@@johnwright7307 Frances Rufelle is the original Eponine, on both the West End and the Broadway production, so I will always be based to her. That said, being Asian myself it's nice to see an Asian actress representing bigger roles
My dad's a choir master. He knows I'm just an average singer when I was younger. Yet, he always supports me with my mom whenever I want to sing. But they always remind me, if I ever need to copy someone in terms of singing, copy Lea Salonga. And it has never failed me at all.
It makes sense. Lea’s technique is impeccable, and she’s reaped its rewards through the fact that her voice is still the same if not matured over the years!
@archie trinidad well she mentioned first asian woman. It was clear on her statement. What's the point of your "I think it's B.D Wong yada yada"? The video is about Lea. She doesn't need your additional info. It also only means you didn't understand what she said lol! 🤣
@@LupinLupinLupin if I wanted to give her an additional info or comment on her statement I wud address her...because that is the ryt thing to do to begin with.. Since I did not I perfectly read and understand what she wrote...
I think its so incredible how she sings ‘known’ at the climax. Most versions i’ve heard they sing it kind of with an ‘ah’ sound because its easier to belt and comes more naturally. But she sings it with an ‘oh’ sound which is much more difficult to belt at that pitch and i think it conveys the pain and emotion soooooo much better!
@@paulwilliams9365 yes belting is a singing technique. Most people i assume would associate it with just yelling obnoxiously if you haven’t had any training in singing. That’s not what it is. I often find it difficult to explain it in words but it’s basically singing high in chest voice. A lot of people would say that is wrong and that there is a lot more to it (and there is) but thats really the best way that i can explain it myself.
@@paulwilliams9365 belting is when you try to sing the high notes with your full, strong and natural voice (chest tone) rather than thinning it out a little to make it easier for you to hit the high notes ( they call it head tone).
But she is indeed not belting on the note “known”. She is doing a mix. There’s a lot of head voice in that note, therefore making life easier for her 😀
Every. Single. Semi-phonatable. Consonant. Gets. Pronounced. All the "T"s. All the "G"s. LOOK AT HER MOUTH. It's like a masterclass in Broadway singing. She had back then and continues to have the most flawless pronunciation and enunciation (and mouth shape - those vowels!) I've ever seen, while staying flawlessly on pitch. Which, it's a travesty that people who couldn't pronounce a semi-phonatable consonant if they TRIED ( hi Ariana Grande, hi Selena Gomez) are so famous, yet the best singers in the world don't have that level of fame. Audra McDonald and Lea are the most technically proficient vocalists I've seen on the great white way, they deserve better.
I agree. Its a welcome change to actually hear what a singer is in fact SINGING about. Lea and Julie Andrews are two at the height of enunciating while singing.
Im sorry but you really can’t compare pop singers to musical theater.. that is so so different and Ariana Grande and everyone else are not trying to be that. And if you see performances of her doing musical theater you would actually see and notice her pronouncing and enunciating very differently and „better“ than her pop songs. I’m in no way of the biggest fan of her but that’s like comparing it to classical opera and choir music..
In high school I was Eponine. I had to listen to Lea over and over again to learn her specific style. The diaphragm control for “known”. The way she enunciates “lights” and “silver”. This song is absolutely not easy to sing or perform. But it was this song that took me through high school drama, helped me get to play Christine in Phantom, and got me into our all women’s choir in college. There is no one who can sing like Lea, and she is who made Eponine the best part of Les Mis.
I agree, best ever. I've always been obsessed with how she plays the three "I love him"s at the end........"I love him" #1: I'm so desperately in love with him. "I love him" #2: I can't have him. "I love him" #3: I know it seems silly to you, but I love him.
@@MarcDanielPatrick Oh! My! God! You replied?😅 By the way, I wanna grab this chance po sana to take this opportunity to ask for a favor if you can make a reaction video again with Ms.Lea Salonga where she sang 'Alone' originally by Celine Dion, and here's the link👇 ruclips.net/video/CXTn9q7YsSQ/видео.html And, here's another link where she sang 'Human Heart,' theme song of the musical 'Once on this island.' And, I assure you that you will not be able to avoid smiling as she sings it. This song is so lovely.👇 ruclips.net/video/DuVt8Q4dk6Y/видео.html Just choose between the two where you want to react or if you want, just choose both HAHA pls.but still it's up to you sir. Thankyou and Godbless❣️ I hope you can grant my request. Again... Thankyou❣️
I don't know how Lea does it but there is an honesty about her. She's singing straight to your heart and up to your brain. The crescendo just makes your chest expand. Beautiful music sung so beautifully. Lea just clinches the spot it's perfection.
