"Empty Chairs at Empty Tables," (Les Miserables), Michael Ball [10th Anniversary]

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 25 дек 2024

Комментарии • 466

  • @terrybrowning-e9b
    @terrybrowning-e9b Год назад +412

    he set the bar so high that he made it impossible for anyone else to warrant honorable mention. he stands alone. he owns this.

    • @belindasmith7096
      @belindasmith7096 Год назад +6

      Michael is unique. He loves the emotion in singing and emphathises every word. Watch him nod or make a gesture when Alfie sings, especially in "The circle of life.."

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b Год назад

      @@belindasmith7096

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b Год назад

      @@belindasmith7096

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b Год назад +4

      belinda.
      thank you so much for yur comment. I discovered Michael late in life and i have found i enjoy his middle years best. but then i enjoyed my middle years best so we cant judge by that. im just glad i found him, I live in SF and we had Tony Bennett as our national treasure.
      terry browning

    • @UglytruthG
      @UglytruthG 9 месяцев назад +3

      I have watched a lot of this song, and no one comes close and doubt anyone will. This is not an insult. The person, the way it was done, everything is just where it should be. This truelly was the dream cast. No other redition of this show kept up even if they gave their best. By now I am not talking about Michael Ball alone. You will not see a better Les Mis in Hollywood or on stage.

  • @philchinamusical
    @philchinamusical 3 года назад +1120

    I interviewed Michael Ball back in 2014 and he told a story about this song. Right after the 4-hour long preview of Les Miz in 1985, the creative team was considering to cut some songs. "Empty Chairs" was one of the songs planned to be removed. Michael heard about it and rushed to find Cameron, told him that he would quit for good if this song was cut. It was the only solo of Marius and he didn't want to lose this opportunity of performing. They finally kept the song.

    • @tracymcardle1236
      @tracymcardle1236 2 года назад +25

      Really love this song👏👏👏👏💕💕💕👏👏👏👏

    • @martinmayhew145
      @martinmayhew145 2 года назад +10

      Is that the one for The Complete Symphonic Recording of Les Miserables, which is the best?

    • @benszekely4336
      @benszekely4336 2 года назад +37

      we thank the dude

    • @randallbosin5262
      @randallbosin5262 Год назад +8

      How did you happen to interview him? In what role?

    • @phyllisbennett9950
      @phyllisbennett9950 Год назад +30

      I have listened to many Tenors sing this beautiful evocative song, and, I have chosen , to my surprise, Michael Ball, (Not being sarcastic, but being trained as a teenager, for Opera , I had to learn about breath control, as suffered with slight Asthma) I am not really into the Theatre Shows, as, many Singers rather shout their notes, not all of course, but, as listened carefully, I began to enjoy his interpretation of the immediate Sadness of the words he was singing, he really seems to understand about the utter sadness and distress had caused this Revolutionist to cry about his many dead friends he knew and loved in this amazing Show. Thank you Michael, you drew me to tears, maybe as Russia and Ukraine at a dreadful war with each other, and, there must be many Cafe,s and Bars in both Countries, going through the same devastation of a cruel and barbaric war.v

  • @colbychildress5807
    @colbychildress5807 6 лет назад +1085

    Michael was the first and best Marius. No one has come close to his emotional "storytelling" in this role. He is an amazing singer!

    • @rogermartin3616
      @rogermartin3616 5 лет назад +1

      The man of la mancha

    • @duncanevans8937
      @duncanevans8937 4 года назад +88

      I think Eddie Redmayne did very well also Eddie had more of the sadness but I like them both (sorry English is not my fist language)

    • @curly208
      @curly208 4 года назад +14

      I agree! He knocks it out of the park. Eddie Redmayne...no. He's SO overrated.

    • @harrisonwaterhouse5051
      @harrisonwaterhouse5051 4 года назад +45

      @@curly208 not really, people just like how he brought a different feeling to the song, he did a good job considering he had michael ball to live up to.

    • @MrsEJV
      @MrsEJV 4 года назад +8

      Marten Dekker Jonathan is amazing and I listen to him frequently. I don't think he could act the part as well as sing it, but off stage the two men remind me of each other. Both have struggled. Michael had to give up the role because of panic attacks. Jonathan has certainly struggled. Both give every indication of being very grounded men who haven't let success change who they are.

