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Rent (1996 Original Broadway Cast)

Into Broadway's creative vacuum of revivals, movie adaptations, and Hollywood star vehicles comes Rent, the story of squatters, junkies, performance artists, struggling musicians, drag queens, aspiring filmmakers, and HIV-positives (and you thought Miss Saigon's helicopter landing was cool). Undoubtedly among the defining pop cultural events of 1996, Rent has already won four Tony awards and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama. More importantly, it threatens to bring substance back to the Great White Way.

Transposing Puccini's 100-year-old opera La Bohème into modern day Bohemia (19th-century Paris's Left Bank becomes late-20th-century New York's East Village where the scourge of tuberculosis becomes the plague of AIDS) Rent celebrates life among the young, sick, and unconventional. While Broadway shows are hardly the place for authentic portrayals of the latest marginalized hipsters, composer Jonathan Larson (who died at age 36, days before his musical opened) managed to sculpt vivid characters and scenes that bring Avenue A as close as it will ever come to 42nd Street. And by telling a socially relevant story of living without the guarantee of a future (renting, that is), Larson does his own little bit to define an X'ed generation. At worst, Rent is the Hair of the '90s.

For the majority of us who won't be seeing Rent anytime soon, the Original Cast Recording is more than just an after-show souvenir. Well-packaged with a complete libretto, the two-CD set is a worthwhile album separate of live performance. Full of songs that are funny and catchy, inspiring and touching, smart and hip and not overly sentimental, Rent mixes showtune pop with elements of rock, R&B, dance, gospel, and tango to make one of the best albums of the year--certainly the best rock opera in decades. La vie bohème, indeed. --Roni Sarig

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Futures

Cast Recording;

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Customer Review:

Soundtrack - next best thing to a front row seat

Beautifully packaged, great soundtrack. My 9 year old and I love this - we play it and play it. Brings back great memories of seeing it on stage at the Fox in St. Louis.

Perfect before or after the show...

Unbelievable

This soundtrack has some great songs on it, and the show itself is a masterpiece and deserves its Pulitzer. The music in this soundtrack is very touching, and the singers themselves are perfect for the parts that they sing.

The Five Best Tracks In My Opinion

Without You
I'll Cover You
Take Me Or Leave Me
Seasons Of Love
One Song Glory

"RENT" Overated

Don't get me worng I think RENT is a good piece of musical theatre but I mean come on there are only a few stand out songs in the show and the rest are just ok and some songs are just plain awful! I have seen RENT and yes it was worth the time and money but what some people say about this show blows my mind... This Show is not amazing! It is just good. I really dont understand how people love every track on the CD because some you couldnt pay me to listen to! Don't buy the CD unless you have seen the show and know that you will like majority of the music! All in All RENT tries but comes up a tad short.

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Keywords: Cast Recordings; Music Theater; Musical Theater; Pop; Showtunes / B'way;

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The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

This final chapter of Peter Jackson's sprawling adaptation of Tolkien's "Ring" trilogy closes out one of the most accomplished cycles in cinema--and film music--history. As he's done for the saga's first two installments, composer Howard Shore has honed a mature, brooding orchestral masterpiece that's long on subtle shadings of mood and nuance, while eschewing the hollow bombast that's characterized all too many mainstream action and adventure films for three decades. If anything, he's pared this chapter of his music for Middle Earth even closer to the bone, the trilogy's familiar themes repeated with a sparing hand that only heightens their dramatic power. Like Herrmann before him, Shore has a preternatural understanding of orchestral timbres and their almost mystical connections with human emotions, and he's used it here to close out this remarkable trilogy with Wagnerian dramatic sweep, yet one with a distinctly modern, understated melodic sense that is Shore's alone. James Galway and Renee Fleming make key instrumental and vocal contributions, respectively, while Annie Lennox's soulful "Into the West" makes the expected, if unobtrusive, bow to the theatrical pop song conventions. --Jerry McCulley

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Futures

Enhanced;

Soundtrack;

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Customer Review:

LOTR:ROTK - as awesome as the others

I may be prejudice, but I love EVERYTHING about the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. This CD of the soundtrack is no exception. Howard Shore's music is so evocative of the action in the films that I can relive the action just by listening to it. And the vocal piece which won the Academy Award is as deserving as all of the other 10 awards the movie won (and we all know the clean sweep was for the mamouth effort of the entire series and not just for ROTK, for heaven's sake!)

The end to some of the best soundtracks ever composed

With The Return of the King soundtrack, Howard Shore delivers a stunning masterpiece of a finale. There is great, epic music on the CD that almost makes you a part of the movie.

There is plenty of new music here in addition to some new variations. Most notably, is the Minas Mourgal music which is played at a blaringly fast pace that is quite creepy. The best epic track is "The Fields of the Pelennor." Included is the amazing music from the charge of the Rohirrim that is sure to send a shiver down you back. The final tracks do a great job of conveying the sadness of the Fellowship breaking up and Frodo leaving. The final track performed by Annie Lennox is a very nice way to end the final score to the great trilogy.

