Rating: 
Summary: Salonga's On My Own alone worth the price of this CD
Review: Far too infrequently do history, music, lyric, singer and event all converge for one, seemingly frozen moment in time that leaves the listener so amazed.A majestic 1890s tale provides a backdrop that frames many life realities...class, hope, love, war, and death. This Les Miserables sub plot of a teenage girl from the slums of Paris smitten by a university student who hardly knows she exists. A lush, yet dynamic ballad stretches the artist's capabilities. Few have the range and talent to deliver this song with the emotion its powerful lyrics require. Enter Lea Salonga whose portrayal of Eponine is defined by her soaring performance of On My Own. Every syllable, every word is enunciated and completed flawlessly. On its 10th anniversary, an all-star cast assembled at The Royal Albert Hall in London for a "Best of Les Miz" concert. With so many forces so perfectly aligned, how fortunate this classic moment was captured forever.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo
Review: This is a costumed recital marking the 10th anniversary of Les Miserables; it is not the staged play. Those who love the songs will want to sing along with the cast. The words are heart-breaking; the actors are flawless! They are backed by a 250-member chorus.
The plot revolves around a decent man (Valjean), wrongly imprisoned for many years, who breaks his parole. He is hunted for years by an obsessed policeman, Javert, at the time of the French Revolution. Subplots all involve self-sacrifice for the sake of love: love of a child, unrequited love, love at first sight, and love of country. There is something for everyone here. The talented Colm Wilkerson sings the role of Jajean and is magnificent. He is matched by the wonderful Phillip Quast as the relentless Inspector Javert. The large supporting cast is outstanding!
Although the actors stand still, they are acting in character, and we can see them up close. A special treat: 17 actors who have played Valjean in other countries join the cast for the encore of the showstopping songs "One More Day" and "Can you Hear the Pople Sing?" Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing production...the ultimate cast
Review: I was swept away by the array of talents who graced this production. I'm bursting with pride to say that Lea salonga's performance is out-of-this world. Her voice conveyed the emotions of unrequited love, especially in "On my Own". That angelic voice really deserves to be heard again in a new musical.
The rest of the cast was spectacular, especially Michael Ball and Colm Wilkinson. I especially loved the finale of the Valjeans from all over the world. It gave me the chills. LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT !!!
Rating: 
Summary: All Star, Allmost
Review: Ladies and gentlemen, this is without any doubt the greatest Les Miserables recording ever, we all heard the big number of recordings, we have seen it in the taetre, and even though Les Miserables has been the musical with the most popular singers of all time, Colm Wilkinson, Lea Salonga, Joanna Ampil Gary Morris, Philip Quast,and so on, this recording was abble to make a mistake. Even though Michael Miguere is a great actor, i would like to have seen Anthony Warlow in the role of eljoras. How ever, Anthony warlow appears on the dream cast recording with Gary Morris. So we are to be settled with to Dream Cast Recordings, two of witch i like the other on (full symphonic recording) the most. Are you wondering if you should buy this concert? Do so, in fact , buy both of them, buy all of them, you can never get enough of this brilliant musical. Only small canges are made from each recording, some lyrics, some actors. Colm Wilkinson, Michael Ball And Philip Quast is on three of theese recordings along with different other actors, they are all wort every doller. Enjoy
Rating:
Summary: Prefer this version to the stage, for intimacy....
Review: Having first seen the stage production, had feelings of overwhelming movement, and not really getting to know the characters as there were too many of them....plus the distraction of watching the stage revolve, (which made me car-sick).... The 10th anniversary was such a gift...for it got rid of all the staging, and what was left was the heart of the piece...the characters and the songs. For intimacy, having each character sing right to you....it is delightful. Philip Quast is Javert, selling each song he is given with such power...what can one say. Buy this DVD...and enjoy!!!
Rating:
Summary: Know what you get!
Review: This is a wonderful video of a stage performance. Don't expect a "movie" with acting and sets and Hollywood glitz but you will find wonderful rich characters that you can "feel" and know. I don't believe you will find a better video that captures the music that is 'Les Miz'. I cannot travel to see a live stage show and am thrilled to have this video.
Rating:
Summary: More than a 'brief shining moment'
Review: If the love of musicals is an acquired taste, then Les Miserables is as the French say, my 'piece de resistance'. I have seen this for the nth times and I have yet to see a flaw - it is perfect. Lea's performance was so moving that in her (Eponine's) dying scene, you could see the boy Gavroche visibly close to tears. Colm Wilkinson was good, but I would have preferred Gary Morris; his Bring Him Home in the symphonic recording is simply the best. The young Cossette hardly missed a beat singing Castles in the Clouds even when startled by the slammed door. Everybody has perfect voices that even the actor who sang only three lines (" You, in the barricades, listen to this...") was marvelous. This 'dream cast' will set the standards for musicals for lifetimes to come.
Rating:
Summary: Trees are bare & everywhere the streets are fullof strangers
Review: The concert style of this performance, with the bare scenery and massive chorus, only adds richness which would be taken away by overdramatized acting. We are finally able to sit down and absorb the fullness of the words without being distracted. "On My Own" is one of the most haunting and simple melodies ever composed, and it never fails to astound me how, against the heavy drum-driven melodies of this opera's atmospheric score, such a downplayed and beautiful song could be interlaced so seamlessly in the fabric of this epic production. In all honesty, "On My Own" and its various compositions is the only allure that draws me again and again to "Les Miz." From Fantine's dying song to Eponine's unforgettable meditation, "On My Own" makes the hard reality of "Les Miz"'s historic uprisings only the backdrop to which the intimate lives of literature's most heroic characters soulfully sing.
Rating: 
Summary: a review from someone who's seen others
Review: The video is dumb. The characters don't act, they stand in front of a microphone and sing. Don't buy this video or you will be dissapointed. Trust me. It is much better if you buy a different one.
Rating:
Summary: It's not a "musical."
Review: These people on the same stage at the same time make for an almost overwhelming experience.
I have seen the show in person, and listened to all the recorded versions. First and absolutely foremost, it is NOT a musical. In every way such things can be measured, Les Miserables is an opera! There is no spoken dialogue. Every major character has his or her own musical oevre in the score, there is a clown (2, actually), and the finale is enough to break your heart.
You have seen the reviews of all the characters, and there's little more that I can add, except that Philip Quast as the most interesting character in the novel, as in the opera--Javert--is hard to believe. As I watched the tape and listened to his voice I kept saying, "The range, the quality, the control of this voice is beyond anything I have ever seen, heard, or imagined, except years ago, sometimes, by Paverotti!" The tape is worth the price for his two solos alone.
Overall, wait until evening, get some soft wine, and join your sweetie for a compelling, sybaritic experience.
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