inglesi, bravissimi e con la fortuna di avere luoghi solamente dedicati alla musica (O2 arena ex earls court e Royal Albert Hall x es), non si sarebbero fatti scappare l'occasione: ed infatti il bray è semplicemente perfetto, audio 5.1 o 2.0 con una purezza di suono superiore a un SACD, la scenografia è perfetta, i cantanti lasciano a bocca aperta.....meraviglioso l'ultimo capitolo dopo il finale, dove.....no non vi rovino la sorpresa! A me son venute le lacrime agli occhi.
ASSOLUTAMENTE DA COMPRARE!!!!!!!!!

2 persone l'hanno trovato utile

chiaranotte

Grande musical

Recensito in Italia il 28 agosto 2012

Les miserables è uno di quei musical considerati imperdibili. Purtroppo in Italia è stato messo in scena solo quest'anno, nella versione school edition e in lingua originale (forse qualcosa a livello amatoriale era già stato fatto, ma non ne sono sicura), al solito, in questo campo noi arriviamo sempre molto in ritardo. Ma è inutile polemizzare.
In ogni caso io ho scoperto questo musical, di cui conoscevo solo pochi brani, attraverso questa registrazione. Purtroppo è una messa in scena in forma di concerto, quindi si perde l'azione che sarebbe invece estremamente importante, soprattutto in alcune scene, come per esempio quella delle barricate.
Tuttavia la magnificanza delle voci, la splendida orchestra dal vivo, il monumentale coro, riescono a trasmettere al meglio lo scorrere della vicenda umana dei vari personaggi, il fluire del tempo, la grandezza e la bassezza insita nell'animo umano. Ovviamente tutto questo si trova già, enormemente amplificato, nel romanzo.
In alcuni momenti si riscontra una qualche differenza nel livello esecutivo dei diversi interpreti,(da qui le 4 stelle di valutazione e non le 5) tuttavia il loro evidente coinvolgimento emotivo sopperisce a queste lievi carenze.
Uno spettacolo splendido.
Imperdibile, nell'attesa che finalmente ci sia concesso di vederlo anche in giro per l'Italia nella sua completezza.

4 persone l'hanno trovato utile

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timcon1964

Two Great Performances: The 25th Anniversary Concert Compared With the 10th Anniversary Concert

Recensito negli Stati Uniti il 29 giugno 2022

There are many recorded versions of Les Miserables. This review compares the 10th (1995) and 25th (2010) anniversary concerts. The 1995 concert featured a “Dream Cast”—most of whom had performed in the London or Broadway versions, and they include some of the most highly regarded singers associated with Les Miserables. Some of the 2010 cast (Samantha Barks, Earl Carpenter, Katie Hall, and Norman Lewis) were drawn from contemporary London productions; others had other significant singing experience. Whether this is "The Musical Event of a Lifetime" a matter of opinion. It is certainly a spectacular performance. In general, the two concerts are equally good; in casual listening, you may not be able to tell one from the other. At this time, Amazon ratings show identical 88% favorable results for the 1995, 2010, and 2020 concerts!) But some differences are notable.

I watched these two concerts expecting to conclude which was better. In fact, the two are very similar. Both had the same producer, the same conductor, and backed up the soloists with a large choir and a large orchestra. There are slight differences in the contents of these concerts. Neither one reproduces the full musical. Some singers have such similar voices and deliveries that it is difficult, from only listening to their songs, to distinguish one concert from the other. Viewers may well differ on which concert they prefer.

The 1995 DVD is a single double-sided disc. It has several features that are absent from the 2010 DVD. Most notably, in addition to optional English subtitles, it provides captions to describe what is happening on the screen. These are very helpful, even to those who know the story. The DVD also includes a fairly detailed synopsis of the story, a very brief biography of Victor Hugo, and thumbnail portraits and brief biographies of the major actors. As an encore performance actors who portrayed Jean Valjean in 17 different countries take turns singing “Do You Hear the People Sing,” and then join the full cast with a rendition of “One Day More.”

