Click to enlarge

Les Misérables – Complete Symphonic Recording
[MIZCD1E]

'I Dreamed A Dream' was recently the focus of intense media interest following Susan Boyle's rendition on the UK TV talent show 'Britain's Got Talent' (see below) which has given the recording a new lease of life in the singles and album charts.

Disc One:
1. Prologue - Javert, Valjean & Company
2. Valjean's Soliloquy (What Have I Done?) - Valjean
3. At the End of the Day - Choir, Company, Factory Foreman, Factory Girl & Valjean
4. I Dreamed a Dream - Fantine
5. Lovely Ladies - Company
6. Fantine's Arrest - Javert, Fantine & Bamatabois
7. Runaway Cart - Orchestra
8. Who Am I?/The Trial - Valjean
9. Fantine's Death - Fantine & Valjean
10. The Confrontation - Javert & Valjean
11. Castle on a Cloud - Little Cosette
12. Master of the House - Thénardier, Mme Thénardier & Company
13. Bargain/Waltz of Treachery - Valjean, Thénardier & Mme Thénardier
14. Look Down - Choir, Company, Gavroche, Marius & Enjolras
15. The Robbery/Javert's Intervention (Another Brawl) - Thénardier & Mme Thénardier, Marius, Epoinine & Javert
16. Stars - Javert

Disc Two
1. Eponine's Errand - Eponine & Marius
2. ABC Cafe/Red and Black - Enjolras, Marius, Grantaire & Students
3. Do You Hear the People Sing? - Enjolras, Students & Company
4. Rue Plumet/In My Life - Cosette, Marius & Eponine
5. Heart Full of Love - Marius, Cosette & Eponine
6. Attack on Rue Plumet - Thénardier, Gang, Eponine, Marius, Cosette & Valjean
7. One Day More - Full Company
8. At the Barricade (Upon These Stones) - Enjolras, Marius & Students
9. On My Own - Eponine
10. Building the Barricade - Marius, Enjolras & Students
11. Javert's Arrival - Javert, Enjolras, Company & Gavroche
12. Little People - Gavroche
13. Little Fall of Rain - Eponine & Marius
14. Night of Anguish - Valjean & Students
15. First Attack - Orchestra
16. Drink With Me - Grantaire, Marius, Students & Company
17. Bring Him Home - Valjean
18. Dawn of Anguish - Enjolras & Students
19. Second Attack (Death of Gavroche) - Enjolras, Students & Gavroche
20. Final Battle - Enjolras & Company
21. Sewers - Dog Eats Dog - Thénardier
22. Javert's Suicide - Javert
23. Turning - Women

Disc 3:
1. Empty Chairs at Empty Tables - Marius
2. Every Day - Cosette, Marius & Valjean
3. Valjean's Confession - Valjean & Marius
4.Wedding Chorale/Beggars at the Feast - Thénardier, Mme Thénardier & Marius
5. Epilogue (Finale) - Valjean, Fantine, Cosette, Marius, Eponine, Full Company

To download this album now, please select your iTunes Store






More iTunes territories coming soon.

The Complete Symphonic Recording was originally intended to be a cast recording of the Australian (Sydney) company, but that project was later abandoned in favour of an international venture including performers from the Australian, London, New York, Los Angeles and Tokyo productions, accompanied by the 72-member London Philarmonia Orchestra. One peculiar aspect of the CSR is that the cast never really met in a single recording studio: the instrumental tracks, recorded in Wembley and Nashville, were later shipped to Sydney and Los Angeles, where the different singers added their own numbers.

Cast includes:
Jean Valjean: Gary MORRIS (New York)
Inspector Javert: Philip QUAST (Sydney)
Fantine: Debbie BYRNE (Sydney)
Eponine: Kaho SHIMADA (Tokyo)
Marius: Michael BALL (London)
Enjolras: Anthony WARLOW (Sydney)
Cosette: Tracy SHAYNE (New York)
Thénardier: Barry JAMES (London)
Madame Thénardier: Gay SOPER (London)

Recorded at CTS Studios, Wembley (UK), Studio Eleven Eleven, Nashville (US) & Rhinoceros Studio, Sydney (AUS) between August and October 1988
Mixed at The Record Plant, Los Angeles (US)

Susan Boyle (born 1961)^[1] is a Scottish^[2] amateur singer and church volunteer who came to public attention on 11 April 2009,^[3] when she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Britain's Got Talent.^[4] Boyle found fame when she sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables in the competition's first round.^[5]

Before she sang, both the audience and the judges appeared to express scepticism based on her unpolished appearance. In contrast, her vocal performance was so well received that she has been dubbed "The Woman Who Shut Up Simon Cowell."^[6] She received a standing ovation from the live audience, garnering yes-votes from Cowell and Amanda Holden, and the "biggest yes I have ever given anybody" from Piers Morgan.^[7] The audition was recorded in January 2009 at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland,^[8] and was first broadcast on Saturday, 11 April 2009 in Britain.

The juxtaposition of the reception to her voice with the audience's first impression of her triggered global interest. Articles about her appeared in newspapers all over the world, while the numbers who watched videos of her audition set an online record.^[9] By 20 April 2009, a mere 9 days after her televised debut, viral videos of her audition, subsequent interviews of her, and her 1999 rendition of "Cry Me a River" had been viewed over 100 million times on the Internet.^[10] The clip is expected to pass the record for an online video of 120 million views in a matter of days.^[11] Cowell is reported to be setting up a contract with Boyle with his Syco Music company label, a subsidiary of Sony Music.^[12]

Cameron Mackintosh, the producer of the Les Misérables musical, also praised the performance, stating: “Just like the judges and audience, I was gob-smacked by the emotional powerhouse performance of Susan Boyle's show-stopping rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream". Vocally, it is one of the best versions of the song I've ever heard – touching, thrilling and uplifting. I do hope she gets to sing it for the Queen.”^[13]

Click here for more Susan Boyle info.

References:
1. Profile: Susan Boyle - Britain's got the unlikeliest angel, The Sunday Times, April 19, 2009.
2. Holmwood, Leigh. Susan Boyle: a dream come true The Guardian 18 April 2009.
3. Smith, Mark (2009-04-11). What's the story with ... Susan Boyle?. The Herald. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
4. Talent show singer is online hit. BBC News. 2009-04-15. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
5. Jordan, Mary (2009-04-14). The Scot Heard Round the World. The Washington Post: p. A-8. Retrieved on 2009-04-16.
6. The Woman Who Shut Up Simon Cowell. ABC News. 2009-04-14. Retrieved on 2009-04-19.
7. Wylie, Ian (2009-04-11). Dreaming The Dream. Manchester Evening News. Retrieved on 2009-04-23.
8. Fox news, Simon Cowell interview. 2009-04-16. Retrieved on 2009-04-16.
9. Scottish Singer's Audition Video Sets Online Record. The Washington Post. 19 April 2009. Retrieved on 2009-04-19.
10. Dobuzinskis, Alex. Susan Boyle breaks past 100 million online views, Reuters, April 20, 2009.
11. Ben Leach (2009-04-23) Susan Boyle's Britain's Got Talent performance sets YouTube record. The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2009-04-24.
12. Never Been Kissed' Singer, 47, Wows Cowell. MSNBC News. 2009-04-15. Retrieved on 2009-04-15.
13. Producer Mackintosh 'Gob-Smacked' By Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream"; Song Is YouTube Hit. Playbill News. 2009-04-15. Retrieved on 2009-04-19.