I love the way she opens up her lips wide when she sings words like meeee to really express the EEEE,she is absolutely phenomenal and also stays in character at the end...so good.
This is the exact performance that triggered my love for musical theater. And I am with you 100%. Best musical, best number and best performer. I love Lea!
Lea cemented herself as one of the most perfect vocalists of all time in this song. She's up there with Julie Andrews (Before her botched surgery), Barbra Streisand, Jody Benson (Prime/Little Mermaid era) and Judy Garland. Shout out to others who I may have forgotten.
Lea Solonga as Epinone, Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Ruthie Henshall, and Michael Ball took the music and made history with it. This is my favorite musical
Emotional clarity. Her capture of who this person is at this point in the story is perfection. In this era of big voices I appreciate her nuance. She is beautiful singer with great technical skill. But her ability to express is what makes her a superstar onstage in the theater. Watch this without the sound and you will still feel what she is feeling. She inhabits the character so completely and there is an authenticity to what she is "telling" you with her voice, with her eyes. But this song was her audition as an 18yo for a new musical called Miss Saigon, a lead role that she originated and won a Tony for several years later. There is a reason why she is "the" Eponine for the dream cast for many/most Les Miz fans.
She wasn't in the "Dream Cast": The 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables for nothing. She set the standard to this iconic song. Lea has so many iconic performances. Among them is: 1) The Movie in my Mind with Rachelle Ann Go at the 25th Anniversary of Miss Saigon, 2) A Little Fall of Rain with Marius Ball and Judy Kuhn; 3) Don't Cry for Me, Argentina, in one of her Manila concerts.
Yes a little drop of rain with Michael Ball as Marius is lovely. Compare to 25th anniversary and 34th last year was terrible in comparison. Phrasing!!!!!
This is one of my favorite performances of all time. Beyond just the amazing vocal performance is the incredible range of emotions she expresses. There is love, anger, sadness, despair hope, hopelessness, and determination in a roller coaster ride. I can't think of another musical performance where I have felt so many emotions in such a short moment.
I was in Jr High when this was released. Our music teacher spent a few classes watching it with us. I was already a singer, but this performance from Lea as well as Judy Kuhn taught me, for the first time, what is possible just standing at a mic.
I’ve seen many prominent female musical performers, both live on stage and on TV special broadcasts (like this Les Miz anniversary concert). Of all of them, Lea Salonga has the purest, crystal clear voice. I have not seen Lea perform recently, but at the time she sang this version of On My Own, her vocal prowess was at its height. She sang this effortlessly, in that crystalline tone, with perfect pitch control. As Mark pointed out, her phrasing was so smooth and effective. Wonderful performance!
“A world that’s full of happiness that I have never known.” Instant goosebumps. Transports me to The Palace Theatre in London 1990 when I first saw this.
I am so proud of Lea. She made a big mark on the map for the Filipinos.. She is a legend... A valuable treasure of the Philippines... I bow down to you Ms. Lea Salonga Chien 🏆👋🙏😘
I like Sia and will listen to Ariana (great voice, songs are not all my fave) but both sound like they have a mouth full of Novocain in comparison to Lea, Audra, etc. Different styles, absolutely, but let’s wake it up just a bit. Of course, here I sit with MY millions...
When Arianna was a teenager doing musical theatre her technique was exceptional, her enunciation was crystal clear. She made a deliberate change in her approach to pop music. I don't like it but it's clearly intentional as she doesn't do it when she returns to musical theatre. She is capable of much better.
@corvus13 Ariana Grande is a pop singer not a broadway star. She's singing in pop music hence why her enunciation is like that, it's what appeals the mass audience which is why she does it intentionally.
I absolutely adore Les Miserable. I have seen on play two times and endless times the movie. Lea Sologno is coming to perform w/ the Tabernacle Chior on Temple Square for the 2022 Christmas program . I am so excited to see her there. Even tho I’m 72 , I’m just getting to know Miss Saigon. I never had a desire to see it when I was younger , because my husband served in Viet Nam at Ton Son Nhut Air Base. So when Miss Saigon came out, I was raising my family and just didn’t desire to see it. But now Ain a great grandma, I do want to become familiar w/ it. I love them all…..but Les Miz is top notch. It is so nice looking at your face as it reacts to the singing. I can tell it fills your soul. Great video. More please!