  • @jasonhudson4209
    @jasonhudson4209 4 месяца назад +64

    Everything about his delivery works. The clarity of speech, volume, crescendo, pace, timing, timbre, deep emotion and that incredible vocal range. A masterclass.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

      two friends of mine were arguing about his Vibrato. they asked me to take sides and i was ashamed to admit that id did not know what they meant. tell me what
      exactly is "Vibrato". whos side should i take.

    • @tonmarinaxxzz
      @tonmarinaxxzz Месяц назад +1

      This is one of my favorite songs from Les Miz. Also I love the song when they are at the barricade. Both very moving

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 27 дней назад +1

      please. will someone answer me as to what exactly "vibrato" means or is.
      i do not honestly know and i would like to be able to respond when someone
      tells me that Michael B has to much vibrato when he sings. vibrato or no, hes perfect.

    • @tonmarinaxxzz
      @tonmarinaxxzz 27 дней назад

      @ ever hear of a dictionary. Best explanation is there

  • @BALLFAN
    @BALLFAN 2 месяца назад +11

    This is the benchmark folks and that voice is still hitting the back of the auditorium at 62 !

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

      yes you are so right. people say mean things about his weight and life but
      i just tell them to close their eyes and listen. who gives a dam about his weight
      thank you so much for responding. my sisters are fed up with my force feeding
      Michael Ball. but i am the lucky one.

  • @ahmadyulinu
    @ahmadyulinu 9 месяцев назад +38

    The way he sung "Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me, what your sacrifice was for..." Is completely haunting.
    Legitimately sends shivers down my spine.

    • @plainsman867
      @plainsman867 28 дней назад

      I know a lot of veterans that can relate

  • @twngrl56
    @twngrl56 6 месяцев назад +24

    This is the best rendition of this song I've ever heard. Outstanding!
    This song is so sad. My son lost so many of his troop during Iraq.
    And many who did survive,,, are taking their lives. He is now volunteering
    to help Veterans to stop Veteran Suicide. So many go through 'Survivor Guilt'.
    I can't imagine what that is like.
    Thank You for such a beautiful performance.

    • @tonyharvey69
      @tonyharvey69 4 дня назад +1

      what a son a man a comrade one love my friend

  • @wildsavannah1154
    @wildsavannah1154 3 года назад +445

    When he sings the "Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me, what your sacrifice was for!" and they all walked off again almost as if they are disappointed in him for saying that they died in vain. I love that subtle yet significant part, wish they would've done that in the movies somehow.

    • @elenalau3800
      @elenalau3800 Год назад +37

      They did die in vain. If it weren't for Victor Hugo's book, they wouldn't even be remembered.

    • @lucyk.5163
      @lucyk.5163 Год назад +47

      That was the point of the song, as was mentioned here. They DID die in vain. So he was crying in utter heartache, thinking he lost all of his friends and nothing changed, nothing was gained from their sacrifice, there was no way to extract any kind of consolation from all that massacre.

    • @chinchilla_desperado
      @chinchilla_desperado Год назад +15

      I think that was more the fact that they were dead, and though while he sang for them with such passion, their voices and faces lived on, when the song ended they faded back into the depths of his heart and mind, covered in grief.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 11 месяцев назад +11

      no no no. he sings as if he were disappointed in himself. he feels he should have died with them.

    • @alunsmith5705
      @alunsmith5705 9 месяцев назад +2

      They're ghosts.

  • @francespower4631
    @francespower4631 Год назад +101

    No one will be a better Marius as Michael just as no one will ever come close to Philip Quast as Javert

    • @cathywilson3146
      @cathywilson3146 Год назад +8

      Totally agree.
      Both consummate performers who made these roles their own.
      Perfection!

    • @KarlHewitt
      @KarlHewitt 9 месяцев назад +1

      Jeff Leyton as Val Jean, untouchable. Alfie Bo not fit to lace his boots.

    • @catherinewhite8819
      @catherinewhite8819 5 месяцев назад

      Absolutely, no contest

    • @denvastevens4337
      @denvastevens4337 3 месяца назад +3

      And Colm …… the best.

  • @sharongammell9935
    @sharongammell9935 25 дней назад +4

    One of the reasons why this is the best version of "Les Miserables" ever.

