Go for it, guys. As long as you want them to be. I've yet to hear it.

This review I wrote on my Livejournal on the 26th June 2008
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CD : DRACULA - Original Graz Cast Recording
Year: 2008
Music by: Frank Wildhorn
Artists: Thomas Borchert, Uwe Kröger, Jesper Tydén, Lyn Liechty, Caroline Vasicek, Eric Minsk, Marion Furtner, Stefanie Tyden, Vicky van Zijl.


Thomas Borchert (Dracula) - This isn't the first time Thomas played the role. He also played it in 2005 at the St.Gallen Theater alternating with Drew Sarich. I won't make considerations about who's my favourite in that production, but in this one, Thomas exceeds himself. He playes a great Dracula, far better than his Von Krolock, wich may have to do with the fact that Von Krolock is a charicatur of Dracula. Somehow I think that the seriousness and passion of Dracula suit him better then the witty of Krolock. He also gets favoured because Dracula has the best songs in the entire musical. Blut (Fresh blood), Einsamer Mann (Transylvania is not England) and Je länger ich lebe (The longer I live) are his moments to shine (alone of course). Really, really great to hear, and definitly the best performance of Thomas on a CD I've ever heard.

Uwe Kröger (Van Helsing) - I have to say...I was REALLY affraid for this. After see Uwe cuted out of Musical Forever CD, and after watching him failing the high notes on REBECCA, I thought nothing good could come out of this. It happens I was wrong. Although you notice clearly that Uwe's voice is not what it used to be, and that he uses now a much lower tone, he still does a fine job. His songs however aren't the best ones. Actually they are the most "weak" songs in the musical. "Nosferatu" is a great song, but I have the feeling Uwe didn't caught the essence of it. You can judge it by listening to the same song sung by Chris Murray (who played Van Helsing in St.Gallen). As for "Rosanne", a new song added to the show...well its clear that the song was added because of Uwe. The song has no point whatsoever and even sounds a bit out of place in the Musical. The song is one of those you could imagine Uwe singing in one of his solo CDs...but I would cut it from the show right away. However, he has his grand moment in another new song "Zu Ende" (At an end). This song is a duet between Van Helsing and Dracula, and its a great piece of music. Uwe there, shows clearly his wish to kill Dracula. I think this CD marks the decline of Uwe "the mith".

Jesper Tydén (Jonathan Harker) - I like Jesper. Don't know why, but I like him. I loved his Tod in ELISABETH, and he is those kind of actors that either you love or you don't. In DRACULA he plays an amazing Jonathan. I can imagine no one else in the role. Mind that Jesper is reprising his role, since he also played Jonathan in St. Gallen. He doesn't have many songs to shine, but those he has are nice. "Whitby Bay" is a lovely duet, but "Ich bin gefangen hier" is his highlight. The song is amazing by itself, even in the english version, but Jesper adds that extra touch that makes it amazing. "Frost an einem Sommertag" is another great song...ruined by the lyrics. But about that I'll speak later.

Lyn Liechty (Mina Murray) - She's one amazing actress, and even though she's american, you don't notice it in her german. You notice it of course in her singing, but well...what to do? She's far much better as Mina than she's as Lisa in JEKYLL & HYDE. Even though her german is not THAT good, in this CD she exceeds herself. She puts so much passion in Mina that you can't help loving her. "Lass mich dich nicht lieben" (Please don't make me love you) is her highlight, but I honestly prefer to hear her in the duets. "Die Verführung" (The Seduction) is obviously the best duet between Mina and Dracula, followed by "Die Zugsequenz" (Life after Life reprise) and "Finale". Her duet with Dracula, "Ein perfektes Leben" (The perfect life) is probably one of the most beautifull sequences that ever appeared in a Frank Wildhorn show. Curiously the decision of mixing "Perfect Life" with "Loving you keeps me alive" wasn't Franks. It was an idea of one of the assistents in St.Gallen. And thank God for that idea! You really can't avoid falling in love with the song.

Caroline Vasicek (Lucy Westenra) - Caroline reprises her role in DRACULA. She was a great Lucy in St. Gallen and she still is in Graz. Before that I already knew her as Nannerl in Kunze & Levays MOZART!, but she's far much better as Lucy. Besides that, she also gets the best female songs in DRACULA. Not only she shines in "Nebel und Nacht" (The mist) she also has "Wie wählt man aus" (How do you chose?) a really funny song, and of course, probably the best duet in the musical "Ein Leben mehr" (Life after Life) where she sings with Thomas after rising from the grave. Although I prefered to hear her in duett with Drew Sarich, she is also great with Thomas. "Die Einladung" is the weakest song she has to sing, but even so she does it marvellously.