Legend has it that Frances Ruffelle, who originated the "holding myself" pose, came up with it because she did not know what to do with her "monkey arms" while singing this song downstage center by herself.
I'm also a massive Lea Salonga fan and I agree *no one* sings and interprets "On My Own" better than Lea. In mentioning some of her other credits you also left out that she sang "Reflection" for Disney's Mulan in the original animated movie and she also created the starring role of Kim in the _Miss Saigon_ both in the West End and Broadway versions of the show. Oh, and she is also drop dead gorgeous! 😍
One thing I’ve noticed about Les Miserables, besides all the classical stuff, is that the musical themes repeat sometimes with different characters to show the parallels. This song here by Eponine has a similar theme to Fantines song near the beginning of the play. Same thing with Valjean and Javert. But the 10th year anniversary of Les Miserables ( that being this one) is really the best. Like if you agree
I saw Alfie Boe and Michael Ball on a chat show a while back and they were joking about how Schonberg and Boublil could make a whole show out of one melody and how Lord Weber did a bit of that himself. A bit of exaggeration, but not far off the mark. LOL.
In the Original French Concept Album, track 2 is "L'air de la misere", sung by Fantine, whose verse and refrain became the intro and verse of "On my own". Rough translation from the first stanza of the recitative, adjusted for meter to make its musical placement clear: "I had some pretty little faults; I was reserved I was coquettish. A bit naive but not too much, I I would not become loose-headed. And I would find great joy, in a bird's sing; in a new day." First stanza of the refrain: "Misery is mother of no one; misery, always sister of men. And nobody on earth wants it as daughter, like a bastard that's born within a cell in the Bastille". When Valjean comes to Fantine's aid (track 6), she sings "Are you an angel or a demon? I'd rather die than have again these false hopes" with the melody that became the bridge for "Come to me" and "On my own", and Valjean responds with a promise to rescue Cosette, sung to the tune of refrain of "L'air de la misere". In the OFCA, the intro to "Come to me" didn't appear until the finale, were Valjean sang "I'm not alone; I am happy. I see again your smile, before my death" and Cosette gets her reply which gets very literally translated--including verb forms--"You will live, papa, you are going to live"--to the "On my own" bridge tune before Valjean repeats the "L'air de la misere" refrain tune, but with "The light is in the hearts of men."
Alfie Boe is my Valjean, although I do adore Colm... Alfie just... That man cannot be human with what his voice is capable of. I prefer both Norm Lewis and Micheal Ball to Phillip Quast for Javert... Lea is my favorite Eponine AND Fantine!!! That is damn near impossible a feat.... Ugh... Lea Salonga... Is a goddess!!!
Yeah, I really love that. I love that the first third of Les Miz includes snatches of motifs and melodies that will later be presented as full songs, but that the emotions and characters mirror each other. How the Bishop's motif to Valjean echoes the later "Empty Chairs," how Valjean's revelation after the Bishop's salvation echoes Javert's own later potential despair, and how Fantine's "Come with Me" echoes Eponine's "On My Own" (both scenarios in their minds), etc. And so many more. It's beautifully done throughout the show.
Again, reaction at 9:00, exactly the same for me - it doesn't matter how many times I have heard it, the hair stands up on the back of my neck because it is SO perfect. Totally with you on it being the best song in the show and Lea Salonga is my Eponine, her performance, emoting and phrasing are second to none. Wonderful stuff.
@@MarcDanielPatrick Haha, No one can blame us!!! Lea Salonga was my introduction to musicals and how wonderful they can be. This song was the reason why.
There's nothing I can add. The best Eponine imo. Her articulation both musically and verbally is phenomenal. What is interesting about this song is that it was written in the French original for Fantine as L'air de la misère, singing about her misery, and was later rewritten to be Eponine's song to round out her character and plotline in the story.
I couldn't agree more - this is the greatest musical ever written. Lea is absolute perfection, not only vocally but in presentation. One aspect of this show that is seldom talked about is the thrilling orchestration. From beginning to end the orchestration is brilliant, but the last 16 bars, especially with the addition of the French Horn, totally transforms the listener to another, better place.