  • @TheManorBeast
    @TheManorBeast 6 лет назад +577

    This is possibly the most heartbreaking theatrical song ever written
    It leaps from the stage and Translates perfectly exposing the tragic nostalgia life eventually becomes, unspoken by all of us but part of us stronger as the years pass

    • @alastairjinks6966
      @alastairjinks6966 5 лет назад +16

      Lots of emotional songs in Ies miserables Bring him home, On my own, I Dreamed a dream. Definitely the most emotive one though

    • @jamesdunne6724
      @jamesdunne6724 3 года назад +1

      Love the musicals and this is my favourite song and Les Miserables is loaded with fabulous music

    • @practicallyperfect2941
      @practicallyperfect2941 3 года назад

      I agree - it beats any other musical song hands down. Heart wrenching song

    • @keithbate9405
      @keithbate9405 3 года назад +1

      I agree I saw Les Mis Twice in the mid 1980's , and "bring him home" was my fav song for many years.
      Then I got older and at times like Christmas I think of the empty chairs at empty tables

    • @TheManorBeast
      @TheManorBeast 3 года назад +1

      @@keithbate9405
      Precisely. As time goes by this becomes more and more of a masterpiece.

  • @KentuckyBornNBred
    @KentuckyBornNBred 2 месяца назад +19

    Im 50 and saw Les Miz for the first time 2 days ago. Im not an emotional guy but this song swelled me up. I can relate to the empty chairs at empty tables. RIP to all.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

      hey were you really born in Ky. i was born in a little tiny town named Brownsville.
      i remember when i was a child and we visited the folks "down home" we had to cross the river on a ferry. it was full of other cars and i was always afraid the cares would be so heavy the ferry woould sink.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

      tell me where you were in Kentucky. i still get in arguments with people as to
      Ky status in the US. my sisters claim they are Yankees but i am a Southerner
      I live SF and it is great but i am and always will be a southerner.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

      thats how it struck me. I am a senior citizen and no singer since Elvis have I been
      so in awe of a aartist, and yes yoou young people, you dont have to paint to be considered an artist.

    • @KentuckyBornNBred
      @KentuckyBornNBred Месяц назад

      @@terrybrowning-e9b That Ferry goes across Green River , in the middle of Mammoth Cave forest. I know Brownsville, as I have a cabin down that way. Beautiful country and people. Take care.

    • @KentuckyBornNBred
      @KentuckyBornNBred Месяц назад

      @@terrybrowning-e9b ....and I saw Les Miz in Louisville.

  • @geowynleda4641
    @geowynleda4641 4 года назад +225

    There will be other Mariuses but there will only ever be one Michael Ball.

  • @emilyranford_
    @emilyranford_ 3 года назад +317

    The 10th anniversary cast recording is the only Les Mis soundtrack I listen to. They are all truly extraordinary!

  • @David-k7r4n
    @David-k7r4n 9 месяцев назад +9

    Michael Ball is the King of Empty Chairs, Empty Tables!

  • @Clarebear3477
    @Clarebear3477 Год назад +35

    Michael will always be my Marius! I watched it in Dec 1989 whilst 8months pregnant, and she had never moved so much inside me before, I thought I was going to go into Labour in the stalls! Colm Wilkinson was an absolute treat to see then too. Ive loved it ever since ❤❤❤

  • @felinequeen9243
    @felinequeen9243 8 месяцев назад +32

    The most haunting song ever in all the musicals, especially with this arrangement with all of the fallen students standing behind him in the shadow. That is just even more eerie coupled with the lyrics "phantom faces at the window..." Michael Ball is by far still the best Marius and sings this song the best.

  • @pattstamps5101
    @pattstamps5101 6 месяцев назад +9

    Michael not only sings with his voice, his eyes and face portray the++ w+ords and feelings of this song. i love him xx

  • @janetchan2748
    @janetchan2748 4 года назад +180

    He's the original and the best Marius.

  • @rebeccayood5152
    @rebeccayood5152 Год назад +55

    I absolutely love Michael Ball!! He was the absolute best and only Marius who played that part with so much passion and emotion.

  • @brandon2912t
    @brandon2912t 2 года назад +68

    On my 16th birthday I was lucky enough to have been taken to the debut of Les Miserables in London where I fell in love with the magic of musical theatre. I will never forget the whole score sung by such amazing artists but especially Michael Ball's performances, that will always transport me to that wonderful night where I had my whole future ahead of me! Such wonderful memories !!

