Brilliant, intimate version of the Sondheim masterwork - a superb record of the 2005 Broadway revival directed by John Doyle. In this production the small cast also performs the music, superbly and imaginatively orchestrated by Sarah Travis. This Sweeney features wonderful vocal acting by the excellent cast and is dripping with atmosphere and drama, beautifully recorded.

To anyone looking to buy the best recorded version of the Sweeny saga, stick with the original cast version with Len Cariou and Angela Lansbury. It cannot be beat! The soundtrack to the Burton film falls flat because the singers on it cannot sing and arguably the best piece of music in the score - the Ballad - is excised for some bizarre reason. Now - as to this version - I heard snippets in the store on the tease-machine. If I had heard more, I would not have wasted my money on it. I did not realize it was a stripped down orchestra - and nowhere on the back of the CD does it inform the unwary of this essential fact. And - believe me - the full orchestration (as on the original Broadway cast) is absolutely vital. One example should suffice: On this recording "Epiphany" loses all of its impact without the crashing drums echoing Sweeny's complete breakdown. Listen to this version and then the original version and you'll be amazed at the dramatic difference in the two. Also, in this lame version all of the songs are sung much too slow. There is no frenzied verve, no insane intensity. Sure, you can hear every single word sung - but there is NO passion in the vocals to match the driving power of Cariou and Lansbury, etc. So - if you want to hear this masterpiece of a musical in its richest incarnation - stick with the original Broadway recording. And if you want to see the best filmed version, watch the DVD of the Broadway show and you will see how the Burton film pales in comparison.

And so it is: the best numbers chosen and performed by very talented singers.
But as to continuity . . . here the musical rendition fails; and fails miserably.
First the singers: Patti Lupone,--excellent. Michael Cerveris: menacingly excellent.
Overall: a sturdy well-cast group of performers.
This is a unique concept; but the planning of the established opera/musical is the thing. And I, or anyone who has posted, could have planned this story (and such it is: a story put to music) a thousand times better than it is.
The first CD is fine. The Second CD is where the story breaks completely; and essential elements are just dropped into the fire like so much fat! :)
Pirelli? A brief mention by Mrs Lovett about "what should we do with him" is all you get. People unfamiliar with the story will be left scratching their heads. The whole scene of Pirelli blackmailing Todd and his subsequent demise being expurgated from this rendition. Better never to have even mentioned "him". Pirelli's demise could have been completely left out of this truncated version of the opera.
The worst offense is the climax when the Beadle's death leads to the beggar woman's death. We never even know of this. All we have is a gasp by Todd about the beggar woman he murdered and who she really is. Up to that point, who would have known he killed any beggar woman at all. Very poorly executed; and one is left wondering why the truncation of such a critical and crucial part of the show. It is after all the most emotionally charged scene for Todd,--the death of the beggar woman by his own hands.
That is why I stated that this is the best of the numbers of Sweeney Todd. Story interrupted by time constraints. Why the constraints, I do not know. Surely when Sondheim sat and listened to this in the small theatre, they did not hack the second part of the story to pieces then;--as they do on the CD here.
The booklet is nice; but a whole section entitled: "Synopsis", should warn the listener he is in for a let down, story wise.
Also, having the singers also play the instruments does put them off at times. It is difficult to concentrate on playing an instrument and then dashing off a number in the proper key of "E" the next moment. They are excellent, despite the fact we all know Pirelli is being sung by a woman. But performance does suffer somewhat do to too many bakers of the pie! :)
They should have had a small band of musicians playing the instrument for the CD; and the singers focusing all their talents into the songs.
If one wants to start with a CD version of Sweeney Todd, begin with the New York Philharmonic one. It can be purchased new through Amazon.com directly from them; and for a discount. It is coherent and cogent to the listener. And the singers are allowed more range in the depth of their singing. Lupone with an orchestra behind her is quite impressive. Plus one get's an added bonus: reaction from an audience. This does help when the darkly satiric comedic elements of the musical are played out. It enhances the show quite nicely; and the singers do seem to thrive off of a live performance before an audience. There is also a DVD performance done by Hearn and Lupone at another performance of Sweeney before a different audience and performed by the San Francisco Syphony. If you require the visuals.
This is, again, a unique approach in trying to take an extravaganza and turn it into a true chamber opera. It is just a pity it was so poorly executed. This is worth a listen, but only for someone who is thoroughly versed in the full story of Sweeney Todd,--The Demon Barber of Fleet Street!

Braithwaite
*A redo is most certainly needed to make this,overall, an "A Number One" portrayal of the Sondheim musical. 4 Stars for the Singers. 2 Stars for the execution*

So I was lucky enough to see this live on Broadway. What a treat to see the entire show distilled down to a small cast, all playing their instruments LIVE while singing. Not everyone loved it, but most did. The effect was chilling, it created a rawness to each performance. Patti LuPone is astonishing doing a masterful job of handling the nuances of such a pitiful yet hideous character while at the same time attacking the music perfectly. And Michael Cerevis's voice blows Johnny Depp away. In fact the entire cast are extremely talented singers and musicians. I personally love this adaptation, I only wish it was available on DVD. But then that is the whole point of live performance, you have to catch it while you can. Highly recommend.

The Sweeney todd soundtrack is wayyyy better than this one, I have both, both are great. However, this sweeney is not that "touching".