Search - Various Artists :: Romeo & Juliette

Wonderful music, but the choice of songs is so-so

Tanya Lamnin | West Bloomfield, MI, United States | 01/05/2003

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Try to get your hands on a full-recording CD, which has all the songs. This is only "the best of" CD, and it's definitely not the best of. This is missing the beautiful instrumental Le Bal, the very sad and haunting Demain, and a few very other good numbers. On the other hand, J'sais plus, sung by the Friar, is wholly unremarkable, as are the Avoir une Fille, sung by Signor Capuletti and Le Povoir, sung by the Prince. The CD has a number of good songs, but would have been better with the ones it's excluded."

Fantastique!!!!

John | North Dakota | 09/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Unspeakably wonderful! It's a combination of pop music and the drama of Sheakespeare's tragedy! It doesn't get better than this! I'm a little partial to French after taking two terms of it in college. If you, like me, were discouraged with French music because of the concept album of Les Miserables, don't worry about it. Romeo et Juliette is much easier to understand and translate. And DO translate it! The lyrics are some of the most poetic I've ever heard. While I wish it could be found in English so my family and friends could get as much out of it as I do, there's just nothing that equals Frere Laurent's agonizing "Mais l'encre des Evangiles dans mon couer est seche" ("The ink of the Apostles is dried on my heart") in French. It just isn't the same in English. Neither is "Pour nous, la vie est facile, mais le bonheur est fragile" (For us life is easy, but our happiness is fragile"). French musicals are movin' on up!"

Heartwrenching

Li | PJ, MY | 07/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's been awhile since I've been so crazy about a musical. I have a habit of favouring those with a tragic ending (ex. Miss Saigon), and this one, of course, is no exception. Although French isn't my first language, I took the time to translate the lyrics as best as I could, and I was very touched. I discovered this gem of a musical through "On Dit Dans La Rue" which was in the French charts at that time. Before you purchase this, be warned that this isn't the 2-CD version; this contains just the highlights.The CD starts with "Vérone", in which the Prince of Verona welcomes you to the city cursed with hatred. It's a great opening track, setting the mood and making way for "La Haine" (Hatred), which snakes its way in the way hatred does through the veins of the citizens of Verona. Other awesome lively tracks include "Les Rois du Monde", "Les Beaux, Les Laids", and "Le Duel" (the infamous fight between Mercutio and Tybalt).For fans of slower numbers, more than half the CD consists of them, although in my opinion, there are the "mushy" slow numbers and the purely "emotional" ones. Obvious mushy songs are "L'Amour Heureux", "Le Balcon", "Aimer", and "La Mort de Juliette".As for the cast, I think Romeo steals the show (though I've never actually had the opportunity to see the musical). He has a *beautiful* voice, never lacking in power or emotion. That's evident in "J'ai Peur." His pronunciation is crystal clear, so even I, a mere newbie to French, can understand. Juliet has a lovely voice, although it's a little too weak and wispy. However, it fits the role quite well I suppose. Each cast member is good, but the male half (Lord Capulet is excellent in "Avoir Une Fille") seems to shine more.In my opinion, the better songs are "J'ai Peur", Le Balcon", "On Dit Dans La Rue", "Le Duel", "Avoir Une Fille", and "La Mort de Juliette". But don't get me wrong, ALL of them are good. My only regret is that some wonderful songs were left out ("Mort de Roméo"). Even so, this CD is well worth the price. For a hopeless romantic like me, it'll definitely go down as one of my all-time favourite musicals."