Les Misérables 10th Anniversary Concert at the Royal Albert Hall Lea Salonga (Éponine) Conductor: David Charles Abell Orchestra: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Can you believe this woman is the voice of Princess Jasmine from the original Aladdin, the singing voice of Mulan, and the lead role of Miss Saigon.. How much talent can you fit into one human?? She's always been so confident, like nothing can bring her down, since her childhood audition videos.. Truly talented, humble, confident, and graceful human being.
The VERY FIRST ASIAN to be cast in a strictlyCaucasian show......and landed as one of the DREAMCAST performers as picked by the producers themselves.....so it is definitely the VOICE ! SHE OWNS THE SONG AND NOBODY CAN EVER BE BETTER THAN HER......just argue with the producers....LOLS!
When she sings, "a world that's full of happiness that I have never known", I'm glad she doesn't SCREECH the word "known" like so many others do. She let's it be powerful without sounding like a banshee. This is my favorite version of this song.
its because she can really sing, so many people can't. Even professionals in theatre don't have a voice that is strong enough to cope with a song like this.
This is the correct way of singing in Broadway or theatre, she's the gold standard. No one else comes close, Every word is clear, well enunciated and correctly pronounced, and pitch perfect! So audiences will connect to the show because they can understand thus feel it with their heart and soul
Whilst I agree with almost everything said here, I'll contend with Eva Noblezada being this current generations counterpart (especially when it comes to diction!)
@@Armchair-Investor That's what separates Lea from everyone else. Not only does she have power, range, technique, and breath control, she enunciates every word. Only Willemijn Verkaik comes close.
the same way she looked so beautiful even when dressed in dirty rags in Miss Saigon... where she sings "I'd give my life for you". How does she do that?
Don’t put down the original Eponine please. Both are great. Lea has the best musical theater voice, she sings this with great diction and pronunciation. Meanwhile, the original is closer to book Eponine, a character who is supposed to be a street rat.
After winning the Tony for her performance in "Miss Saigon," Lea thought that her career on Broadway would take off. However, many producers would not cast her on Broadway because she was Asian. Cameron Mackintosh called Lea and offered her the part of Eponine and she was delighted to take on the role. In the back of her mind, she knew that she had to be perfect in her performances to silence the critics and doubters. PERFECT she has been in her performances as Eponine and luckily this was captured for all eternity at the 10th Anniversary Concert of "Les Miserables."
to everyone saying but they hired ___ who’s a poc. let’s be honest there are only white people. Lea deserved better. we need more diversity, there are far better talents in the world but, the industry discriminates against that. sounds like racism to me
You can feel the joy of being loved, the pain of being left alone, the sadness of wanting to be with your loved and the acceptance that you will be okay, even if you’re on your own. Damn. Lea can really convey the emotions just through her voice. Chills.
And the anger of, “I hate you for not loving me, and I almost hate myself for being dumb enough to love you.” I love the fire and defiance in her eyes throughout the song, even in the moments of intense pain.
Absolutely! Everyone who loves Lea's performance of this song should also check out Lea Salonga and Michael Ball singing "A Little Fall of Rain" from this same concert. Gorgeous singing and acting that will blow you away!!!
Not many people have an idea how much Lea Salonga contributed in breaking barriers and stigma against Asian recognition in the arts. She is up there with George Takei and the likes.
I wish it didn't matter what you look like as long as you can hit the notes. I'd kill to see Norm Lewis as the Phantom, and Lea is the perfect Eponine.
@@alyseb5730 Lea did play Grizabella in the Philippines around 2010, I think. I believe there are some vids floating around of Lea in that production and also singing "Memory" around that time to promote the show. Plus, Lea toured with Il Divo in 2014 and she sang "Memory" with the guys.
Just a costume and a microphone on a stand; yet her facial expressions, body language, and passionate voice completely convey the lyrics' emotional roller coaster for the character. Phenomenal performance!