Please do!! We saw Lea as Fantine in the Broadway production ~12 or so years ago, and stayed to meet her after the show. It was seriously the highlight of the year...she is phenomenal, and to see her in my favourite musical to boot!
This is my favourite musical of all time. I've went through so many VHS of the show before I learnt about DVDS. And the sound track is constantly on in my car! Micheal Ball is my favourite Marius. ❤️
As an orchestra and pit orchestra muso, I just want to say thank you for mentioning us. From time to time we feel left out - particularly when we are being piped in from another room. So, cheers!
A very underrated aspect of live musical theatre, I would agree. If you've watched any other videos on my channel, my catch phrase is "God Bless The Orchestra Pit" - t-shirts coming soon! :) Thank you for the comment.
The Song ON MY OWN was written For Her… The song had waited and waited until IT Found HER…. and when IT was Time for her to sing THE SONG, she Found IT ❣️❤️❣️
So Marc Daniel Patrick, Lea Salonga's performance of "On My Own" is your favorite for this song. "On My Own" has the "best music ever" and is your "favorite song" from your "favorite musical theater show," Les Miserables. So can I assume then, that Lea Salonga's performance is your favorite performance in musical theater of ALL TIME? It is for me.
Admittedly, Lea started our love of broadway & she began the trend for more musicals to be created after. Every broadway she was involved in was a hit! She just paved the way for other broadway stars to come out and succeed and influenced so many future musical stars. Iconic!!!
I couldn't agree more with you on everything you said. I watch her performance here on RUclips several times per week... Pure Perfection... it does exist....
i have watched many many vocal coaches reacting to performers...you are the most honest...no attitude...easy to listen to...you dont' talk about the singers larynx etc...you do a great job
So I’ve watched this particular reaction video for about 10x now and I have to say that your eyes show beautiful emotions, too, as Lea sings so beautifully. Hahaha. She is like fine wine.
Lea has made the song very interesting and you can really get the message of the song “On My Own” and she is an excellent performer. Her rendition is the best. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
She became my favorite Broadway actress because of this song! Boubil and Schonberg are brilliant together; I can't see anyone else but her as Kim as well!
I went to college in NYC and went to see the Broadway production at least once a semester. I could never hold it together during the show (and still can’t, nearly 20 years later!).
I like how you gave context to the performance. I've seen other reactors who will just react without knowing the background of the performance and it kinda takes you out of the whole reaction video.
Watching this musical live is in my bucket list. Thankfully Musical Theatre is getting popular again in my country and we’re getting more international shows shown here, and I managed to see it when it came. It’s my favorite musical of all time. All the songs are just magnificent.
Lea Salonga is the barometer of On My Own... 💯. Please react on her I dreamed a dream performance as Fantine in the O2 Arena or her Don't cry for me Argentina version during her Broadway Concert. Thanks.
I completely agree with you about this song (and most of Les Mis), the music, words, being best ever and Lea best, favorite, all time... ever. Thank you for saying what I've felt and known since the original!
The first time I saw Les Mis when I was in high school, 9th grade, with our music teacher, practice solo teacher, assistant, and the 50 person honors choir (honors was audition only spanning across 9th to 12th), and for reasons unknown to us she was in the area and took place of the woman in the bulletin. I have never seen my music teachers so freaking excited in their lives when it was announced that she would be the "replacement" (haha) for Eponine that night. I've yet to hear these songs sung by anyone else that even comes close to matching her. I have no idea what put her in Toledo, Ohio at the Stranahan on that one Saturday night but by God, I am eternally grateful!
I just discovered your channel this morning and am so delighted. I love musical theater and having a channel focused on it is perfect. Lea Salonga does such an amazing performance and your comments further enhance my understanding of this song. Looking forward to catching up on all of your posts.
I'm so late to this video and your channel, but it was this that led me to you. the 10th anniversary edition is the one and only for me. I had this on VHS when it first published on PBS. I memorized every lyric, every mouth movement, every voice. This was the musical that led me to musical theater. My childhood dream was to be in the chorus at the next concert production. I never recorded it (pre-cell and camcorders were expensive) but it was this version that I sang at my high school talent show and TO-DATE it's my proudest performance. Not the superiors I got at competition, but the high schooler me singing this song like my life depended on it
Pls react to her cover of Don't Cry For Me Argentina in one of her Concerts. Her performance there has full of emotions and as good as this one. Thank you.
