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Product Description
Review
As the most anticipated musical of the millennium, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies is almost guaranteed a lukewarm reception. Being the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, the most successful musical of all time, tends to have that effect. Indeed, the ‘phans’ have already shown online support of what little they’ve been allowed to hear, but as the show takes up residence at the Adelphi there’s sure to be an increasing gulf between them and all other consumers. In truth, this cast recording inevitably falls somewhere in the middle of the two camps.
Immediately, the obvious plot asserts itself as a weaker aspect of Love Never Dies – even the title assures the audience that they’re unlikely to be too bleary-eyed as they leave. The action begins around ten years after Phantom, in Coney Island, where the Phantom (Ramin Karimloo) has risen to lead a freak show. Without divulging too much, the love he lost at the end of Phantom returns with her ghastly husband and all necessary plot twists (involving paternity issues, among others) are present, if rather hackneyed.
Lloyd Webber shows no musical progression since Phantom, and the emotional content is disappointingly broad and impersonal. There is not enough menace in the freak show sections, and the attempts at rock during The Beauty Underneath are laughably leaden (especially given the rollicking numbers that pepper Jesus Christ Superstar). Perhaps most damagingly, the female lead of Christine is underwritten and terminally fixated on the Phantom’s magnetism.
Memorably, this male dominance is accentuated by an entertaining display of bravado early in the second act as the Phantom and Christine’s husband trade insults in a bar, making the crucial female parts seem almost forgotten by the composer. Likewise, in the musical’s most memorable song, ‘Til I Hear You Sing, Karimloo’s performance is full-blooded, but the melodies are not as immediately recognisable as, say, The Music of the Night.
Themes from Phantom are reprised occasionally, with The Point of No Return featuring prominently – however, harking back to the original only highlights the inadequacies of the whole. Simply put, the songs aren’t there and the dark emotional milieu of the original has been lost in favour of confusion. It’s not as loveable and not as shattering in purely musical terms. That’s not to say that it’s without highlights, but it gives Lloyd Webber a problem: phans will rejoice, but most likely alone. --Daniel Ross
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Product Description
titolo-love never dies. phantomcompositore-andrew lloyd webber etichetta-universaln. dischi2data5 marzo 2010supportocd audiogenerepop e rock internazionalecolonne sonore-brani----disco 11.prologueascolta2.the coney island waltzascolta3.that's the place that you ruined, you fool!ascolta4.heaven by the seaascolta5.only for him / only for youascolta6.the ayrieascolta7.till i hear you singascolta8.giry confronts the phantom / 'til i hear you sing (reprise)ascolta9.christine disembarksascolta10.arrival of the trio / are you ready to begin?ascolta11.what a dreadful town!...ascolta12.look with your heartascolta13.beneath a moonless skyascolta14.once upon another timeascolta15."mother please, i'm scared!"ascolta16.dear old friendascolta17.beautifulascolta18.the beauty underneathascolta19.the phantom confronts christineascoltadisco 21.entr'acteascolta2.why does she love me?ascolta3.devil take the hindmostascolta4.heaven by the sea (reprise)ascolta5.ladies...gents! / the coney island waltz (reprise)ascolta6.bathing beautyascolta7."mother, did you watch?"ascolta8.before the performanceascolta9.devil take the hindmostascolta10.love never diesascolta11."ah, christine!..."ascolta12."gustave! gustave!..."ascolta13."please miss giry, i want to go back..."
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Well I came to this with little anticipation. Some of the reviews of trhe previews were not great and I was never a huge fan of the original Phantom show or score. But I have to say that this is great. It is very clever at subtly developing themes from the original but not using the obvious melodies. The singing is superb and orchestrations lush. There does seem to be a negative groundswell of people pre-empting the opening tonight in London - my advice is to rid yourself of these thoughts and just listen with an open mind.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Let's be clear, this isn't a rehash of Phantom of the Opera. If one had to compare it's musical style/structure it would closely resemble Sunset Boulevard. The larger, more orchestral songs certainly are arranged in that tone. That sound. Yet there is very desperately an opera trying to get out here. Unusually, for a Lloyd Webber production there is no overture, none of the grand bombastic, organ music of the Phantom overture. Yet there are also shades of the melodies of Phantom, short bars of music are reused but not overused which is a good thing. Certainly the song Love Never Dies reuses music from Our Kind of Love from the lesser popular The Beautiful Game. Journey to the Cemetary used in the movie version of Phantom of the Opera also reappears now and again in snippets of songs. There are no Music of the Nights, no All I Ask of You's, yet there are many stand out tunes. The Beauty Underneath should have audiences humming or whistling this catchy tune which as with the previous Phantom of the Opera, is a driving rock orientated song. Another favourite of mine is Devil Take The Hindmost. Listening to the song, you can almost picture the Phantom playing a kind of game/chess with the stakes rising as the music does with Raoul as he (whilst drunk) foolishly let's his pride become his folly in wagering Christine's fate with that of her former nemesis: The Phantom.
