A natural evolution...
a_yeloo_zar | Newcastle, NSW, AUSTRALIA | 10/13/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I bought this album as a fan of Boublil and Schonberg and also as a student of French Revolutionary History. On both accounts I was impressed. It has a very 'dirty' sound, especially when compared to the refinement of Les Miserables - however, this is not to say that the music is not also beautiful and appropriate. Marie Antoinette's "Au Petit Matin" on the morning of her execution is touching in it's lullaby-esque style, while also having some of the raw emotion as in "Her or Me" in Miss Saigon. Likewise, the beautiful "Revolution" is a testament to the power of love in the most adverse of circumstances (being the Revolutionary Terror). The passionate ending of the two lovers re-united (there is, of course a love story - anyone suprised?) is tempered by the uncertainty of their fate. It can be assumed that they chose to die together, in their own form of revolution against the government. On the history angle, there is an almost cynical representation of the revolution. The revolutionary priest Tallyrand is portrayed as a Gospell priest, and sings of the 'Civil Constitution of the Clergy' with a swung beat. And Napoleon's mistress (Madame sans-Gene) puts the 'Lovely Ladies' in Les Miserables to shame in her gutsy rendition of "C'est du beau linge, mon General"I definitely recommend purchasing this product, and the French Concept recording of Les Miserables, if only to observe the evolution from dirty rock musical, to the passion and intricacies in Martin Guerre. A must have for Boublil-Schonberg fans! Also, it's great to hear Claude-Michel Schonberg as Louis XVI. By the way - it's all in French. I don't speak French, but you pick up alot of the language along the way anyway. I would seriously give anything to see this in production again..."
Hmm.... where have we heard this concept before
Bev Larson | 07/18/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"All right, when I first received this album as a gift, I was a little wary of the concept. It screamed Scarlet Pimpernel, and Les Mis, and I was a little tired of hearing about Madame Guillotine. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the style of the music and how it was handled. Take Wildhorn's musical, The Civil War, set it during the French Revolution, and you pretty much have La Revolution Francaise. The musical style is the epitome of French music, expressing a certain joie de vivre even in some of the most depressing songs. A wonderful cast with fresh talent pulls this album together, however I think that the cast is a major deciding factor if a musical like this works. Keep that in mind if you see a performance live or plan to. If you're a die-hard Les Mis/Scarlet Pimpernel fan, get it but be warned it's not the 24601/Into the Fire gig. If you don't like Les Mis or Scarlet Pimpernel, get it and gain a whole new perspective on the French Revolution. Celui qui vous excite."
A "MUST HAVE" FOR FRENCH TEACHERS!
Bev Larson | Lewis Center, OH United States | 03/17/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album brings the French Revolution alive for my French students! Each day I supplemented our regular lesson about the events of the revolution and the reign of terror with a song or two from the album. By the end of the unit, students were asking me where they could buy it. I was pleased to be able to tell them that they don't have to go to France for it...they just have to go to Amazon.com!"
Track Listings (24) - Disc #1