Wonderfully stated. I am just amazed at the conveyance of facial emotion for each part. And how she held character throughout the applause - she never left that sad street - breathtaking.
my vocal coach sent me this song for belting, facial, and pronouncing practice. i have never heard this before and i am beyond blown away. i will be working on this song for the next few weeks and i can only hope to be as good as her
Lyrics: And now I'm all alone again Nowhere to turn, no one to go to Without a home, without a friend Without a face to say hello to But now the night is near And I can make-believe he's here Sometimes I walk alone at night When everybody else is sleeping I think of him and then I'm happy With the company I'm keeping The city goes to bed And I can live inside my head On my own Pretending he's beside me All alone I walk with him 'til morning Without him, I feel his arms around me And when I lose my way, I close my eyes and he has found me In the rain The pavement shines like silver All the lights are misty in the river In the darkness, the trees are full of starlight And all I see is him and me forever and forever And I know it's only in my mind That I'm talking to myself and not to him And although I know that he is blind Still I say there's a way for us I love him But when the night is over He is gone The river's just a river Without him, the world around me changes The trees are bare and everywhere the streets are full of strangers I love him But every day I'm learning All my life I've only been pretending Without me, his world will go on turning A world that's full of happiness that I have never known I love him I love him I love him... But only on my own...
Lea Salonga is THE Eponine! This is by far the best performance I've ever heard. She is so authentic in that character, and her voice goes straight to my heart. Outstanding!
Frances Ruffelle sang this song the best…hands down. Because Frances’ voice had oddities and idiosyncrasies ; little “imperfections” with her enunciations of some of the lyrical words….which, all together, created her PERFECTION. Not sure how to explain this but…sometimes when a singer enunciates every word & syllable “too perfectly” it sounds somewhat generic….meaning, the uniqueness gets erased. IDK. But NOBODY nailed this song like Frances Ruffelle did.
@@karaalley4219 I respect your opinion, although you are probably the only one who thinks that way. Noone compares to Lea. And the person you mentioned most likely thinks that way, too. She knows that this song and this role will always be Lea's.
@@SvMykolas A song like that shouldn’t vibe sung and enunciated so generically. While Lea does obviously have incredible vocal ability, the uniqueness just isn’t there. But, to each his own I suppose.
Im 73 and I can listen to this song time and time again, thinking of of someone I had unrequited love for... and cry every time. My all time fave musical
Fun fact: Broadway performs 8 shows every week with a total of 1000 plus shows and Lea Salonga won all awards in one season for Miss Saigon including Theatre World Award, meaning that award is for debut performers. And you will no longer be second nominated nor more, so it is 10x more difficult to win than Grammys, not even the great Patti Lupone could claim that. She used 'On my own' for Miss Saigon audition. The producers of Miss Saigon are also the producers of Les Miserables, they thought that she should have been Eponine at 1st place. So, they decided to cast her as Eponine on 10th anniversary dream cast and Fantine on 25th Anniversary Dream Cast due to her unique crystal clear voice. She is the only person who portray two main roles in Les Mis in history. Imagine how the characters would fit into one human! There is also a racial discrimination back then so they tested Lea to perform as Eponine. Lea is the reason why the Asians are performing theaters from then, because Lea nailed it all and everyone including the haters are having a standing ovation. Some Filipino haters should do a research before hating a Broadway megastar. Her voice? you can't spell cLEAr without LEA.
Lea isn't the only person to portray two main roles in LES MISERABLES history. I think she was the only person to play two different roles in those anniversary concerts. Off the top of my head: Judy Kuhn (singing voice of Disney's Pocahantas) was the original Cosette in LES MIZ on Broadway and replaced Lea as Fantine in the LES MIZ revival.
Like someone else pointed out, others have played multiple major Les Mis roles (maybe you’re solely talking about the concerts?). Ramin Karimloo has played Jean Valjean and Enjolras (I think Marius too?) and Hadley Fraser has played Marius, Grantaire, and Javert.