Yet ... I cannot help but think that some of the songs are let down by voices which are almost 'night clubby' or maybe that's the idea? It is Coney Island, for example, sort of the Pontins/garish fun fair of it's day. Overall, this is a very different breed to it's predecessor but, as I listen right now on my first listen ... Gustav Gustav almost, but not quiet, drags the music back to the climax of Phantom of the Opera.
Gustav has been kidnapped ... what will happen, what fate awaits him and will Raoul reach him in time? And who will win the love of Christine ... the Phantom or Raoul? Listen, find out in the dramatic finale!
Yet ... I cannot help but think that some of the songs are let down by voices which are almost 'night clubby' or maybe that's the idea? It is Coney Island, for example, sort of the Pontins/garish fun fair of it's day. Overall, this is a very different breed to it's predecessor but, as I listen right now on my first listen ... Gustav Gustav almost, but not quiet, drags the music back to the climax of Phantom of the Opera.
Gustav has been kidnapped ... what will happen, what fate awaits him and will Raoul reach him in time? And who will win the love of Christine ... the Phantom or Raoul? Listen, find out in the dramatic finale!
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I first heard 'Phantom of the Opera' 18 years ago. I remember buying it as a double cassette tape, when I was 13 years old, and it blew me away. I've loved the show ever since. Because of this, my expectations for 'Love Never Dies' were very high indeed. In fact, after bringing the CD home, I left it on my desk for several hours before I had the courage to listen to it. I was worried that it could never live up to what I expected (and wanted) it to be.
'The Beautiful Game' was truly awful. 'Whistle Down the Wind' was good in places and disappointing in places. 'The Woman in White' was excellent. 'Sunset Boulevard' was fantastic. And what about 'Love Never Dies'?
I think 'Love Never Dies' is absolutely and consistently brilliant. It is better than 'The Woman in White', equal to 'Sunset Boulevard' and almost as good as the original 'Phantom of the Opera'. Listening to this show, I was swept up in the melodies, I was there! The new Phantom has an amazing voice. In fact, at times, I thought it was still Michael Crawford. I can't wait to listen to it again.
'The Beautiful Game' was truly awful. 'Whistle Down the Wind' was good in places and disappointing in places. 'The Woman in White' was excellent. 'Sunset Boulevard' was fantastic. And what about 'Love Never Dies'?
I think 'Love Never Dies' is absolutely and consistently brilliant. It is better than 'The Woman in White', equal to 'Sunset Boulevard' and almost as good as the original 'Phantom of the Opera'. Listening to this show, I was swept up in the melodies, I was there! The new Phantom has an amazing voice. In fact, at times, I thought it was still Michael Crawford. I can't wait to listen to it again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Enjoyable!
I was a little scheptical when I'd decided to purchase the CD, but I must admit that I like it! On the negative side the audio is sometimes a little low and it becomes difficult to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by GenevaJoe
Love it !!!
Loved this cd, this is one of Lloyd Webbers hits and didn't deserve the criticism it got. An excellent follow on from Phantom. Such a shame it was closed. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Akmk71
Love never dies cd
WOW, I Listened to this cd,its absolutely awesome, cried most of the way through. Didnt think anything could top the original phantom, but this did. Read more
Published 6 months ago by lizard
Love Never Dies
This is an excellent CD which contains great music. It is a great reminder of the fantastic penultimate performance of the show that I attended.
Published 6 months ago by PWF
Fantastic soundtrack for any musical theatre fan
The music and lyrics are as good as ever. Stars Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess do an amazing job throughout.
A must have for Phantom fans. Read more
A must have for Phantom fans. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Amy Ratcliffe
Great Stuff
I recently went to see this at the theatre in London, after falling completely in love with The Phantom of the Opera, and also after hearing very mixed reviews. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Emma Wright
Superb music
This is the CD of the original before they changed the order of songs ... however all the important tunes are there and get better and better the more you listen. Read more
Published 9 months ago by GillB
Wonderful
The music from 'Love Never Dies' is fantastic. It helps, though, if you have seen the musical itself, as it puts it into context. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Red_Rose_Mike
ALW as his best
Awesome score. Moving story. This is ALW as his best, and a more than worth sequel to POTO. Don't miss it!!!!
Published 10 months ago by Wandering_Child
Love Never Dies CD
This CD is fantastic, I listen to it over and over again. I was disappointed in the state of the case it came in as it had a nasty looking scratch across the front. Read more
Published 11 months ago by L. Jackson
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