Philharmonia Orchestra Of London - Les Miserables (Highlights) (CD 1991)

I bought this CD of Les Miserables for two reasons. First was to hear how Britain's Got Talent contestants Susan Boyle and Jamie Pugh compare with the professional singers on this album. Secondly to see if there were any other songs in this musical that I could use for my hoped for appearance on Britain's Got Talent 2010. The answer to the second is very clearly NO. The songs "I Dreamed a Dream" and "Bring Him Home" are the only ones in this musical that stand out on their own. All the others are very much part of the drama and are lacking in strong melody. So, how do the BGT contestants compare? Well,Debbie Byrne's "I Dreamed A Dream" is more emotional than Susan Boyle's but, strangely, suffers as a result, so I prefer Susan Boyle. I find Jamie Pugh's "Bring Him Home" vastly preferable to Gary Morris's. Partly because of his lovely South-Walian accent but also because of his more delicate touch. I think Gary Morris overdoes it somewhat. This CD is a good value package non-the-less. You get a 20 page booklet with the words in.