The big difference in Eponine's portrayal in the different versions of "Les Miserables" is that in the book, she doesn't deserve Marius, while in the musical, Marius doesn't deserve her.
anna lytical well to be fair she is really pitiful but I never felt sympathy for her not until I watched the musical. I feel sorry for Anzelma but not to her. Maybe because she was cold to little Cossette, maybe because the money Fantine sent for Cossette ended up used for Eponine and Anzelma or most likely because she's a selfish little thing. Marius has no plan of joining the rebellion. But this Eponine tired of being a bridge thought "if I couldn't have him then it's better if we die together " (I really hate her at this part.) So she hid Cosette's letter(?) and informed Marius that Cossette left for England(?) Marius in despair joined the rebellion. Eponine then saved Marius. Eponine's death was tragic but was not sweet like A little fall of Rain. * (?)- I'm not sure if this is exactly what happened.
The original 1980 French version sung by Rose Laurens knocks this for six easily. The lyrics are even more beautifully written and it's called "The Air Of Misery" instead. But she performs it as Fantine instead, because originally the song was sung by Fantine after she gets fired and kicked out onto the street. She sings about the misery she is smelling in the air and the poverty she is seeing in the streets. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5FVNsAw-45k.html Brings a tear to your eye the original version does.
@@earljohnsanchez2493 That was the Cameron Mackintosh English Translated version for it's West End production. It in fact premiered on Stage in Paris during 1980 with the original French Language production following it's initial French Concept Album recording. Here is the full original album recording: ru-vid.com/group/PL8f_ACV3dM09rZCc5n_VGEgOr2YJVTqv2 Have fun, it's awesome. In some ways the English version, which made several changes, is an improvement (the prologue is entirely missing in the French original, as is Javert's "Stars"), in other ways the original 1980 French Language version is the masterpiece(Rose Laurens as Fantine is the best ever, and yes she also gave the best rendition of "I dreamed A Dream" in my opinion).
Lea owns On My Own and I Dreamed a Dream. Can’t believe I cried hearing her versions. She is perfect pitch. 5 stages of grief in her version of On My Own. Everything she touches turns into gold. Such a legend!
@@colliric thanks for linking it. It's excellent, but the CONSTANT quaver gets to me. I think Lea's intensely (too?) clear version is a rough juxtaposition with the version you linked. Both excellent interpretations, though I prefer Lea's.
Lea's performance here is phenomenal as always, but can we talk about how at the end of the song, you can see that she doesn't break character even when the crowd goes wild? She doesn't smile or wave at them. She looks defiant and angry and untrusting, which is how Eponine's character truly is, and I love that about her. That right there is true and pure professionalism, skill, and talent. She deserves so much better.
If this Act is part of the play about the story, I think you really need to stay in character so maybe that's why she didn't make those smiling or waving gestures. If it's just her singing this without playing the character on the play but only on singing, her ending the song is indeed phenomenal! Either way, she's a theatrical legend :)
Breaking character would be unprofessional - but given that she’s the first Asian to be cast in a lead role on Broadway and a lot of racist toffs were dying for her to blow it - she shows outstanding professionalism not to do anything out of character. Lea changed the way that western stage performances operate forever with this performance, she must have been thinking about all her knock backs in the industry during that ovation (which is also unheard of at the start of an act). This was truly the most groundbreaking performance in the history of stage, she’s the only reason that anyone on earth can perform on Broadway or the West End in the modern day.
She's so different..i heard many singers who hit the high notes and i cringe and lose my breath knowing that they could lose their voice from trying so hard but lea here, i just feel so relaxed. Her voice is just so soothing to the ears. Bravo!
Lea said that during Miss Saigon - with 8 shows a week, her voice fails her and she feels like her body is rebelling againts her. Then, her producer introduced her to a voice teacher where she learned Classical technique.
Yes she is the only one that I don't have to lower the volume when listening. That's like, the standard of being a good singer who brings melody and not noise to the ears. Others like Samantha Bark are also great but I always cringe a bit at the climax.
Shes already a princess, she sing the "a whole new world" and "reflection" so weird she didnt voice them but eh i would say she got the best part and line.
Frances' original rendition of this song portrayed a more childish, heartbroken Eponine. Lea's version transforms Eponine into a very complex character who is angry, upset, and dejected, but still dreams of having mutual love. The complexity of her version as well as her crystal clear, perfectly pitched voice is what brings me back to this video. Eponine as we know her today is greatly based off of Lea's version. While other versions (like Samantha's) are beautiful, no one has gotten the mix of emotions just right the way Lea has here.