Howard Shore has composed three amazing, unique scores that are sure to be some of the best soundtracks you have ever heard.

Is all this music in the movie?

I enjoy this soundtrack, but I wonder whether it has different orchestral versions of various pieces than those that are in the movie. I especially love the strong beautiful theme (maybe the Gondor theme but I don't know) that comes in at 2:36 on Track 4, The White Tree. I figure from its placement that that music must occur when Gandalf and Pippin enter Gondor. I've watched that scene several times, and it has only a softer, weaker version of that theme. So my question is, does that specific 30 seconds or so appear in the movie, and if so, where? Thanks for any help.

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Keywords: Film; Film Music; Original Score; Pop; Soundtrack; Soundtracks & Film Scores;

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25 Mozart Favorites

This is an astonishing collection of works - or parts of works - by Mozart that covers almost every aspect of his creative output: symphonic, religious music, concerti (for piano, horn, violin, clarinet, flute), chamber music, serenades (for strings; winds), a couple of opera overtures and more. Those who know and love Mozart's music will not need this, but it's a great introduction, a great overview. The selections are well-chosen and interestingly organized, with familiar pieces splrinkled among some not-so well known. A good primer. --Robert Levine

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Customer Review:

woah

Like, hizzoly crap fo shizzle mah nizzle dawg. I thought I wuz da only gangsta who listened to tha Mozart shizzang! Like dang yo dat is down! Dis CD wuz great fo chillin in da club and breakin' it down fo mah fine gal down in mah crib we be bumpin up da beat box to this jam fo real! Y'all mah homeys say G werd if you down wit tha Mozart jamz! Up, down, an back to da hizzle.

MOZART WAS A CRAZY SILLY GUY!

I cannot believe my ears!!!!!!!!!

I usually listen to the radio or MTV or huff gasoline and listen to the ringing sounds that the vapors cause in my head, but man oh man, this is something I'd never heard before until I picked it up at my local gas station! It was sitting on the counter near the microwavable burritos, and in my gasoline-induced stupor, I picked this up by accident (and by "picked up" I mean "I put under my shirt when no one was looking").

When I got home and logged onto Amazon.com to see how much I could get for it on here, I was dismayed that it was selling for a miniscule $2.45! So instead of selling it, I decided I would add to my ever-growing collection of CD's that I get from the gas station.

When I first put it on, I couldn't believe what I was hearing! Really, I couldn't! The whole CD sounds like it was recorded underwater. Upon inspecting the linear notes, it was confirmed that this CD, was indeed, recorded underwater! Simply amazing! Also, another great thing this CD has going for it is the fact that there isn't one complete piece of music on the entire goddamn thing! Who wants to hear a masterpiece like Mozart's Symphony No. 25 in its entirety when you can just listen to a snippet? No sir, not me! Just give me the "good parts."

Overall, this fine compact disc gets an astounding FIVE STARS. And what a funny coincidence...that's how much this CD costs: FIVE DOLLARS. Bargain of the century!

Pick it up at a local 7-11 near you!

A good begining to learn about Mozart's music

This CD contains the most popular music from Mozart. If you are just start to listen some classical music, this one is a wise choice for you. The price is cheap, and the quality of recording is acceptable.

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Keywords: Chamber; Chamber Music & Recitals; Choral; Clarinet Concerto; Classical; Classical Composers; Classical Period Serenade/Cassation/Divertimento; Classical Period Symphony;

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Battlestar Galactica

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Futures

Soundtrack;

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Customer Review:

For a small-time composer...

...this is an amazing score. The direction taken was a refreshing change from the usual bombastic orchestral or, god forbid, the synth that we are so used to in productions of this genre. I was very pleased with the end result. The tribal drum rolls, light synth, and passionate vocals really made this score stand out from everything I've heard in recent years. Though some may find the styles of several tracks to be repetitious, I can be very sure that the soundtrack deserves at least an honorable mention. Though Bear McCreary should also be credited for several tracks. Many of the better ones too. Look forward to the release of the first season's soundtack.

Excellent and different

The first thing I noticed about the show was the music- it fits the mood perfectly and is not the usual fare that tries to tell you what to feel. Then again, BSG 2003 doesn't need that. It enhances the action and doesn't distract.

Excellent and very different...just like the show.

Beautiful and Haunting

I was really captivated by the music while watching the mini series, I was so happy to learn of the release of this soundtrack. I had really missed most of the music, because it was so subtle. This music is beautiful and haunting in some spots. I have it on my c drive at work, and I listen to it all day.

The series is pretty good, too! And this is coming from a non-Sci Fi fan.

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Keywords: Film; Film Music; Original Score; Pop; Soundtrack; Soundtracks & Film Scores; TV Soundtrack; TV Soundtracks; Television Music;

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