  • @dawnieb.7394
    @dawnieb.7394 4 месяца назад +8

    My god this is exquistely beautiful. All these years later, Michael Ball has even topped his original version.

  • @debbie94510
    @debbie94510 5 лет назад +262

    I use this performance to teach my clarinet students about release/tension/climax in a piece of music; how to shape a piece dynamically for the maximum emotional pay dirt.

  • @whyask6446
    @whyask6446 5 месяцев назад +7

    My mother loved this.
    She is gone and now I have the indescribable pain that GOES ON AND ON 😢

  • @domar5690
    @domar5690 4 года назад +118

    MIchael Ball’s Marius continues to be the best !

    • @thetempest9330
      @thetempest9330 3 года назад +2

      Not only is he my favourite Marius, but he's also my favourite Javert! He really has a wide range of abilities.

    • @allisoncampbell1631
      @allisoncampbell1631 Год назад

      @@thetempest9330 I have never heard him as Javert..but this performance is the standard to which i hold ALL performances of this song

  • @sunny70299
    @sunny70299 4 года назад +263

    He is so good. This performance is a great example of how to use your voice to tell a story, he finds every nuance in the music. Michael takes us all on a journey.
    I've never seen any performer manage to hit the note on the second "my friends" with the same power. Maybe it has something to do with Michael being a lyrical high baritone and most singers who sing this being tenors. But those notes bust out of him like a clap of thunder. As they do during Red and Black.
    He is untrained too, so this is all natural talent and instinct. The GOAT Marius.

    • @jessica23claire
      @jessica23claire 4 года назад +2

      Untrained?! That is so ruuuuuude 😭 how dare he be that talented

    • @Tanner-Kline
      @Tanner-Kline 2 года назад +13

      There is no way to be a broadway singer and be "untrained." You work with countless professional musicians and are being directed constantly in how to perform. I am not a broadway singer but even in community theater you receive regular instruction in how to sing, act, dance, etc. I feel like this whole thing of professional singers who just don't take one on one private lessons within a renowned coach or whatever they're implying by saying that they are "untrained" is ridiculous.
      There is just no way to get to that level without receiving ongoing feedback from other professionals on how to improve your craft which is the very essence of training. What mainly frustrates me about this whole thing is that it really only serves to discourage people by believing that they are somehow inferior because of x y or z singer claiming that they are inherently gifted (I'm not implying that Mr. Ball is doing this overtly as I do not have knowledge of the context you are referring to around him identifying as "untrained") when the reality is that we all need constant support, training and experience to grow at anything.

    • @Tanner-Kline
      @Tanner-Kline 2 года назад +6

      That aside though I appreciate the rest of your comment and did not know he was a lyric baritone. That is very compelling.

    • @sunny70299
      @sunny70299 Год назад +3

      @venusreborn4347 So you don't know the context or Michael's background but still managed to write chapter and verse on his history?
      Les Miserables was only his second ever show, the first being a short stint in Pirates of Penzance straight from Drama School. At drama school, he studied acting, not musical theatre. His only prior experience of singing was busking. So that voice you hear on the Orginal London Cast recording? Was very much untrained.
      You might consider receiving "notes" during rehearsal training for an intensive career in musical theatre, it's not. Most people to perform these songs night after night for years on end require a hell of a lot more than notes and advice. But some singers, like Michael, are just preternaturally gifted. Michael did have singing lessons later in life when he took on a role that required him to sing tenor, so no he's not arrogant enough to think he can just wing it. But at the time of this performance? He hadn't had what any reasonable person would call training.

    • @rwang1618
      @rwang1618 Год назад +2

      I don't think he is untrained. As a beginner lyrics Baritone myself, he easily transforms from chest and head voice, controls his vibrato perfectly, changes the pronunciation slightly so he is on tone, and uses breathing as a tool for expression (listening to how he breaths in "Don't ask me"). These are not simply done, especially in English since it is so much harder to sing than in Italian....

  • @laurenk1766
    @laurenk1766 3 месяца назад +6

    I just saw Les Miserables a few days ago. This song brought me to tears. Michael Ball absolutely rocks it.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

      you are so lucky. I wish i could see him jn person, but i am so glad that I fpund him.