+nons I disagree, Ruffelle put much more heart and emotion into her renditions. Every time I hear Lea sing this, I find her performance, completely emotionless. She sings so rapidly and matter of factually, she never lets herself go, you never get the same yearning feeling you get from Ruffelle. Leas performances just come off cold and boring in my opinion. But hey, everyone likes something different I guess.
+Axin younger people tend to not like Rufelle, most older people I have ever talked to prefer her. The younger generation has their own mind about how a singer should sing and has developed a mold that they like their singers to fit into. They tend to not be open to unique singers that dont fit that mold, which is unfortunate because that types of singers are generally the ones that bring the most character to the role.
I don't listen to any performance of this in terms of who sings it, but whether I can hear Eponine's heart in the lyrics and the melody. My problem with the Ruffelle version is that I don't like her her phrasing and enunciation on particular syllables - it makes it sound more like an 80s power ballad (so of its time) than a musical performance in its own right. I do not have a favourite performer, but I do not hear Eponine in Ruffelle's performance. I hear it in Lea's and in Sam's, but I don't think it is about someone being better. It's just about who, to me, persuades me that they're Eponine. Frances Ruffelle can clearly sing. She just isn't Eponine enough for my ears. But it is all personal opinion. There is no right answer.
I love how you can see her biting her inner lip during the applause to stop herself smiling... It's so beautiful knowing she's having to fight it back to stay in character and that she really is so humble💜
+Nicole Whinnett Or possibly to stop herself crying. When an actor becomes immersed in a role, it's not always easy to turn it off once the scene is over.
+Nicole Whinnett Martha nailed it..... and in some ways it's the difference between a Broadway style performance, and "American Idol" and the like. The Broadway actor/actress BECOMES the character, and sings while living the emotional life of that character. So in this cut, you are seeing Lea become Eponine, and the lip bite isn't her being humble Lea, but still Eponine, feeling the feeling she just sang about.
Darn, what a voice. People going crazy queuing for Taylor swift concert tickets, and here I’m thinking I would pay anything to be at this concert live.
Lea Salonga's rendition of "On My Own" from Les Misérables is simply spellbinding! Her emotional depth and vocal prowess bring this iconic song to life in the most breathtaking way. Every note she sings resonates with passion and longing, capturing the essence of Eponine's character flawlessly.
Five stages of grief 1:42-2:44 - Denial/Isolation - She's alone, pretending he's there even though deep down she knows it's not real. 2:58-3:12 - Bargaining - "Still I say...there's a way for us..." - She's trying to make it work in her head to avoid reality. 3:11-3:35 - Depression - This is the height of her depression, although the whole song has a depressing tone to it. She has snapped back into reality a bit and realizes what her life will be without the one she loves. 3:48-3:53 - Anger - Notice her face when she says "without me, his world will go on turning" - She's angry...angry at him for being so aloof, at herself for not doing enough, at life for being so unfair. Why does he get to be happy when she cannot? 4:25-4:30 - Acceptance - She resigns herself to the fact that she will never have him...except in her mind.
Lea seems to be the only non-Caucasian performer in this concert. Her participation here most likely broke down racial barriers for future stage castings of this musical.
@@Roesch03WRX Why so sensitive? Can you not appreciate what Lea has done for minority talents? Would you have been able to see Norm Lewis as Javert if it were not for Lea here?
She looks white on stage tho and characters in this play should be white cause its france it wouldnt make sense for a play about black people in nigeria or something to be full of white people now would it?
2024 and I keep coming back to this. Many have already said how Lea sang here, but I would touch more on how much she must have dug deep to get those different emotions out in one song. That's what made this rendition so special IMO. As someone who somewhat had been in theatre, it takes so much to get emotions out while singing and especially in front of an audience. You really have to be in that moment to get it all right, and Lea was in that moment when she went up to the mic to deliver this masterpiece.
her acting was so good at the end that i thought she wasn't gonna have enough breath for the last "but only on my own". should've known better. her technique is flawless.
