Live performance of Pity the Child from Chess in concert, Tromsø august 2014. Espen Grjotheim and The Arctic Philharmonic with Anders Eljas conducting.
if you'd asked me a year ago, id've told you that i was a tenor and i could sing this song. i knew nothing about singing. when i finally learned a bit, i realized i was a bass, and had been singing everything an octave down. im now dissapointed but ive gained a new appreceation for this song and the people who have to sing it.
@@elphbwckd212 Back then I had no real ability to differentiate octaves from one another. if you showed me a C1 and a C8 I could tell the difference, but I went more based on how much effort it took the singer to sing rather than actual musical context. That and I believe I wrote that comment when I was 15. I only started proper singing a few months afterwards.
I like how this guy does it, he sounds like he's just been kicked out of a bar because he's too drunk and now he's ranting about his mother to some poor sod at the bus stop.
I've been listening to this musical for decades, this guy is incredible!!! I hope the Broadway producers of the revival cast him....just a powerhouse! Plus, his ears are out, so he can't even hear himself through the sound system! Ps, he needs to play Roger in Rent!!
Anyone who can play this role is an absolute genius. I can do the emotion, but this song is so freaking high! I envy the talent of this guy (and Adam Pascal)
"I didn't miss him he made it perfectly CLEAR!...." Pity the child " is a about a child's experience of a childhood spent alienated by parents, and how his experiences shaped his views. A father who disappears and a mother who moves on from one destructive relationship to another, the abandonment of her child desperately needing attention and the love he failed to ever know. The child sees everything, and as he develops into a young man he looks back and knows that it was all a lie. He knows the sad truth of things. Nobody gave a damn. If you listen to the words that are being sung, throughout not just this piece but others within Chess, you can interpret a deep and moving story. Wow! A truly heart-breaking, beautiful and strong performance, from a sadly underrated and powerful Movie/Musical "Chess (in Concert) " from an incredibly handsome and talented vocalist-even with his accent he managed to convey the lyrics with strength of emotion-wonderful! Well done! Fantastic music from a brilliant Orchestra and excellent guitar solo. I loved this! I really wish people stopped the comparison game-comparing his performance to the performances of others. I don't think that is right-he sings this with absolute passion, and in his own right he knocks this out of the park. Superb.
@@ArcticPhilharmonic I loved it, thank you. Most definitely-Art is one of those things that is highly personal.m and subjective. It is always open to interpretation. Thank you for the Music.
Zubin Varla's is my favorite, but this guy is amazing. He NAILS that "I was only her son!" which a lot of singers struggle with (even Zubin, I must admit.)
This guy and the orchestra are amazing. Espen captures the painful narrative and the complex dynamics of this song. His "rock" version of this song just gives this interpretation more angst. Bravo! And yes, Christin, he would be an amazing Jesus Christ (Superstar).
And when he does ... "Closer together"'. And you start to feel for the mother ... if only "Freddie" wasn't singing too fast. "Same way as before". And "I took the road of least resistance / I had my debt to pay" and the bit about "hunger skill and no such weapons" and "always a step behind". "I couldn't tell her what I'd done / I was only her son" - that is a particularly heartbreaking phase and moment.
And then it goes all quiet with "Pity the child" again". "he could get all he wanted if he's willing to pay". And then "Pity instead the callous mother" - that is such a good contrast and so true! "Just in case he said WHO or NO".
@@ArcticPhilharmonic What a pity, but thank you for sharing these clips! This production looks amazing, hopefully one day we'll be able to see the rest of it :)
Very nice version! Only fault it the last word. Not the note because it was awesome but lyric wise you have to able understand the word WHO. Otherwise that powerful sentence doesn't reach it's climax.
+Fabian Robles thank you, we had a great time doing this, a pity we can’t share the whole thing with you, but we have a little gem here: itunes.apple.com/no/album/hes-a-man-hes-a-child-chess-in-concert-live-single/1051657644?l=nb
There should be absolutely no pressure for singers to sing songs in their original key. It's like forcing someone to wear shoes that don't fit them. Also, he could have proabably sung it in the original key, which is a semitone higher, but he would have had to use a a lighter coordination that doesn't fit the powerful overdrive style that he was going for. And that's totally fine, because I personally loved his rendition.
Giannis VclScore I disagree when it comes to musicals....there’s usually a musical form to the whole work, the key isn’t arbitrary. Out of the context of the work though, sure, change what you need.
@@ArcticPhilharmonic Thanks for letting me know. It's a shame, as the performances which are available are stunning. Perhaps the copyright holders will have a change of heart at some point.
I don't like singers who can't hold a tone and use vibrato to conceal it. Still though, lovely voice! Great guitars at the end, love a propper "tapping". :-)
Not bad, not bad. I don't mind the guitar solo at the end however that last note/word that guy sang was a complete mess. Obviously English is not his first language but the word should be "Who" and it sounded like this guy screamed out "Nooo" or "Whaaa". It made me laugh pretty hard. 😆
LYacky1 I have a suspicion he's singing "hvem" - the Norwegian translation of "who". Espen is a Norwegian singer and the audience might be Norwegian as well.
