|
|
 |
|
|
Chess In Concert Soundtrack CD
|
CHESS IN CONCERT is a musical by Tim Rice, and Benny & Bjorn from ABBA. It is performed her by the Gothenburg Orchestra and Chorus and recorded live in Sweden, 1994.
Personnel: Tommy Körberg, Anders Glenmark (vocals); Lasse Wellander (guitar); Benny Andersson (accordion, piano); Peter Ljung (keyboards, synthesizer); Per Lindvall (drums, percussion); Liza Öhman (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Bernard Löhr.
Liner Note Author: Tim Rice.
Recording information: Eriksbergshallen, Gothenburg, Sweden (08/1994).
Arrangers: Anders Eljas; Benny Andersson.
Billed as Chess in Concert, this Swedish album presents the third major recording of the musical Chess, with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice, which began life as a concept album in 1984 and also had an original Broadway cast recording in 1988. Those two versions were quite different, particularly because the work was altered extensively for its unsuccessful Broadway run (which followed a successful London production not commemorated with a cast album). As Rice notes in his annotations here, Chess has been produced since in both theatrical and concert versions around the world. "The best interpretations of the work to date have been in concert," he opines, "and the series of shows in Gothenburg in August 1994 have been the very best of those." In addition to this imprimatur from the lyricist, the album was produced by Andersson (Ulvaeus does not seem to have been involved, however). Also, it features -- in the role of the Russian -- Tommy Körberg, who sang the part on the concept album and on-stage in London.
Chess has been performed in many different ways. Here, orchestrator/conductor Anders Eljas (who also orchestrated and conducted the concept album) and Andersson have opted to return to the structure of the concept album for the most part, although they also have included a couple of songs added to the score for the London production, "Someone Else's Story" and "The Soviet Machine" (the latter making its debut on record). Not surprisingly, the recording is strongest as a musical work, with Andersson and Ulvaeus' eclectic score given free rein as it winds through influences from classical music (especially Beethoven and Tchaikovsky) and arena rock (notably the Who and Queen), plus elements of '70s pop inescapably recalling their old group, ABBA. (Also inescapably, there are moments when they ape Rice's old collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber.) Despite Rice's assurance, however, the "interpretation," at least from the point of view of his lyrics, suffers, not only from the emphasis on the music, but also because the singers, all Scandinavians, sing in English with noticeable accents. This is true right from the start, as the Gothenburg Symphony Chorus makes its way through "Merano" in a highly musical but basically incomprehensible manner. Anders Glenmark, singing the role of the American, makes a hash out of "One Night in Bangkok," one of the show's major songs, again due to his accent, and Karin Glenmark, in the major female role of Florence, frequently sounds like Anni-Frid Lyngstad from ABBA as she maneuvers through unfamiliar syllables with odd phrasing. As such, Chess in Concert is not the triumph it could have been, and while more complete than its two predecessors, is not the ideal recording. ~ William Ruhlmann
Chess In Concert Soundtrack Music
Chess In Concert Soundtrack Songs
| 1 | Chess, musical play: Merano | | | |
| 2 | Chess, musical play: Russian and Molokov/Where I Want to Be | | | |
| 3 | Chess, musical play: Opening Ceremony | | | |
| 4 | Chess, musical play: Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquility) | | | |
| 5 | Chess, musical play: The American and Florence/Nobody's Side | | | |
| 6 | Chess, musical play: Chess | | | |
| 7 | Chess, musical play: Mountain Duet | | | |
| 8 | Chess, musical play: Florence Quits | | | |
| 9 | Chess, musical play: Someone Else's Story | | | |
| 10 | Chess, musical play: Embassy Lament | | | |
| 11 | Chess, musical play: Anthem See All 2 | | | |
Disc 2 |
| 1 | Chess, musical play: Bangkok/One Night in Bangkok | | | |
| 2 | Chess, musical play: The Soviet Machine | | | |
| 3 | Chess, musical play: Heaven Help My Heart | | | |
| 4 | Chess, musical play: Argument | | | |
| 5 | Chess, musical play: I Know Him So Well See All 7 | | | |
| 6 | Chess, musical play: The Deal (No Deal) | | | |
| 7 | Chess, musical play: Pity The Child | | | |
| 8 | Chess, musical play: Endgame | | | |
| 9 | Chess, musical play: Epilogue: You and I/The Story of Chess | | | |
Chess In Concert Soundtrack Music Review
Average Rating: (4.5 out of 5 stars)   Preview of the real event
I'm going to the show tonight. I'll see what songs are used and which are not. This is the third version of "Chess" I have. This one is rare here. One new song is "The Soviet Machine", sung in a stereotypical accent, and uses part of "The Arbiter" from the original. Gemini, Sverige's answer to the Carpenters, are on this one. My least favourite track is "Heaven Help My heart", sung with less passion and charisma than Lady/Dame Elaine Paige ("Mrs." Tim Rice, the first Florence).
Submitted by sposato (Syracuse, NY, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Chess in Concert
Chess in concert is wonderful to listen to. This live recording is not quite as wonderful because the live feeling is not really captured on this recording. This concert has been on the road for a couple of years in Sweden now and different choires and symphony orchestras have been engaged for different concerts and unfortunately this is not the best setting.
Submitted by a reviewer (Sweden)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No  Highly recommended for "Chess" fans.
This is the live version of the London recording. It all sounds new again. You hear the crowd response, how much they love this show. The musicians are riffing on and sometimes improving on the original. Excellent.
Submitted by a reviewer (Quincy, MA, USA)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No
Chess in Concert
Brillinant! Even better than the Broadway/London ones..
Submitted by a reviewer (Kilmarnock, UK)
Was This Review Helpful? Yes No | Have you heard this album? |  |
Purchase Music From Chess In Concert CD
To buy, Click on price to add to cart
|
|
|
|
|
Share this Product