There are currently 9,999 comments, which makes this the 10,000th. So I will share this anecdote: Many years ago, my brother and I were driving from Canada to Texas to visit family when we decided to stop in Chicago. On a total lark, a Saturday matinee of Les Mis was playing and nosebleed tickets were still available. I'd not seen it before, but my brother had and so he went into it with expectations. When Eponine first came on stage, my brother leaned over and whispered something to the effect of "an Asian Eponine? That's not right!" But then she started to sing and any expression of criticism or doubt abruptly ceased. Now in 2020, I compared notes with my brother and checked the timeline, and realized that indeed, in 1996, I had seen Lea Salonga perform live as Eponine. Now, almost 25 years later, although I recall being impressed at the time, I regret not having truly appreciated what I had witnessed in the moment.
She turned what could have been a 2 dimensional wishy washy lovesick character into such a complex being with one song. It would have been easy for her to be sad while singing this song, heartbroken and even desperate, but Eponine had some street smarts in her. She was a tough cookie, had to be. When she was young her mother doted her but then everything went to shit after Jean Valjean took Cosette away. She was worth nothing more than a look out for her parents and the one person she considers her friend and potential lover, falls for another. Yeah, she's pissed, she mad at him, at herself, the world in general, but in the end she realizes that she can't take away his happiness for the sake of her own. It's not fair to him or her and Lea portrays this so well in the final notes. So hands down, my favorite Eponine.
Not true. Frances Ruffel is the one who created a three dimensional character with heart and soul. Lea was too clean, everything from the enunciation to the singing had no edge to it.
@@DeepScreenAnalysis I just dont see it I'm afraid. When I listen to frances it feels like Im listening to a bonus track on the album from a mediocre 80s pop star. Bonnie tyler or something. Nothing against her, shes obviously very talented, but I just cannot appreciate her as Eponine.
fun fact : in the brick éponine was the one who gave marius the idea to go to the barricades, dressed as a dude, the reason is because she thought if she can't have him no one can
@@DeepScreenAnalysis Frances revealed in a 2010 interview w/ Elizabeth Sanderson that she was never invited to take part in this Dream Cast concert. Hence, the creators of this musical felt that Lea was the definitive choice for Eponine despite her not being white (minorities were rarely hired for Les Miz back then).
certified space bisexual I dont know what that means but Eponine is my favourite character. I identify with her in some ways. Go Les Miserable...further.
certified space bisexual personally Samantha Barks is my favourite Eponine because she reminds me of ho gay I am???? And also I love her voice but Lea has a great voice
Just watched Les Miserables for the first time last night in a traveling Broadway production and fell quite in love with it, especially this very song. Here I am hours later and now I feel like last night I just watched a high school production. Lea Salonga is absolutely brilliant.
She was Eponine when I saw the show in San Francisco. I forgot to breath while she sang and then we screamed when she finished😊 fun times. Great singer. Goose bumps. I still think the oxygen was sucked out of the theater, lol😊 much love from Santa Cruz California.
I could swear I read somewhere that Lea was part of the US National Tour of LES MISERABLES very briefly - and only in Hawaii. Did she also play San Francisco?
2:31 '..in the darkness..' I've never heard anyone sing, invoke imagery of the word 'darkness' in such a bright and positively magical way. It became the perfect backdrop for beautiful things or like a veil that hids wonderful possibilities.. her delivery defied the common usage of that word. She paints with her voice so well.
caramel coffee I know right? Growing up I always favored mulan's reflection that christina's... i don't know that she is the singing voice of mulan hahahaha
caramel coffee you should hear Samantha when she's not holding back. because they told her hold back her vocals so she wouldn't make the other singers feel or look bad
@@tameekasstuff3488 That's right. Lea has grown up in theatre. When she was a child she was already acting in Repertory Philippines and was one of the original Rep Babies of Zenaida (Bibot) Amador--one of the founders of Repertory Philippines.
I truly feel sorry that there are people who've never seen this most precious and rare gems of theatrical performance and there are those who don't know how to appreciate it...give them time, I hope they come around and can allow themselves to be immersed in the splendour of such a treasure
![Lea Salonga - On My Own (Les Misérables) [720p]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