Eric Minsk (Renfield) - Here's a guy hard to judge. I've only knew him before as Annas in Ammstetten production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR were he playes along with an amazing Judas played by Drew Sarich. In DRACULA he does a fine job. Sounds much better than he sounded live actually. I prefered Stephan Vinzberg who played Renfield in St. Gallen, but Erik in Graz has a really AMAZING song: "Das Lied vom Meister" (The Masters song). In this CD the song is puted to his best, and the Vampire girls chorus along with the song makes it one terrifying song. Really, really, really worth earing.

Marion Furtner, Stefanie Tydén, Vicky van Zijl (Vampire Brides) - They appear trough out the Musical always following Dracula. "Für immer jung" (Forever young) is their big moment where they get the chance many girls wanted: put their hands on Jesper. Stefanie actually suceeded since she married him. Sorry to spoil the fun!=P The song however is a really really seducive one, and honestly, me, in Jonathan's place would have sended Mina to hell and stayed with these 3 vampire brides. Besides that, they are the ones that make the chorus trough many songs, and in "Lied vom Meister" they really exceed the exceed what you could expect. Though of course, that is also work of Koen Schoots orchestrations.

About the CD: DRACULA is to me, without a doubt, Wildhorn's best work so far, and that becomes very clear in this CD. Another positive thing is that the CD has almost all the songs in the Musical. Really, really worth buying, even though it comes in one of those horrible cardboard cases, they call "digipack" and no lyrics.

About the Translation: DRACULA although is Franks best work, had the worst lyricist you can come up with: Don Black. Therefore the english lyrics aren't that great. Actually some parts really suck. Therefore, every time DRACULA is translated the translator tries to rewrite the songs to get rid of the "Blackiness desease". In this case, DRACULA had already two german scripts. The St.Gallen one and now this Graz one. The Graz translation is by Herwig Thelen borned in Graz. He manages to work out really good solutions in some songs and get away from Don Black's mark, but in others he doesn't manage it. There are two songs were I think he fails to improve the Gallen lyrics. And those songs are "Life after Life" and "The Seduction". This last one, "There's always a tomorrow" is replaced by "The Star never sinks" wich I think isn't as nice as the english and Gallen solution (Es gibt immer ein morgen). When it comes to "Life after Life" he does a decent job but somehow I prefered the Gallen version "Lebt noch einmal" (live once again) to the Graz one "Ein Leben mehr" (One more life). The new song "Zu Ende" is a powerfull duett as I said above, but nevertheless has some very...dull lyrics sometimes. "Lied vom Meister" is again, my favourite rewrite of the song, wich, although it sticks faithfull to the english idea, makes it sound nicer.

In conclusion, this is a must have CD. Better than this one so far, just REBECCA. I don't need to say that Wildhorn's DRACULA is now my second favourite show ever, sendind PHANTOM OF THE OPERA to 3rd place. I still think that DRACULA has space to improve. Cutting "Rosanne" again is the first thing I would do. I'm really ansious for this show to start getting the respect it deserves since its no longer the weak version that opened on Broadway in 2004.

Bumping this, thanx for the review. Keep em coming. Multiple ones if you wish.

You're welcome...but..."bumping"? what does that expression mean? :blink:

Ohhhhh, woops. It means I was sending the thread to the top of the page. I might sticky the thread if Libradude's OK with it.

Here's a mini-review for me:

After suffering through the horrid orchestrations (which were vastly scaled down for whatever reason) of the Broadway production, with critics stating it couldn't lift the hair off your neck or even excite anyone -- alas this album will make you question why they didn't do the full-out rock orchestrations on Broadway.

Highlights of the score include "If I Could Fly" - by Lyn Liechty; although the English spoken lyrics aren't the most desirable, if you do not know German you'll never know -- but rather really enjoy the entire upbeat, almost nervous-sensation you feel from it. "Life after Life" will actually ... make you feel Alive, whereas on Broadway it was unbearably attempting to sound like an '80s Soft-Rock song. Another highlight is "Please Don't Make Me Love You," also sung by Ms. Liechty. Despite the song not being in the Broadway production, it seems to ease it...although it does make one wonder how they chose between this and "The Heart is Slow to Learn," one of the shows more well-known tunes.

All in all, this album at the end of the day will be for the Wildhorn collectors -- but it certainly goes far above "The Civil War" on records to buy. The orchestrations -- which will make you want to see this production of Dracula, the musical - will aliven you to feel the true power of Mr. Wildhorn's music.