  • @nurse580
    @nurse580 6 месяцев назад +5

    The music of Les Mis stands alone as the most emotive masterpiece of a musical ever

  • @TheSimplyJJP
    @TheSimplyJJP 5 месяцев назад +8

    I lost 2 of my friends in Highschool to suicide. When I think of them and I see our empty booth at Legends across the street from our school; I think of this song. The pain never goes entirely.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 4 месяца назад

      i nearly lost me to suicide two times. sometimes i wonder why people saved me and sometimes i
      wonder if perhaps the third time will do it. all the therapy in the world will not help if a person can
      find no reason for their existance.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 27 дней назад

      interesting fact. no reply. i think people are terrified about depression and death. sometimes it seems better than a pointless life.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 27 дней назад

      hey, im in a good spell. whenn i am terribly down i listen to Michael. he makes me believe in God.. That voice had to be God given.

  • @deprofundis3293
    @deprofundis3293 10 дней назад +1

    Absolutely the best. All this time later, absolutely.

  • @coolbluesman
    @coolbluesman 3 года назад +39

    Man, he really killed it as Marius. Just no comparison. I was listening to this in 97, trying to keep up.

  • @ElledieWildAndFree
    @ElledieWildAndFree 5 лет назад +54

    Voice of an angel

  • @jarimikkola2997
    @jarimikkola2997 3 года назад +49

    One of the best renditions of this song I have ever heard...Bravo!

  • @justanotherbohemian3827
    @justanotherbohemian3827 4 года назад +49

    Alain and Claude-Michelle really enjoy tearing our hearts into thousand pieces with their musicals, don't they?

  • @Mario-R-3232
    @Mario-R-3232 3 месяца назад +7

    He was the best ever Marius, as well as the best ever Raul in the Phantom, nobody can match him in these roles.

  • @keithbate9405
    @keithbate9405 3 года назад +11

    The original and best Marius .
    This is now my favourite song from this great musical. It used to be "bring him home"
    but I have got older and at times like Christmas I look at the empty chairs at empty tables.

  • @estellehobbins1928
    @estellehobbins1928 2 года назад +11

    As a Les Miz tragic I have watched many wonderful performances of this song but no one has ever made me feel Marius's pain as much as Michael does. His rendition of this beautiful but heartbreaking song is just perfect

  • @suzannebenz8928
    @suzannebenz8928 2 года назад +15

    Dear Michael...So young and well prepared, for this role! NO ONE does this song better than you!!!!!

  • @patriciacarter9293
    @patriciacarter9293 3 года назад +13

    Saw Michael Ball in concert many times. He nearly always included this and never forgot to mention that he was the first to sing it!

    • @bcoolfool1014
      @bcoolfool1014 3 года назад

      Oh wow, you're so lucky. What a privilege to hear him sing. I would mention that every time too if I was him. I'd be so proud.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 10 месяцев назад +1

      he does not need to mention that he also was the best. we all know that. and wasnt he wonderful.?

  • @mikeprit424
    @mikeprit424 3 года назад +12

    Many have tried,no one comes close,he owns this one

  • @janebishop5885
    @janebishop5885 Год назад +10

    What a voice....what phrasing!

  • @ajb1776
    @ajb1776 5 лет назад +108

    The definitive performance of this tragic classic from Les Miserables - the immortal Michael Ball

  • @tehmoomin
    @tehmoomin 7 месяцев назад +9

    best version of this still in 2024

  • @gicoleli7261
    @gicoleli7261 4 года назад +63

    I was re-watching 25th Anniversary but couldn't help but paused the video during Empty Chairs at Empty Tables, then get back to the 10th for some proper performance by Michael Ball. Cast of 25th are extraordinary except the Marius

    • @jessica23claire
      @jessica23claire 4 года назад +13

      To be fair to Nick Jonas, he did that song really well considering how young he was at the time. Michael is still the original and best though.

    • @obiwankenobi9141
      @obiwankenobi9141 3 года назад +16

      Let’s just forget Jonas ever happened.

    • @Peconi111
      @Peconi111 3 года назад +3

      @@obiwankenobi9141 Hey it's 25 year anniversary, we'll cast the best there is out there... Then... glitch

    • @obiwankenobi9141
      @obiwankenobi9141 3 года назад +4

      @@Peconi111
      Cam Mackintosh: the best actor for Marius would be Hadley- *glitch* Nick Jonas.
      Later that day
      Hadley Fraser: So, Cameron, am I playing Marius?
      Cameron: No, Marius should be Nick Jonas.
      Hadley: WHAT? Then who am I playing?
      Cameron: Grantaire.
      Hadley: 🥺😢😤😠😡🤬🤯😳🤔.

