You may recall that I love musical theatre. I've enjoyed a ton of great music from Broadway and movie musicals over the years. I couldn't really say what my all time favorite musical is. It's always tough to decide which show I like over all the other shows I've seen. So I try to stay away from that question.
I might tell you a show is one of my all time favorites, but you'll have to guess how many might be on the list. HA!
What I can do is tell you that there are two songs from musical theatre that will stand above all the others for me. One is Bring Him Home from Les Miserables. The other is The Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera.
For Set 86, I bring you five versions of The Music of the Night.
It is meant to be vocalized, preferably by a tenor or a baritone. But the brilliant Andre Rieu makes a violin sing, and truly captures the haunting beauty of the music, which is often lost beneath the vocal.
I saw Frank D'Ambrosio perform The Phantom in San Francisco years ago and he was amazing. He is classically trained and in fact studied with Maestro Pavarotti, so he brings a much more operatic style to the role. And any time you pair beautiful music with the elegance of Brian Boitano, you get magic.
If you are casting a musical and your lead role requires a dramatic tenor, you'll be hard pressed to do better than Colm Wilkinson. He will forever be know to me as Jean Valjean, and his signature performance will always be Bring Him Home. He brings that powerful, clear, ringing tone to any performance. And the money note? Blissfully built on a rising scale as few others can do.
Don't laugh. There is something to be said for a rock vocalist who can bring the proper depth to the performance of an iconic piece of music from the theatre. David Cook did that during his winning season on American Idol. The raw power of his voice is balanced by a clear gentleness in his higher register. It works.
And finally, the definitive performance for me...Michael Crawford. His voice is not a classic theatre voice. What draws me to this version is the romantic nuance he brings to the performance, which underscores the tragedy...he begins as The Phantom, but ends as Eric. The moment builds without rushing, painted by the unique tone and surprising power of Mr Crawford's voice. He is not a typical tenor, and that is what I enjoy. And of course, the final note.
If you'd like to join in, here are the guidelines:
1. Grab the banner, make your post title Five on Friday, and be sure to link back here.2. Go to Playlist.com to make your Set of five songs. You may choose a particular theme to share with us, or post random tunes if that's your vibe for the day. You can simply post the Set, or you can add a little summary about what you are sharing.2a. Don't feel restricted by the tracks listed on Playlist.com. And don't be discouraged if the Embed code won't work. You're welcome to use any type of media to share your Sets.3. Be sure to sign Mr Linky so everyone can visit your Set.4. No tags, but feel free to invite your friends to play along if they need a post topic on a Friday.
Go forth and enjoy music!
