Original title: Not relying on dialogue but relying on the “sound” of famous songs to win people’s hearts (theme)
Concert version of the French musical “Les Misérables” premieres in Beijing (subtitle)
Beijing Evening News reporter Han Xuan
For musical theater lovers, as soon as the words “Les Misérables” appear, the mind-blowing opening song and the ups and downs of tragic and joyous poems will immediately come to mind. Last night, the original French musical concert version of “Les Misérables” premiered at the Tianqiao Arts Center in Beijing. The classic track excited the audience.
The French version is more faithful to the original work
Compared with the French musical “Les Misérables”, the English version of the musical “Les Misérables” is more famous, and was adapted into a widely circulated musical film of the same name in 2012. In fact, the French version of “Les Misérables” was the first musical version of this literary masterpiece. It was staged in English in London’s West End in 1985, five years after its premiere. In 1991, France re-produced the French version, referring to and retaining many contents of the 1980 French version, and translating some lyrics from the English version back into French. In comparison, the English version is better in plot structure, while the French version is better in capturing the charm of the original characters and presenting lyrics that are loyal to the original work. The concert version of “Les Misérables” this time also basically uses the lyrics of the 1991 Paris version of the French musical.
The music of “Les Misérables” is worthy of being a classic among classics. Its music contains four major themes: “suffering”, “love”, “redemption” and “revolution”. The same theme has been used many times in different plot scenes, with repeated reappearances and variations. It echoes back and forth, making it unforgettable. The theme of “suffering” that appears at the beginning has been used many times to show the miserable lives of the people at the bottom of Paris at that time. It also appears in the confrontation between Jean Valjean and Javert. The voices of the actors playing Jean Valjean and Javert are both very tense. , the dramatic singing was full of emotions, and the audience enjoyed it very much.
38 songs performed in tandem
The French version of “Les Misérables” is presented in the form of a concert in Beijing this time. 38 songs from the original play are selected, and some short transitional passages in the play are removed. The core arias are retained to make the plot more compact. The musical “Les Misérables” has almost no dialogue and relies entirely on songs to connect each other. Even the narrative and connecting passages are expressed with music and singing, so the concert version is not much inferior to the theater version. In addition, all the actors perform in costumes and makeup, which is very close to the performance effect of the theatrical version. Although the band’s performance occasionally has flaws, it ensures a sense of liveness in coordination with the actors, and also adds to the epic feel of the music.
“The music of “Les Misérables” is worth listening to all the time. It will always sound good!” After the performance, Ms. Wang, an audience member, could not escape from the emotions in the play. She had watched the official version of the English version of “Les Misérables” when she was a child. I came to check out the French version this time, “Many of the arias gave me goosebumps, and the aria where Javert committed suicide also shocked me. This was something I never thought of before listening to it live.”
The lighting and stage design is also the highlight of this concert. The creative team has designed special lighting atmospheres for different plots, different actors, and different tracks, using hundreds of lighting changes to present the scene, to heighten the mood, to shape the character’s heart, or to assist the story. narration. In the dark prison, the lighting special effects create the cold texture of the iron fence; at the gun battle scene, the lighting presents a situation of thousands of arrows shooting; when highlighting the mood, the lighting also transforms into the fiery heart of the protagonist, just like the endless burst of heart when singing ideals light.
