Groban's is the only voice that can sound that good on such a low-quality recording! I like the quicker tempo on this one. Great video, thanks for posting! Chess in Concert was fantastic.
i think his acting is refreshing. he doesn't overdo it, and that works well playing the Russian, with his inner struggle. and obviously his voice is ahmazing =]
He was simply born for musical theatre. His voice just takes flight every time he sings a musical number. His duets with Sarah Brightman, both in 2000 in the La Luna concert and a few days ago in the diana concert are also great.
this was five years ago. he was 22. he reprised the role in a london concert this year. see that version on youtube too. it's a huge difference. emotion, power and goosebumps.
I think this may be a rehearsal for a PBS CHESS special. That would explain the voices in the background and the rough sound. Josh is AMAZING in the role of the Russian!!
Fabulous sound! Thanks for posting. This role somehow brought out the best in his voice -- and his acting is just outstanding. He really was right all along that he was strongest in musical theater.
His voice is the best I've ever heard! But I guess this is not the "real" performance so I did'nt expect more of him. I just think he was damn good! :D
right? a drama teacher at my high school told the cast they were doing this for the musical and everyone was really annoyed because no one had heard of it, and then they all really enjoyed it. People are still saying it was the best musical they'd seen, and this was years ago!
Kind of embarrassed to admit this, but I had never heard of this guy. Now I'm all excited about going out and buying anything I can get my hands on featuring him!!! And he's pretty easy on the eyes too ;-)
He has an amazing voice, it is nice to see a variety of versions. Chess really has a beautiful score. I have a hard time buying him as Anatoly, but I don't think the acting is quite as important in a concert version. Thanks for posting hte clips. :)
@henanimejade Chess is a musical (search Wikipedia for "Chess (musical)"), and this video is from a rehearsal for a semi-staged concert version of Chess that was put on for charity in 2003 (another concert with a lot of the same cast was also put on in 2008). Josh played the character of Russian chess player Anatoly Sergievsky.
I wish there were better quality videos for this musical in general. Not just with Josh Groban starring in them, not that i'm complaining.(i'm a huge fan) I personally have been a part of a production of Chess and don't feel that it's given the noterity it deserves. This has a challenging score, with exceptionally 'frightening' notes for sopranos.it deserves more than people just filming at live events on cameras or mobiles. Do a professional version or get the professional 1 on here!!!
I understand there's no CD of this due to contractural stuff with Josh's label. EVERYONE wants one, but alas... On google it's part1.avi, part2.avi and part3.avi. Pascal fans are grinding their teeth for a copy, but there can't be so enjoy what little glimpse we have, guys.
amazing performance, nice and subtle. The lighting though is kinda weird, I know its just a rehearsal but they're going through all the colors randomly. Would have loved to see this for the full performance
No, it can work when staged... I just saw an awesome South African production that totally blew me away. Remember how many different versions there are of this show, so maybe some versions work better than others.
Oh my that chorus sounds crazy! (as in, crazily hard to sing cus it's so fast) - this was a rehearsal? Sounds like a perfect perfomance! What is Chess about btw? Never heard of the musical.
There was a rehearsal for the "one night only" benefit performance at The New Amsterdam Theatre in New York City. The Chess concert took place on September 22nd 2003.
Cheers for that :) Sounds like some kind of classic, what with the whole lifes and government etc. I'm thinking of getting a Josh Groban CD, hence sampling a lot of his stuff on youtube first lol. Any other good songs from Chess or Groban that you'd recommend? :) xx
@cutejaners Not what I meant. The orchestra is rushing him... Poor Josh as in: I feel bad for him because he had to rush through the piece instead of elaborating each note and phrase. I have nothing against Mr. Groban, but this tempo just sucks.
this show never seems to do well in stage shows. but when ut on in concert like here in 22003 and in london last week, it is always a huge hit. the music seems to speak for itself better without sets and costumes.
I'm no fan of Groban's (normally can't stand him), but I think he nails this pretty well. I had to go back to the original-cast recording to remember it--this seemed like a great match of voice, personality, and song...though he had some timing bits on the rapid parts.
@evagheorghiu "Poor Josh"? No no no. Josh can sing the PHONE BOOK and sound incredible. I don't feel bad at all, he is AMAZING at this song. I wish I could sing half that fast (or that good, for that matter :P). LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!! :-D
hahaaha so the orchestra totally jumped the gun on the tempo during the first who i wanna be part and he caught up, then they slowed down and he was all out ahead looking confused.
Why did they speed up the tempo so much, for God's sake??? The original was slower and thus much more powerful. Plus Tommy Korberg had a deeper voice and made a dramatic interpretation. This one lacks something, although the guy is ok.
LOL....so I guess we're even! If you can, get the original London recording two-disc set of Chess....far superior to the Broadway cast recording, although admittedly more difficult to find. Happy hunting!
Hes doing okay, truly a great singer, but its not nailing it completely. You can hear that hes not a trained musical singer, the presure is on the wrong words but all in all okay attempt.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! Find something to do with your arms, and stop swinging them! Otherwise, great, but his arms are incredibly annoying and lifeless in all of these Chess clips!