The 2010 DVD reflects the planning that went into the 25th Anniversary Concert. The choreography, lighting, sound recording, and camera work are better than in the earlier concert. The DVD includes “A Whiz Through Miz” (a selective 5-minute montage of video and music clips from performances of Les Miserables over its first 25 years), and offers optional subtitles in English, Spanish, and several Asian languages. As an encore, the 2010 DVD offers brief comments from producer Cameron Mackintosh, and authors Alain Boubil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. After the original 1985 cast comes onstage, Colm Wilkinson, John Owen-Jones, Simon Bowman, and Alfie Boe sing, “Bring Him Home,” and the principals of the 1985 cast sing, “One Day More.” The production concludes with a procession of over 200 students singing, “Do You Hear the People Sing?”

VALJEAN
Colm Wilkinson (1995) is an award-winning singer, the original and, some think, the best Valjean. He has a powerful voice, but does not always employ it; his performance emphasizes emotional expression. Alfie Boe (2010) tends to sing with more power than Wilkinson. Boe had once trained for the opera, and it shows. He was 37 when this concert was recorded—roughly 20 years younger than Valjean in his final years. Some make-up would have obscured this age discrepancy.

JAVERT
Philip Quast (1995) won several awards over his long stage career, He is best known for playing Javert, and his long hair and sideburns resemble Hugo’s character. Norman Lewis (2010) had sung in a wide variety of musicals for nearly 20 years. Quast and Lewis are both very capable singers.

FANTINE
By the time they appeared in these concerts, both Ruthie Henshall (1995) and Lea Salonga (2010) had extensive experience in musical theatre. Both give excellent portrayals of Fantine, although Henshall, fitted with a blonde wig, looks more like the character in the novel.

THENARDIER
Hugo’s Thenardier is extremely sleazy and sinister. In the musical, M. Thenardier is a somewhat comical figure. Perhaps the authors felt the need for some comic relief from the generally dark story line. Alun Armstrong (1995), a very versatile performer, had a long career in various roles. He sings more musically than Matt Lucas (2010), his costume and make-up are more appropriate, and he manages to project an image that is alternately threatening and comical.

Mme THENARDIER
Jenny Galloway (1995 and 2010) had this role in both concerts. Although much of her career was as a television actress, she also possesses musical talent. Physically, she strongly resembles Hugo's character.

EPONINE
Lea Salonga (1995) was an established star when she sang this role. Samantha Barks (2010), who turned 20 just a day or so before the concert, had portrayed Eponine in London for just a few months. “On My Own” is one of the best songs in the musical. It demands a wide range of emotions, tempos, registers, and dynamics. If a singer has any weaknesses, this number will disclose them. Both Salonga and Barks deliver very strong performances.

MARIUS
It is in this role that the two concerts are most noticeably different. Michael Ball (1995), one of the most popular singers in the cast, demonstrates talent in both singing and acting, although he had little or no training as a singer. Ball was 33 when the 1995 version was recorded. Nick Jonas' (2010) abilities are diverse. In addition to singing, he is a song writer, and producer, and plays piano, guitar, and drums. But most of his previous work had been on music videos. He had briefly performed the role of Marius in the West End several months earlier, but he had turned 18 only weeks before the 2010 concert. His rendering of “Empty Chairs at Empty Tables” demonstrates musical taste, and a stronger voice than he shows in most of his other numbers. He suffers when his voice is juxtaposed with those of the other lead singers in the 2010 concert; but, strangely, he often seems to be holding back.