    • @darkiee69
      @darkiee69 3 года назад +1

      This is the one song Nick is acceptable in, because he's alone and not out sung by anyone.

  • @ferrygal6036
    @ferrygal6036 Год назад +6

    Michael Ball voice is incredibly enchanting!😍😍😍😍

  • @tonytagglieri3940
    @tonytagglieri3940 7 месяцев назад +4

    Best song in a mint musical. Hits that much harder when you've lost dear friends. Survivors guilt 😔

  • @anorian7992
    @anorian7992 4 года назад +31

    Wow, I have no words. He is incredible

  • @flufwix
    @flufwix 4 месяца назад +1

    Truly brilliant in every way. I was lucky enough to see him perform this in concert; I wept

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 27 дней назад

      please. if this from a man or a woman. i hope it was from a man. a man who can cry
      touches my heart

  • @karinvanaltenborg7340
    @karinvanaltenborg7340 Год назад +4

    Jaren geleden heb ik deze uitvoering op You Tube gezien. De beste Marius tot nu toe. Ik krijg elke keer weer kippenvel van deze uitvoering: zo veel emotie legt hij er in. Hij is de reden dat we Les Miserables al zo'n 8x gezien hebben in Londen 😊. Ook een paar keer in Nederland gezien: in juli gaan we naar de nieuwste uitvoering in Carré. Maar Londen is mijn favoriet ❤ om deze musical te zien.

  • @forthefrogs
    @forthefrogs 6 месяцев назад +1

    The rise into the last chorus and refrain is so beautifully done. Heart breaking. It's such a gorgeous song

  • @willywilz
    @willywilz 3 года назад +14

    I was fortunate to see Les Miz 3 times live in London with the original cast .. unbelievable and simply brilliant.. this song was and is sooooo moving and Michael Ball was and is simply fantastic 😍

  • @why924
    @why924 2 месяца назад +2

    Best version of this song

  • @joangunning7573
    @joangunning7573 5 лет назад +36

    A brilliant performer

  • @--KitsuneZurui--
    @--KitsuneZurui-- 2 месяца назад

    Had this on repeat since news of former FM of Scotland Alex Salmond passing broke. It becomes sadly so much more relatable with the passing of every Independista (of any Nation) as the years go by. Passionate visions of a tomorrow never seen are the legacies of so many. Very profound.
    Saor Alba 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

  • @irenszoke5498
    @irenszoke5498 Год назад +6

    Michael is absolutely wonderful. He is perfect in every way, his voice is magical & his performances are superb.. I wish I could listen him sing.

  • @jasonrielly7580
    @jasonrielly7580 4 года назад +36

    Just brilliant. Michael Ball is the best.

  • @irenszoke5498
    @irenszoke5498 2 дня назад

    OMG SO BEAUTIFUL VOICE AND BEAUTIFUL SONG

  • @debbiethompson3460
    @debbiethompson3460 Год назад +2

    This is such a hauntingly beautiful song...full of so much heartache and guilt. I agree with one of the commenters below, I wish they had the "phantom faces" in the movie, it would've made it more emotional.

  • @candaceroberts3238
    @candaceroberts3238 6 лет назад +39

    Beautifully sung

  • @Gazman011969
    @Gazman011969 3 года назад +8

    Grief, perfectly portrayed. I so love Les Mis.

  • @susankburrow6749
    @susankburrow6749 5 лет назад +31

    Amazing Song By The Awesome Michael Ball

  • @jamescalandrillo3181
    @jamescalandrillo3181 2 года назад +5

    something about his rendition that tops all. it is both emotionally restrained, and explosive. he captures loss, and melds it to the heart.

  • @OrionRox
    @OrionRox Год назад +3

    I watched Les Miz in London west end 4 times already, this song gave me chills every single time.