I never had the pleasure of seeing her perform this song live, but I have had the pleasure of seeing her perform the character of Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway back in the 90s.
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The cleanest voice on Broadway.
No argument here.
For sure.
This is not debatable. She never disappoints
Next to Renee Goldsberry
EVER
This song is totally made for Lea. Just like she was meant to be Kim of Miss Saigon! 🙌
1000 times agreed.
@@MarcDanielPatrick make it 2000 times
@@AABB-cn4yk make it 20000
Make it over 99999999999999999999
Just make it positive infinity
This for me is the standard of a perfectly executed musical theater song. No one's ever beaten this performance
Hard to argue with that
I'm rooting for Frances Rufelle, the original Eponine on the West End and Broadway
Amen on that. I'm crying
@@Darkangel-A-c8zsorry she doesn't come close to Lea
@@johnwright7307 Frances Rufelle is the original Eponine, on both the West End and the Broadway production, so I will always be based to her. That said, being Asian myself it's nice to see an Asian actress representing bigger roles
My dad's a choir master.
He knows I'm just an average singer when I was younger. Yet, he always supports me with my mom whenever I want to sing.
But they always remind me, if I ever need to copy someone in terms of singing, copy Lea Salonga.
And it has never failed me at all.
I mean, if you're ever going to have a singing idol - its not a bad one to choose. Thank you so much for the comment.
My dad's a choir teacher and he loves Lea.
@@raulaquino6553 There's 32 Links that you put in your comment, I wonder how much time that took.
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It makes sense. Lea’s technique is impeccable, and she’s reaped its rewards through the fact that her voice is still the same if not matured over the years!
Concert producers will NEVER find another like LEA. Trust me.
Absolutely true
Check out 16 year old Lucy Thomas and Somewhere. There is one in the wings coming up.
The fact that she was the first asian woman to win a tony for her role as kim in Miss Saigon really makes us Filipinos proud
❤❤❤
I think it's B. D Wong is the first Asian to win TONY.
@@archietrinidad2663 she said first asian woman. B D Wong is a man. Did he undergo sex change?
@@LupinLupinLupin ikr.. Mine is additional info abt the first Asian to win.. Again first Asian to win regardless of gender
@archie trinidad well she mentioned first asian woman. It was clear on her statement. What's the point of your "I think it's B.D Wong yada yada"? The video is about Lea. She doesn't need your additional info. It also only means you didn't understand what she said lol! 🤣
@@LupinLupinLupin if I wanted to give her an additional info or comment on her statement I wud address her...because that is the ryt thing to do to begin with.. Since I did not I perfectly read and understand what she wrote...
I think its so incredible how she sings ‘known’ at the climax. Most versions i’ve heard they sing it kind of with an ‘ah’ sound because its easier to belt and comes more naturally. But she sings it with an ‘oh’ sound which is much more difficult to belt at that pitch and i think it conveys the pain and emotion soooooo much better!
Great point.
Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by "belting"? Is this a common thing in musical theatre?
@@paulwilliams9365 yes belting is a singing technique. Most people i assume would associate it with just yelling obnoxiously if you haven’t had any training in singing.
That’s not what it is.
I often find it difficult to explain it in words but it’s basically singing high in chest voice. A lot of people would say that is wrong and that there is a lot more to it (and there is) but thats really the best way that i can explain it myself.
@@paulwilliams9365 belting is when you try to sing the high notes with your full, strong and natural voice (chest tone) rather than thinning it out a little to make it easier for you to hit the high notes ( they call it head tone).
But she is indeed not belting on the note “known”. She is doing a mix. There’s a lot of head voice in that note, therefore making life easier for her 😀
Every. Single. Semi-phonatable. Consonant. Gets. Pronounced. All the "T"s. All the "G"s. LOOK AT HER MOUTH. It's like a masterclass in Broadway singing. She had back then and continues to have the most flawless pronunciation and enunciation (and mouth shape - those vowels!) I've ever seen, while staying flawlessly on pitch. Which, it's a travesty that people who couldn't pronounce a semi-phonatable consonant if they TRIED ( hi Ariana Grande, hi Selena Gomez) are so famous, yet the best singers in the world don't have that level of fame. Audra McDonald and Lea are the most technically proficient vocalists I've seen on the great white way, they deserve better.