COSETTE
Judy Kuhn (1995) and Katie Hall (2010) have similar singing styles. Kuhn had performed in various musical roles (including Cosette in the Broadway cast), and had received numerous award nominations. Katie Hall had played the role of Cosette in the West End and on tour, but she was a last minute selection for the 2010 concert, and had very limited time to rehearse with other cast members. Kuhn, a 37-year-old brunette, does not look like Cosette. At 20, Hall does, and she has marvelously expressive facial features—more than Kuhn, she both sings and acts the part. In 2010, Hall lacked Kuhn’s experience, but she has subsequently had important roles in Phantom of the Opera (Christine), West Side Story (Maria), Sweeny Todd (Johanna), and Les Miserables (Fantine). An occasional reviewer has commented unfavorably on the youth of Barks and Hall, but considering that they were portraying Eponine and Cosette, who were 16 years old, younger singers like Barks and Hall were perhaps the logical choice for these parts.

ENJOLRAS
Michael Maguire (1995) won a Tony Award for his singing as Enjolras in Les Miserables on Broadway. In a long stage career, Ramin Karimloo (2010) has appeared four times in Les Miserables. Both men are very strong capable singers.

The VENUES

1995: Royal Albert Hall (RAH) has a capacity of roughly 5,000. In the 1995 concert, singers awaiting their cues were seated on stage behind those actually singing, an arrangement that resembles a high school talent show. Although lighting and camera angles tend to obscure this, it can be distracting (as when, during “Beggars at the Feast,” we see Wilkinson in the background quenching his thirst with a bottle of water). In the RAH concert, actors apparently had to sing more or less directly into relatively large microphones which occasionally obstruct, or cast shadows on actors' faces. There were a few problems with lighting and sound. Many close-ups were shot from below the performers; and sometimes there is a wide-angle view when a close-up would have been better. There were several large screens on which were projected images of the action on the stage, and of certain events as portrayed in West End stage performances. Projected images of the on-stage barricade battle were more evocative than the elaborate light effects employed in the 2010 concert.

2010: The 25th anniversary concert took place in the massive O2 arena. Its normal capacity is 20,000—even with some space taken up by the concert stage, the capacity must have been over 12,000 (and there were two performances on that day). For this event, more thought was evidently given to lighting and sound. Smaller microphones were used, which are seldom noticeable. Only those who are actually performing appear on the stage. The credits list 18 lighting technicians. And the 20 camera operators provided multiple views, which have been well edited. The large screen behind the choir displays enlarged pictures of the actors on the stage—helpful for the live audience, less so for viewers of the digital version.

THE NOVEL COMPARED WITH THE MUSICAL

Les Miserables is a remarkably long and complex book. In presenting Hugo’s story with effective music in a relatively smooth production, the musical is a major artistic achievement. The musical necessarily omits many of the details but captures the major developments in the story.

The most important theme in the novel and the musical is the conflict between Valjean and Javert, between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. Their respective soliloquies reflect this conflict and express the superiority of the spirit of the law. In the novel, his experience of prison and parole leave Valjean with a "hatred of human law." In his soliloquy near the beginning of the musical, Valjean renounces the law, tears up his yellow passport, and assumes a new identity. Like Javert’s soliloquy near the end of the musical (“The world I have known is lost in shadow”), Hugo’s narrative describes Javert’s consternation: “There was a revelation of feeling entirely distinct from the declarations of the law. His only standard hitherto.” “So is there something more than duty?” Hugo suggests that Valjean, like all men, possesses a “divine element, . . . which evil can never entirely extinguish.” Viewers of the concert will have trouble seeing Valjean as an evil man. In the novel, after losing her job in Valjean’s factory, Fantine feels compelled to sell not only her body, but also her hair and her teeth. In the musical, she sings about her abortive affair with Tholomyes in which Cosette was conceived. Although he is too late to save Fantine, Valjean demonstrates his essential goodness by protecting Cosette.