  • @murielbarker4311
    @murielbarker4311 2 месяца назад

    No one can do that song like Michael Ball the emotion on his face and arms raised at the end that's a masterclass on how to do it and the producers was thinking of cutting this song it's the top 4 songs now

  • @jennyl4313
    @jennyl4313 4 года назад +48

    There's a grief that can't be spoken.
    There's a pain goes on and on.
    Empty chairs at empty tables
    Now my friends are dead and gone.
    Here they talked of revolution.
    Here it was they lit the flame.
    Here they sang about `tomorrow'
    And tomorrow never came.
    From the table in the corner
    They could see a world reborn
    And they rose with voices ringing
    I can hear them now!
    The very words that they had sung
    Became their last communion
    On the lonely barricade at dawn.
    Oh my friends, my friends forgive me
    (The ghosts of those who died on the barricade appear)
    That I live and you are gone.
    There's a grief that can't be spoken.
    There's a pain goes on and on.
    Phantom faces at the window.
    Phantom shadows on the floor.
    Empty chairs at empty tables
    Where my friends will meet no more.
    (The ghosts fade away)
    Oh my friends, my friends, don't ask me
    What your sacrifice was for
    Empty chairs at empty tables
    Where my friend will sing no more.

  • @GreenthumbsGarden
    @GreenthumbsGarden 3 года назад +16

    The best version out there, what a voice!!!

    • @doriscastillo8020
      @doriscastillo8020 Год назад

      Listen to Jonathan Antuan the guy from British got Talent and you enjoy this song.

  • @JLaw954
    @JLaw954 3 года назад +10

    So blessed to have seen this stunning performance. How could one not be moved?

  • @hs964
    @hs964 4 месяца назад +1

    Never realised he was so amazing - you feel the pain.

  • @ghtsw11
    @ghtsw11 2 года назад +6

    Great song - fabulous musical, but, above all, the definitive performance by a truly excellent singer. So much emotion in his voice.

  • @Airefresco8387
    @Airefresco8387 6 месяцев назад +1

    Lo más bonito, emocionante y verdadero que he visto en un teatro. Y puedo asegurar que nunca veré nada mejor en mi vida. Lo guardaré siempre como una joya, en lo más profundo de mi corazón. 🙌💜❤️

  • @glenaitken3471
    @glenaitken3471 4 года назад +18

    Simply stunning.

  • @katharinegoodwin674
    @katharinegoodwin674 3 года назад +12

    This is taking on a new meaning after the events of the past 18 months or so, but just beautiful. One of my favourite songs 💕

  • @suzannebenz8928
    @suzannebenz8928 4 месяца назад

    Dear Michael: Your voice is wonderful and you are so kissable!!!!

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 4 месяца назад

      suzanne. i also love MB but lately i have been more interested in your posts. you are truly an MB fan
      but sometimes I wonder if you are going a little over the top.

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 3 месяца назад

      you really bother me. years and years of adulation of Michael Ball. this borders on stalking.

  • @niksmith314
    @niksmith314 Месяц назад

    I was thinking about this song… and I realised it is the first time we hear this motif/melody SINCE the bishop first introduced it way back in act one.
    I imagine that if the Bishop asked Valjean? “What was my sacrifice for?” (When he gave the silver in selflessness and compassion)- Valjean would smile and think of all the workers and oppressed he helped, Fantine, Cosette, Marius etc. In polarity, Marius shudders to think what he would tell revolutionaries what their sacrifice, in the same, was for. And as he finally voices the question, he imagines them retreating from him into obscurity.

  • @edalvarado157
    @edalvarado157 2 года назад +7

    Still brings chills to my bones everytime i see this. So awesome.👍👍

  • @clifforddalton3067
    @clifforddalton3067 2 года назад +6

    What a moving rendition of this very sad and powerful song, sung with feeling and such devotion by Michael. The best version I've heard of this "bring a tear to your eye" passionate song. Thank you Michael for your "both your talent" and the feeling of deep deep passion you put into all your songs.

  • @GerryLinekar
    @GerryLinekar Месяц назад

    We lose love one's. And it Hurts ho so bad. It's a sad story song. But so powerful. So emotional. I love this Song

  • @esperanzateman5821
    @esperanzateman5821 3 года назад +5

    I just love Michael ball. He’s my favorite opera singer!!! Sings with a lot of feelings! I love you Michael!

    • @darkiee69
      @darkiee69 2 года назад +5

      Opera? Michael Ball isn't an opera singer! He's a musical theater actor.

  • @introspectivedreamer3864
    @introspectivedreamer3864 2 года назад +3

    never having seen this before I cannot describe how much I am moved by this performance by Michael Ball its hard to find words awe inspiring does not to justice to this

  • @VJaninka
    @VJaninka 7 месяцев назад

    Incredible song, incredible singer/actor. Breathtaking!