I agree. Its a welcome change to actually hear what a singer is in fact SINGING about. Lea and Julie Andrews are two at the height of enunciating while singing.
The first time I saw her singing this, I realized how important it is to open my mouth and enunciate! :-)
Im sorry but you really can’t compare pop singers to musical theater.. that is so so different and Ariana Grande and everyone else are not trying to be that. And if you see performances of her doing musical theater you would actually see and notice her pronouncing and enunciating very differently and „better“ than her pop songs. I’m in no way of the biggest fan of her but that’s like comparing it to classical opera and choir music..
You should look up Floor Jansen (Nightwish- Ghost Love Score.) Speaking of a Master class in singing.
Hanna Sch n
In high school I was Eponine. I had to listen to Lea over and over again to learn her specific style. The diaphragm control for “known”. The way she enunciates “lights” and “silver”. This song is absolutely not easy to sing or perform. But it was this song that took me through high school drama, helped me get to play Christine in Phantom, and got me into our all women’s choir in college. There is no one who can sing like Lea, and she is who made Eponine the best part of Les Mis.
I agree, best ever. I've always been obsessed with how she plays the three "I love him"s at the end........"I love him" #1: I'm so desperately in love with him. "I love him" #2: I can't have him. "I love him" #3: I know it seems silly to you, but I love him.
Haha well said.
😂😍😂
Lol😂😂😂
Ahahaha i love him too
She is also the original singer of 'Reflection' from Disney's Mulan.
And a whole new world Alladin
@@carlvincentbriones9313 He knew and stated that @1:05
everybody forgot miss saigon, wew
@@bigjunior2 I didn't
3:27 just trying to save my time where I left
Absolutely love her! And she's the only one who SING last high note, not SCREAM it.
It’s coz she mixes voice so well
I don't even have to check lyrics online, I can hear it really well with her clean enunciation 😍
Perfect pitch
Crystal clear angelic voice
Disney legend
Broadway Superstar
Philippines Pride
YES! WE REALLY REALLY LOVE LEA SALONGA👑❣️
How can the entire country not be so proud of her?
@@MarcDanielPatrick Oh! My! God! You replied?😅
By the way, I wanna grab this chance po sana to take this opportunity to ask for a favor if you can make a reaction video again with Ms.Lea Salonga where she sang 'Alone' originally by Celine Dion, and here's the link👇
ruclips.net/video/CXTn9q7YsSQ/видео.html
And, here's another link where she sang 'Human Heart,' theme song of the musical 'Once on this island.' And, I assure you that you will not be able to avoid smiling as she sings it. This song is so lovely.👇
ruclips.net/video/DuVt8Q4dk6Y/видео.html
Just choose between the two where you want to react or if you want, just choose both HAHA pls.but still it's up to you sir. Thankyou and Godbless❣️
I hope you can grant my request. Again... Thankyou❣️
@@MarcDanielPatrick yaaah super some people here at PH supports singers who are only supported by lip syncing.
One America loves her to like Marc she makes me cry all the time
Love how she pronounced the N in own at the end. Also her breath control is amazing.
She has unlimited oxygen I believe.
I don't know how Lea does it but there is an honesty about her. She's singing straight to your heart and up to your brain. The crescendo just makes your chest expand. Beautiful music sung so beautifully. Lea just clinches the spot it's perfection.
I love the way she opens up her lips wide when she sings words like meeee to really express the EEEE,she is absolutely phenomenal and also stays in character at the end...so good.
This is the exact performance that triggered my love for musical theater. And I am with you 100%. Best musical, best number and best performer. I love Lea!
Lea cemented herself as one of the most perfect vocalists of all time in this song.
She's up there with Julie Andrews (Before her botched surgery), Barbra Streisand, Jody Benson (Prime/Little Mermaid era) and Judy Garland.
Shout out to others who I may have forgotten.
Daniel Blair she is SO much better than Streisand in my opinion!
Three women stand out for me: Lea Salonga, Linda Eder, and Karen Carpenter. My vocal role models!
@@laurelinsongofgold oohh, nice.
Fun fact: Most of Lea's concerts are played by a live orchestra
She even has a personal conductor which is her own brother.
@@wedhoz i almost say that if i didn't saw your comment🤣🤣
Why fun?
