Evita: The Complete Motion Picture Music Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Evita was finally filmed in 1996, 20 years after its initial incarnation as a studio-bound rock opera. In between, of course, it was one of the most successful and long-running musicals on either side of the Atlantic. Given such a long history, the film might easily have been a stale anticlimax, fatally holed by our overfamiliarity with songs such as the ubiquitous "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." On the contrary, it was an impressive and immensely satisfying production. The numbers, augmented by a new song for Eva ("You Must Love Me"), sound fresh and the singing is excellent. Coming from Jonathan Pryce (Peron) and Jimmy Nail (Magaldi), this is hardly a surprise. The real revelation is Antonio Banderas as Che, a kind of one-man Greek chorus commenting on Eva's rise and the price she must pay. His warm tenor dispels memories of previous, rougher interpretations from such singers as David Essex and Colm Wilkinson. Ultimately, though, the star is Madonna. She is totally immersed in the role of Eva from start to finish, her singing ranging from girlish delicacy to a hard-edged stridence as the dictator's wife achieves her goals. Rarely has a film so successfully given a stage show such a new lease on life. --Piers Ford

Tracks:

A Cinema In Buenos Aires, 26 July 1952 - Orchestra/John Mauceri
Requiem For Evita - Orchestra/John Mauceri
Oh What A Circus - Antonio Banderas, Madonna
On This Night Of A Thousand Stars - Jimmy Nail
Eva And Magaldi / Eva Beware Of The City - Madonna, Jimmy Nail, Antonio Banderas, Julian...
Buenos Aires - Madonna
Another Suitcase In Another Hall - Madonna
Goodnight And Thank You - Madonna, Antonio Banderas
The Lady's Got Potential - Antonio Banderas
Charity Concert / The Art Of The Possible - Jimmy Nail, Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas...
I'd Be Suprisingly Good For You - Madonna, Jonathan Pryce
Hello And Goodbye - Madonna, Andrea Corr, Jonathan Pryce
Peron's Latest Flame - Antonio Banderas, Madonna
A New Argentina - Jonathan Pryce, Antonio Banderas

Tracks:

On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada 1 - Jonathan Pryce
Don't Cry For Me Argentina - Madonna
On The Balcony Of The Casa Rosada 2 - Madonna
High Flying, Adored - Antonio Banderas, Madonna
Rainbow High - Madonna
Rainbow Tour - Antonio Banderas, Gary Booker, Peter Polycar...
The Actress Hasn't Learned The Lines (You'd Like To Hear) - Madonna, Antonio Banderas
And The Money Kept Rolling In (And Out) - Antonio Banderas
Partido Feminista - Madonna
She Is A Diamond - Jonathan Pryce
Santa Evita - Orchestra/John Mauceri
Waltz For Eva And Che - Madonna, Antonio Banderas
Your Little Body's Slowly Breaking Down - Madonna, Jonathan Pryce
You Must Love Me - Madonna
Eva's Final Broadcast - Madonna
Latin Chant - Orchestra/John Mauceri
Lament - Madonna, Antonio Banderas

Amazon.com

Evita was finally filmed in 1996, 20 years after its initial incarnation as a studio-bound rock opera. In between, of course, it was one of the most successful and long-running musicals on either side of the Atlantic. Given such a long history, the film might easily have been a stale anticlimax, fatally holed by our overfamiliarity with songs such as the ubiquitous "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina." On the contrary, it was an impressive and immensely satisfying production. The numbers, augmented by a new song for Eva ("You Must Love Me"), sound fresh and the singing is excellent. Coming from Jonathan Pryce (Peron) and Jimmy Nail (Magaldi), this is hardly a surprise. The real revelation is Antonio Banderas as Che, a kind of one-man Greek chorus commenting on Eva's rise and the price she must pay. His warm tenor dispels memories of previous, rougher interpretations from such singers as David Essex and Colm Wilkinson. Ultimately, though, the star is Madonna. She is totally immersed in the role of Eva from start to finish, her singing ranging from girlish delicacy to a hard-edged stridence as the dictator's wife achieves her goals. Rarely has a film so successfully given a stage show such a new lease on life. --Piers Ford

Customer Reviews:

