Yet, unfortunately, a cast recording is more than simply the notes on the page. It's the instruments. And the performers. And what they all do together. In that sense, this Nine is a tremendous disappointment.

The pluses of this album: Antonio Banderas and Mary Stuart Masterson giving performances of surprising intensity and vocal strength. If you're only familiar with these performers from their movie roles, you'll gain a whole new appreciation for their abilities. The negatives of this album: almost everything else. Though it was recorded well, the orchestrations have been severely reduced from the original, and sound very thin. The small cast of the revival is also unable to provide the rich, full sound some of the chorus numbers need. (Yeston uses voices like instruments throughout, including a completely sung overture that usually is gripping but falls flat here.) The other performances are basically weak--Jane Krakowski is reaching in both her songs, "Be Italian," a considerable showstopper originally, falls flat, and "Folies Bergeres," deprived of Chita Rivera's in-person magnetism that makes the number work onstage, comes across as pretty pointless. As, unfortunately, does most of this recording.

Still, the sound quality is excellent, the recording as a production is attractive (with a gorgeous CD booklet that, alas, has the track numbers buried inside instead of in a useful place), and I freely admit my view is a minority view; a lot of people love the revival and love the recording. But, if you're into all the stars who take part in it, it's worth having, and one can never really have too many recordings of such a fantastic score. Still, it's impossible not to wish the show had been represented better.


An all-star spectacle   June 20, 2003
Frankie (Los Angeles, Ca. United States)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

WHAT A GREAT CD! This revival has a lot to live up to due to the expectations of a top-notch cast and every performer gives there best. Owning all three cast recordings, I can say vocally, Antonio Banderas is the Best Guido compared to Jonathan Pryce and Raul Julia. He has a rugged sexiness in his voice and his irisistable charm to many women is very believble. As Carla, Jane Krakowski is amazing. She has obviously trained her voice a lot since Grand Hotel. Her range is incredible, as the role of carla demands, and her take on the character is sexy, funny, better than Anita Morris, but not quite as strong as Becky Normand in the London Concert Cast or Alice Ripley in the recently released Maury Yeston Songbooks (Also released by PS records). Mary Stuart Masterson shines in the role of Luisa, Guidos long suffering wife. She Sings "Be on your own" the best I've ever heard it performed. Chita Rivera and Myra Lucretia Taylor also give show-stopping performances. With a rich score, lucious orchastrations, and a talanted and beautiful and sexy cast NINE is finally brought to the glory it deserves.


Were there any Germans at this spa?   July 10, 2003
Michael Sassella (CANBERRA, Australian Capital Territory, Australia)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful

NINE is one of my fave shows. We enjoyed a very fine production of NINE in Australia in 1987-1988 from which emerged an excellent original cast recording on Polydor label. That version migrated to the TER/JAY label about 10 years ago and was written up by Kurt Ganzl as the best version of the show on record at that time.

I looked forward to this new recording, encouraged by the stellar casting and by the generally impressive qualities of today's Broadway cast recordings. Initial impressions were positive. The score had not been hacked about or rearranged in any major way, except perhaps for the Follies Bergere song which had been extended. However, I then noticed the glaring omission of one of the funniest and most interesting songs on earlier cast albums, "The Germans at the Spa". Is it in this revival of the show and simply omitted from the CD? For whatever reason the song has been omitted and it remains unfortunate.

More generally the new recording has some desirable features. I liked Antonio Banderas. I thought he made a convincing Guido and coped admirably with the demands of the score. I had seen his segment on the telecast of the TONY AWARDS and had been impressed. It is also beautifully produced both sonically and in the CD packaging and presentation. Some of the women shine and I agree that Jane Krakowski is absolutely outstanding. I also agree that the role of Luisa comes across as hard and unfortunate. I will be in the minority but I was also unimpressed with Chita Rivera. Her Liliane lacked the variety and fineness of touch of her predecessors in the 1982 Broadway recording and the Australian recording.

I disagree with some of the others who have written suggesting that NINE is anything other than a top draw Broadway show. I have long thought it one of the cleverest, most musical shows of recent times. This recording shows why it may be that, but it does so less satisfactorily than the Raul Julia 1982 and the Australian 1988 versions.


Best Cast Recording!   August 21, 2003
Jamie McGonnigal (New York, NY)
4 out of 7 found this review helpful

I have some 1500 cast recordings at home and have been listening to them since I was 8 years old. Never have I heard a cast recording with such sparkling clarity. Obviously, the cast is first rate. Highlights include "Bells of St. Sebastian," with Banderas and the women and Laura Benanti's "Very Unusual Way." The sound quality of this recording is stunning. I was instantly transported back to the theatre the night I saw the show. The recording even inspired me to see the show again.