Lea Solonga as Epinone, Colm Wilkinson as Jean Valjean, Ruthie Henshall, and Michael Ball took the music and made history with it. This is my favorite musical
Emotional clarity. Her capture of who this person is at this point in the story is perfection. In this era of big voices I appreciate her nuance. She is beautiful singer with great technical skill. But her ability to express is what makes her a superstar onstage in the theater. Watch this without the sound and you will still feel what she is feeling. She inhabits the character so completely and there is an authenticity to what she is "telling" you with her voice, with her eyes. But this song was her audition as an 18yo for a new musical called Miss Saigon, a lead role that she originated and won a Tony for several years later. There is a reason why she is "the" Eponine for the dream cast for many/most Les Miz fans.
Beautifully expressed! Her face tells it all!
I just love that she gave me 3 different kinds of emotion when she said " I love him" three times.
She wasn't in the "Dream Cast": The 10th Anniversary Concert of Les Miserables for nothing. She set the standard to this iconic song. Lea has so many iconic performances. Among them is: 1) The Movie in my Mind with Rachelle Ann Go at the 25th Anniversary of Miss Saigon, 2) A Little Fall of Rain with Marius Ball and Judy Kuhn; 3) Don't Cry for Me, Argentina, in one of her Manila concerts.
ruclips.net/video/lkRzBDtxe28/видео.html
Yes a little drop of rain with Michael Ball as Marius is lovely. Compare to 25th anniversary and 34th last year was terrible in comparison. Phrasing!!!!!
Michael Ball
This is one of my favorite performances of all time. Beyond just the amazing vocal performance is the incredible range of emotions she expresses. There is love, anger, sadness, despair hope, hopelessness, and determination in a roller coaster ride. I can't think of another musical performance where I have felt so many emotions in such a short moment.
Well said Chris.
I was in Jr High when this was released. Our music teacher spent a few classes watching it with us. I was already a singer, but this performance from Lea as well as Judy Kuhn taught me, for the first time, what is possible just standing at a mic.
ruclips.net/video/kaQeXndhjPs/видео.html
It almost fills sacrilegious to pause Lea 😅 she’s a goddess for sure.
Mmm. true.
I’ve seen many prominent female musical performers, both live on stage and on TV special broadcasts (like this Les Miz anniversary concert). Of all of them, Lea Salonga has the purest, crystal clear voice. I have not seen Lea perform recently, but at the time she sang this version of On My Own, her vocal prowess was at its height. She sang this effortlessly, in that crystalline tone, with perfect pitch control. As Mark pointed out, her phrasing was so smooth and effective. Wonderful performance!
Couldn't agree more. ty
She's a coach/judge now in the voice teens Philippines
She still does.
My favourite performance of this song. Ever.
“A world that’s full of happiness that I have never known.” Instant goosebumps. Transports me to The Palace Theatre in London 1990 when I first saw this.
You're so lucky to have watched it live! How's the experience?
I am so proud of Lea. She made a big mark on the map for the Filipinos.. She is a legend... A valuable treasure of the Philippines... I bow down to you Ms. Lea Salonga Chien 🏆👋🙏😘
I wish Ariana Grande and Sia would take enunciation lessons from Lea.
Different styles. But you might be onto something there.
I like Sia and will listen to Ariana (great voice, songs are not all my fave) but both sound like they have a mouth full of Novocain in comparison to Lea, Audra, etc. Different styles, absolutely, but let’s wake it up just a bit.
Of course, here I sit with MY millions...
When Arianna was a teenager doing musical theatre her technique was exceptional, her enunciation was crystal clear. She made a deliberate change in her approach to pop music. I don't like it but it's clearly intentional as she doesn't do it when she returns to musical theatre. She is capable of much better.
@corvus13 Ariana Grande is a pop singer not a broadway star. She's singing in pop music hence why her enunciation is like that, it's what appeals the mass audience which is why she does it intentionally.
@@ambernyx3433 She appeared on Broadway before she became a recording star.
I absolutely adore Les Miserable. I have seen on play two times and endless times the movie. Lea Sologno is coming to perform w/ the Tabernacle Chior on Temple Square for the 2022 Christmas program . I am so excited to see her there. Even tho I’m 72 , I’m just getting to know Miss Saigon. I never had a desire to see it when I was younger , because my husband served in Viet Nam at Ton Son Nhut Air Base. So when Miss Saigon came out, I was raising my family and just didn’t desire to see it. But now Ain a great grandma, I do want to become familiar w/ it. I love them all…..but Les Miz is top notch. It is so nice looking at your face as it reacts to the singing. I can tell it fills your soul. Great video. More please!