There were revolutions in France in 1789, 1830, 1832, and 1848. Why did Hugo choose to write about that in 1832—the least successful and least significant of these? Some of the musical’s lyrics suggest that the 1832 revolution was a failure: Grantaire asks, “Will the world remember you when you fall?” The Turning women sing,”Nothing changes, nothing ever can.” And Marius laments, “My friends, don’t ask me what your sacrifice was for.” But Hugo’s view was different . The insurgents were seeking to replace the monarchy with a democracy; this, they believed, would lead to the end of despotism in the world. To Hugo, it did not matter that they did not succeed. “Even when they fail, they are venerable, and it is perhaps in failure that they have the greatest majesty.” The words in “Do You Hear the People Sing” express Hugo’s optimism: “Somewhere beyond the barricade is there a world you want to see?” “It is the future that they bring when tomorrow comes.” In the novel, Enjolras makes a speech predicting that, in the 20th century, all the world’s problems will have been solved—needless to say, this was omitted from the musical.

The Thenardier family are almost entirely absent from some retellings of the story. But Hugo must have considered them important—he entitled his novel, Les Miserables, a term he applies only to the Thenardier family. In the musical, Thenardier is converted into a sort of buffoon—a source of comic relief in this generally tragic story. Among the miserables, Hugo perceives "the infamous," and "the unfortunate." He clearly sees M. and Mme. Thenardier as the infamous. They “were becoming steeped more and more thoroughly in intensifying viciousness.” Their children, victims of their parents' depravity, are the unfortunate. When “moral light dies out within; . . . man meets the weakness of woman and childhood and compels them to disgraceful uses.” Marius considers Eponine and her sister sad creatures “for whom . . . there is nothing more in this world, neither liberty, nor virtue, nor responsibility.”

But Eponine is so complex that the musical can scarcely begin to capture her character. She and Cosette are almost exactly the same age; the difference in their situations can be attributed to their contrasting upbringing. Although the actresses cast in this role are usually attractive, Hugo describes Eponine’s appearance as appalling, enough to “make people shudder or weep.” But, as she tells Marius, “We weren’t always what we are now.” Her face still bears “a remnant of beauty.” She is literate and is excited by books. Like Cosette, she primps in front of a mirror. Unlike Cosette, she knows her way around Paris, attends the theatre (complaining that the audience included "coarse people," and some who "smell bad"), and sings love songs. She sometimes sleeps in ditches, apparently to avoid her father, who occasionally beats her. The musical focuses on her unrequited love of Marius, who regards her only as a friend (in the novel, she is his neighbor, but not his friend). But her significance lies in how she responds to this situation. She doesn’t succumb to depression. She doesn’t try to keep Marius and Cosette separated, and she doesn’t attempt any hostile action against Cosette. In fact, she leads Marius to Cosette’s home, telling him along the way to keep his distance from her because, “It won’t do for a fine young man like you to be seen with a woman like me.” (In the musical she sings, “He was never mine to lose.”) At this time, Eponine had been living alone on the street and sleeping rough, but Hugo says, “Strangely, she had become more impoverished and more beautiful.” To him, beauty was more than skin deep. On three occasions, Eponine acts to protect Cosette and Valjean; the musical shows only one. In the novel, this scene is more dramatic, as Eponine causes six heavily armed members of her father’s gang to back down, suspecting the supernatural when confronted by a skinny unarmed teenage girl. Writing of Eponine’s final hours, Hugo perhaps thought of Quasimodo in the Hunchback of Notre Dame—an extremely ugly person who protects, and wishes to be united in death with, an attractive person of the opposite sex. But Eponine is not really a reincarnation of Quasimodo. The musical departs from Hugo’s account of how Eponine lures Marius to the barricade to die—thinking if she can’t have him, no one will. Hugo’s account does not mesh with what he has previously written about Eponine, nor with the expectations of the insurgents at the barricade. In the musical Eponine is wounded en route to the barricade. In the novel (and in the 2012 film), Eponine dies after deliberately taking the bullet intended for Marius.