  • @murielbarker4311
    @murielbarker4311 3 года назад +5

    Michael Michael you have always nailed this song as Marius

  • @JuliahistoryLover
    @JuliahistoryLover 3 года назад +2

    Ohhhh myyyy GAWD amazing. I had a crush on him all growing up. As a teenie bopper I was in love with this mans vocals, not celebs on teen magazine

  • @aaa-xd3jj
    @aaa-xd3jj Год назад +3

    Wow! Soul-stirring performance.

  • @lucyk.5163
    @lucyk.5163 Год назад +7

    I weep when I hear Michael Ball sing this song. It's SO emotional and beautiful.
    Then I watched that Jonas brother sing it on the 25th and I wept for an entirely different reason...

    • @terrybrowning-e9b
      @terrybrowning-e9b 5 месяцев назад

      people blame the fact that the jonas brother who attempted this was so young. Michael was younger.
      I live in SF and we have lost our national treasure Tony Bennett but the UK was kind enough to lend us Michael. Thank you.

  • @mari-karandolph8181
    @mari-karandolph8181 8 месяцев назад +17

    nearly 60 years later...this is my every day legacy of....Viet Nam.

    • @MrJeffreyrichards
      @MrJeffreyrichards 6 месяцев назад +1

      Not as long as you brother but since bagdad 2007 of 3 friends to joine uop together on the buddy system after the tower hit i am the only one who amde it back with a jacked up back and right side of my body.

    • @mari-karandolph8181
      @mari-karandolph8181 6 месяцев назад

      @@MrJeffreyrichards They will be with you always and for ever

    • @waymilky442
      @waymilky442 3 месяца назад

      So you were the soldier? You were the enemy.

    • @waymilky442
      @waymilky442 3 месяца назад

      @@MrJeffreyrichardsAmerican criminal. Killing Iraqi children.

  • @dartanion0075
    @dartanion0075 7 лет назад +16

    Back in the early 90s I was a printers apprentice which had old letterpress and vertical topcutters.This song and Spanish caravan by the doors rang through my head for a year or two.

  • @jay-rus4437
    @jay-rus4437 3 года назад +2

    Had the privilege of experiencing Les Miserables with my wife at the Tulsa PAC. Was an amazing performance

  • @JARTHURPIERRE
    @JARTHURPIERRE 10 дней назад

    i cant stop listening to him

  • @Jesus_Saves_Believers
    @Jesus_Saves_Believers 4 месяца назад +3

    He's an angel

  • @sallywoodhams8057
    @sallywoodhams8057 7 дней назад

    Absolutely sublime 😢

  • @terrybrowning-e9b
    @terrybrowning-e9b 2 месяца назад

    this may sound corney but all thes emails makes me pause and think. i am an old lady. as a teenager it never would have dawned on me. that i would be sitting at a machine named a
    compiuter and talk to people in London and Paris and Rome discussing a magnificant singer
    i am sure some of you younger people will not understand but my god isnt it marvelous.
    Almost as marvelous as Michael Ball. Thank you all so much.

  • @peterliepins8768
    @peterliepins8768 Год назад +2

    The greatest of all the musicals

  • @meganhuggins7494
    @meganhuggins7494 3 года назад +7

    That voice though!!!

  • @marcimuciek4226
    @marcimuciek4226 4 года назад +7

    Truly gifted

  • @salutvictor4772
    @salutvictor4772 3 года назад +5

    WOW! great song, great interpretation!!

  • @murielbarker4311
    @murielbarker4311 2 года назад

    Michael knows this song has to have a stand alone Mike to bring out the emotion of this song by the look on his face and the raising of both arms of Marius no one is better

  • @moksolees6658
    @moksolees6658 7 месяцев назад

    I can't help but watch carefully as his mouth moves. It was so fascinating!!!

  • @elmeraglubat
    @elmeraglubat 4 года назад +12

    Masterclass

  • @hadassah179
    @hadassah179 4 года назад +18

    This song has been playing in my soul when I know the last person to have laughs with will be leaving soon. A room empty of past jokes and laughs "oh my friends my friends don't ask me..." .

  • @MichaelRyanUK
    @MichaelRyanUK 4 года назад +14

    Simply amazing!.