Being a nerdy member of the Les Misérables fandom, I’ve naturally listened to numerous different recordings of the musical. Although I don’t think there is any perfect album, and my “dream cast” would be a conglomeration of various casts, there are several cast albums that I nevertheless like quite a lot.
For your edification and enjoyment, then, here are my top 4 favorite Les Misérables recordings.
- The Original French Concept Album (1980)
Although Les Misérables did not see the light of day as a West End musical until 1985, the musical really saw its birth in this concept album from 1980. There are a few songs we know from the musical that weren’t written yet in this album, and a couple songs in this album that never made it into the English-version musical (for instance, this beautiful solo of Éponine’s).
Not only is it fascinating to see the similarities/changes between this album and the finished musical, but a lot of the music and singing in the OFC is really lovely. And although I know this is subjective, this album really seems to give off the right vibe for Les Misérables – which makes sense, as it’s a completely French project and Les Misérables is – well – French, and a part of the French culture.
- The Complete Symphonic Recording
The title really says why this is one of my favorites – it’s complete! Most albums cut out some of the bits between well-known songs, but not the CSR. You also see that word “symphonic”. What that signifies is that the instrumentation is played by a full, awesome-sounding orchestra. Just listen to the opening notes of the Prologue.
This version has more singers I don’t care for – Jean Valjean, Éponine, Cosette, and Fantine are all not favorites – but it does have Philip Quast, my favorite Javert (though I prefer his performance in the 10th Anniversary Concert). If I’m just listening to one or two songs, I’m not that likely to go to this version, but if I’m listening to the whole thing – or listening to a song that isn’t available on many other albums – I may well go with this album.
- The Original Broadway Cast
This is the album that I heard first, so it stands to reason that it’s one of my favorites. This one features Colm Wilkinson, the best and epic-est Jean Valjean, as well as my favorite Éponine, one of my favorite Cosettes, and my second favorite Javert. The instrumentation isn’t quite as good as some of the others – I think more of it is done with synthesizers, not with orchestral instruments – but this is still a solid album.
- The 10th Anniversary Concert
One of my first posts on this blog was a gush-fest of this concert. It has a big, cool orchestra like the CSR, great backing vocals (which make the ensemble singing sound so full and SO COOL), and a great cast. Again, though this has many of my favorite actors for their parts, not all the cast members are my favorites (for instance, though Lea Salonga and Michael Ball have amazing voices, they aren’t quite Éponine and Marius to me), but everyone’s good. And the vibe of it all is great and Les Misérables-y.
The only ever-so-slightly weak link is Michael Maguire as Enjolras, whose voice seemed a wee bit weak to me. However, I’ve heard that he only found out he was participating about a week beforehand and hadn’t sung the part in years, so I think we can cut him some slack.
So, there you have it! 4 of my favorite Les Mis recordings. What are your favorites? Do any of our favorites overlap?
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