The musical does fairly well in depicting Marius—a dropout who found legal work boring and preferred to spend time in contemplation. His political philosophy is rather inchoate and is overwhelmed by his infatuation with Cosette. But his failure to work and earn money make it impossible for him to marry Cosette, or to follow her to England. He has taken a “sacred oath” to die if he cannot be with her. Hugo tries to portray Marius as a hero, but his actions at the barricade reflect this death wish rather than heroism. There is a sense in which Nick Jonas’ somewhat quiet, hesitant singing is better suited to this character than Michael Ball’s powerful and confident voice.

Hugo could have done more to develop Cosette’s character. But, in dealing with Cosette, he misses obvious opportunities. When Valjean and Cosette visit the Thenardier’s tenement, Cosette, incredibly, fails to recognize Thenardier. What would Cosette and Eponine, childhood adversaries, say if they ever talked to each other as grownups? What would Cosette say if she learned that, it was Eponine who brought Marius to Cosette's house, and Eponine who saved his life at the barricade? Evidently anticipating such questions from readers, Hugo concocts flimsy explanations for the absence of these seemingly inevitable conversations. Hugo leaves us with a Cosette who is almost completely disengaged from the real world, while Eponine is almost completely engaged in it. Though limited by Hugo’s narrative, the musical does what it can with Cosette, but fails to give her any show-stopping songs.

In Hugo’s account, when Valjean dies, “his white face looked up toward heaven” and “some mighty angel was standing, with outstretched wings, waiting for the soul.” The scene is about Marius and Cosette saying farewell to Valjean. The musical simply replaces the “mighty angel” with two angelic beings (Fantine, and Eponine) who, together with Valjean, made possible a happy future for Cosette and Marius. Perhaps Hugo would approve.

36 persone l'hanno trovato utile

carolyn nicholls

Les miserables

Recensito nel Regno Unito il 29 marzo 2024

Brand new still sealed wasn’t expecting that very pleased and great price. Quick delivery

Laurent Ménatory

Happy Bithday

Recensito in Francia il 16 gennaio 2021

Cette réunion n'a de misérable que le titre.
Spectacle grandiose,réunion émouvante pour tout fan de cette oeuvre,ce bijou scénique. 100/20 ! :-)

John Keith

Excellent service from Amazon

Recensito in Australia il 15 ottobre 2022

Just what I was looking for, thanks

KING KONG

IBIZA O LA MISERIA MUSICAL

Recensito in Spagna il 29 settembre 2014

Aprovecho este espacio, como podría haber aprovechado cualquier otro, por ejemplo la compra de un chaleco, para advertir a todo "amante" de la música de no asomar por la isla de IBIZA...aquí habita "el anticristo" de la melodía...es un horror; por circunstancias laborales no tengo más remedio que soportar esta tortura; está infectado de "entes antimusicales": DAVID "ER GETA", el estilo CHILL-OUT, WALLY LOPEZ (¡ qué nombre más original !)...lugares como "USHUASCO" o "¡ oh, el puerto !"...en fin, ojalá pueda salir pronto de aquí...y dale con el chak, chak, chak, wuiu, wuiu, chak, chak, chak...la centrifugadora no cesa ¡qué castigo para los oídos, para los sentidos!

¡Oh, sí! LOS MISERABLES: drama, emociones, compasión, razón, superación, amor, mucho amor desprendido, y música con notas...DO, RE, MI, FA, SOL...todo lo contrario a IBIZA. Compra recomendable, imagen en alta definición, sonido con las mezclas en 5.1 pertinentes, subtítulos en castellano ( traducción para olvidar), extras interesantes...resumiendo, extraordinaria edición BLU-RAY del "concierto homenaje sobre el musical"...por llamarlo de algún modo.

Con lo bien que estaba yo en "mi isla calavera"...un inciso; por supuesto rompo una lanza a favor de todos aquellos "valientes"; buenos músicos y amantes de las "notas" (que en Ibiza los hay y no son pocos) que sufren esta terrible "infectación" que propaga el "anticristo musical".

Os deseo muchas y buenas notas e imágenes...lo más lejos posible de aquí, lejos de estos "miserables musicales"

Una persona l'ha trovato utile