A Bright & Shining Gem.......2007-07-12

I have always been fascinated by Eva Peron, undoubtedly one of the most fascinating women of the 20th century. Madonna absolutely shines in the title role, and she has never been in finer voice (evidence that the professional vocal lessons she took in order to prepare for the role paid off in a big way). The songs are a dizzyingly diverse array of pop, opera, rock, Latin-flavored and classical, and there is not a dud among them. Among the finest: "Another Suitcase in Another Hall", Eva's self-pitying ode to the pitfalls of having relationships with the wrong type of men (repeatedly); "Good Night & Thank You", a tongue-in-cheek quasi-duet with Che (Antonio Banderas); "High-Flying Adored", a gorgeous but cynical ballad sung by Che about Eva's dubious rise to "power"; "Rainbow High", Eva's narcissistic analysis of how important she is to the Argentine populace; "Buenos Aires", a high-energy, Latin-jazz drenched greeting for the city a teenage Eva has so longed to escape to; "Waltz for Eva & Che", a lilting yet confrontational duet as Che "calls" Eva on what he perceives as phoniness and Eva defiantly and defensively responds in kind. Not only does Madonna turn out a sterling performance, but Antonio Banderas does a spectacular job vocally as Che, the Greek-chorus narrator of the entire story. I realize that "Evita" purists will strongly disagree, but I prefer this version over the Patti Luopne/Broadway original (actually, Elaine Paige originated the role on the London stage, and I found her interpretation of Eva to be bland and insipid). The Broadway version is much brasher and less melodious then the film, which is bright, polished and beautifully melodic. I listen to "Evita" at least once a week, and I never tire of it. Madonna truly made the role of Eva Peron her own, and she should be proud.

Music.......2007-05-28

The CD isn't bad except that a lot of the songs are over played. Madonna does a great job of singing as always. I was surprised that Antonio Bandaras could sing so beautifully.

Better than the show.......2007-03-12

A great movie (of a great show.) Madonna and Anthony Bandares are better than the original cast. Exciting production.

The Best of "Evita".......2006-11-29

"Evita" is one of those musicals that are hard to appeal to general public. The seriousness of the subject, the music itself (hardly any spoken words) and the running time of over two hours can be a little too much. There is no doubt "Evita" is a great movie - the acting, direction and scenery are all outstanding. However, the question is whether it can be easily digested.
The question of "digestion" is also very present when talking about the two different soundtracks of "Evita" available. The first one, titled "EVITA: The Complete Motion Picture Soundtrack" is essentialy the movie itself- a double-disk edition with all possible songs and notes from the movie. The second one, called "EVITA: Music From The Motion Picture", the one you are looking at right now, is a single-disk compilation of the most popular songs. It is more easier to listen to and doesn't include some songs that worked in the movie context itself, but are irrelevant in the comfort of your living room ("Charity Concert/The Art of Impossible" may give some background on Peron himself, but is basically the introduction to the fantastic song "I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You"; "Santa Evita" is a pretty, chorus composition, but only works within the movie). So, if you are a fan of the movie, but are in the mood to listen to its highlights, instead of the whole soundtrack, this is the CD for you. The songs are in a chronological order, so it preserves the plot and the emotional capacity, while it focuses on the best songs of the musical.
The main treasures of "Evita" are Madonna as the title character and Antonio Banderas as Che Guevara. Banderas shines in the songs like "Oh What a Circus" or "And The Money Kept Rolling In", while the Material Queen breathes life into "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" and the Oscar-winner "You Must Love Me". And when they sing together, Madonna and Banderas are absolutely enchanting ("High Flying, Adored", "Waltz for Eva and Che"), because of the genuine chemistry they bring to the story. They make sure that you will enjoy every single song, from the catchy "Buenos Aires", to the touching "Lament", where the powerful orchestra performance will surely send chills down your spine.

Evita for a modern generation.......2006-10-31

Firstly, this recording of Evita was very well made. Most everything from the movie is here, except some orchestral sections (like the end credits). The orchestral arrangments are quite good throughout, with more modern arrangments that make the score sound more relevant to modern audiences.

Vocally, Madonna is alright, but the best part of her performance is her acting, not her voice, and is best experienced watching the movie. If you're looking for a definitive and powerful vocal Evita, look elsewhere. Now, I'm not really a fan of Madonna, but she performed very nicely on this recording. While I've not seen previous Evita productions (I'm only 25), I've heard some recordings, and while Patti LuPone's voice IS better, I personally prefer Madonna's interpretation, even though her vocals are a little weak.

Other performances are very good too, including Jonathan Pryce's Peron and Antonio Banderas' surprisingly good Che. His accent adds a certain authenticity to the role I enjoyed.

I discovered Evita through the movie, so I didn't have previous performances etched in my head to comare this to, so I was quite impressed with this recording. In the end, this recording did precisely what it intended to, brought an amazing work of theater into the modern age to be enjoyed by a new generation.

Music:

Music

Music