Customer Rating:  
Summary: I can only guess...
Comment: Just hearing the bonus track of David Carroll singing "Love Can't Happen" makes me wonder how BETTER the original cast recording could have been. Brent Barrett vocally sounds shrill and tense in his upper range, marring the official recordings of "Roses at the Station" and "Love Can't Happen". What a tragedy!!! And Carroll's other recording--the Broadway version of Chess--is no longer in print (according to Amazon). This is a double tragedy, because David played Anatoly in the show and gets to sing the powerful "Anthem" at the end of Act 1.
Generally, the score sounds cobbled together with no memorable melodies (other than "Love Can't Happen", which burrows its way into your psyche at the first or second hearing). Perhaps Yeston should have written the whole score and find some legal way to discard the derivative songs provided by Forrest and Wright. Perhaps a revival (and major rewrite) is in order...
This is not a good representation of this show, vocally and compositionally speaking. Unfortunately, there are currently no other representation. My two cents.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Grand Hotel - Grand Recording
Comment: The original cast recording of Grand Hotel is grand indeed. Exellent orchestrations and as excellent cast. The emotion of the piece is conveye d thoroughly on this recording.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Grand Hotel
Comment: "Grand Hotel" is a fine musical with songs by George Forrest and Robert Wright and some additional material by Maury Yeston. What stole the show in this musical, however, was Mr. Tommy Tune's inventive staging. That doesn't mean audiences went out humming the staging, though. The songs are excellet as well. Some standouts include the opening number, "Grand Hotel" or "The Grand Parade" as it is officially titled written by Mr. Yeston is a wonderfully jaunty opening number. "At The Grand Hotel\Table With a View", performed by the incomparable Michael Jeter is a lovely selection. "Maybe My Baby Loves Me" is tuneful fun. "Love Can't Happen" is a very romantic ballad and "What You Need" is a wonderful Weill-esque number performed with conviciton by one my favorite performers, Karen Akers. "We'll Take a Glass Together" is also a great showstopper performed by Mr. Jeter and Brent Barret.
The performances are excellent. Ms. Akers and Mr. Jeter steal the show. Thinking about the performances of their songs "What You Need" and "We'll Take a Glass Together" performed by Akers and Jeter respectively sends chills through my body. Brent Barret is fine as the Baron and Liliane Montevecchi as the retiring balerina is excellent, although her role in "Nine" was better suited for her. Jane Krawkowski is also great as a young wannabe movie star.
The orchestrations by Peter Matz are excellent. The original cast album includes a bonus track of David Carroll performing "Love Can't Happen" at a cabaret. Mr. Carroll starred as the Baron durring the beginning of the run, but was diagnosed with HIV and was replaced by Brent Barrett. Because of legal issues, the cast album was recorded late in the run. The creative team thought that it'd be a good idea to have the still living, if very ill Mr. Carroll perform his songs. Alas, he died of AIDS in the studio before his tracks could be recorded. The bonus track is nice for people who enjoy the vocalizing of Mr. Carroll. I don't particulary like his voice and prefer Mr. Barrett's performance of the song. However, his passing was very unfortunate and he is missed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Mr. Jeter
Comment: Traveled from AZ. to NYC specifically to see Michael Jeter perform live in "Grand Hotel". A man of remarkable talent who went way too soon. He is the only reason I went and the only reason I have this cd. For him I give it 4 stars.
Customer Rating:
Summary: "Grand Hotel" ain't anywhere near grand.
Comment: I saw the original Broadway cast and I have never heard such praise for such a worthless piece of fluff in all my years as a Broadway performer and fan. But being a Broadway fan, I bought the album to give the show a second chance. Sitting through this mismatch of Yeston mediocre and Wright and Forest dregs, I sadly had to throw the recording away. I didn't even want it in my extensive collection. The only saving grace was "Let's Lift a Glass" with a haunting Michael Jeeter. Otherwise not one performance by any of the actor/singers came close to their previous work or their work to come. I was so disappointed because I had loved the original cast of "Nine" and was so excited about a new Yeston musical. And there in lies the tale--Tommy Tune, who I consider the last great director/choreographer of the Golden Age of Broadway, should have taken the idea that Wright and Forest had presented him and said "Thank you but go back to preserving the original concept of 'Anya' and let me hire Maury Yeston to write a completely new score. I'll make sure that he doesn't listen to one shred of your original score." Then we might have really had a smashing show based on a marvelously grand soap opera.
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