I'm from the Philippines and it's the first time I've seen this particular performance. The emotions in her voice made me tear up.
Agreed!
Just a snippet of Les Mis score is serotonin for days
Haha. Agreed.
Yes!!!
Legend has it that Frances Ruffelle, who originated the "holding myself" pose, came up with it because she did not know what to do with her "monkey arms" while singing this song downstage center by herself.
Shoutout to Frances Ruffelle's version on the original recording, which - as the version I grew up with - is my favourite.
Very clean &,her diction is so wonderful beautiful voice of miss salonga
I'm also a massive Lea Salonga fan and I agree *no one* sings and interprets "On My Own" better than Lea. In mentioning some of her other credits you also left out that she sang "Reflection" for Disney's Mulan in the original animated movie and she also created the starring role of Kim in the _Miss Saigon_ both in the West End and Broadway versions of the show. Oh, and she is also drop dead gorgeous! 😍
One thing I’ve noticed about Les Miserables, besides all the classical stuff, is that the musical themes repeat sometimes with different characters to show the parallels. This song here by Eponine has a similar theme to Fantines song near the beginning of the play. Same thing with Valjean and Javert. But the 10th year anniversary of Les Miserables ( that being this one) is really the best. Like if you agree
I saw Alfie Boe and Michael Ball on a chat show a while back and they were joking about how Schonberg and Boublil could make a whole show out of one melody and how Lord Weber did a bit of that himself. A bit of exaggeration, but not far off the mark. LOL.
In the Original French Concept Album, track 2 is "L'air de la misere", sung by Fantine, whose verse and refrain became the intro and verse of "On my own". Rough translation from the first stanza of the recitative, adjusted for meter to make its musical placement clear: "I had some pretty little faults; I was reserved I was coquettish. A bit naive but not too much, I I would not become loose-headed. And I would find great joy, in a bird's sing; in a new day." First stanza of the refrain: "Misery is mother of no one; misery, always sister of men. And nobody on earth wants it as daughter, like a bastard that's born within a cell in the Bastille". When Valjean comes to Fantine's aid (track 6), she sings "Are you an angel or a demon? I'd rather die than have again these false hopes" with the melody that became the bridge for "Come to me" and "On my own", and Valjean responds with a promise to rescue Cosette, sung to the tune of refrain of "L'air de la misere". In the OFCA, the intro to "Come to me" didn't appear until the finale, were Valjean sang "I'm not alone; I am happy. I see again your smile, before my death" and Cosette gets her reply which gets very literally translated--including verb forms--"You will live, papa, you are going to live"--to the "On my own" bridge tune before Valjean repeats the "L'air de la misere" refrain tune, but with "The light is in the hearts of men."
Alfie Boe is my Valjean, although I do adore Colm... Alfie just... That man cannot be human with what his voice is capable of. I prefer both Norm Lewis and Micheal Ball to Phillip Quast for Javert... Lea is my favorite Eponine AND Fantine!!! That is damn near impossible a feat.... Ugh... Lea Salonga... Is a goddess!!!
Yeah, I really love that. I love that the first third of Les Miz includes snatches of motifs and melodies that will later be presented as full songs, but that the emotions and characters mirror each other.
How the Bishop's motif to Valjean echoes the later "Empty Chairs," how Valjean's revelation after the Bishop's salvation echoes Javert's own later potential despair, and how Fantine's "Come with Me" echoes Eponine's "On My Own" (both scenarios in their minds), etc. And so many more.
It's beautifully done throughout the show.
Again, reaction at 9:00, exactly the same for me - it doesn't matter how many times I have heard it, the hair stands up on the back of my neck because it is SO perfect.
Totally with you on it being the best song in the show and Lea Salonga is my Eponine, her performance, emoting and phrasing are second to none.
Wonderful stuff.
My absolute fav musical song sang by the amazing Lea Salonga.... No one can quite sing it like her... Simply musical theatre perfection... 😍🎶❤️
I really love how she sang the lyrics “ the pavement shines like silver”
And that "darkness"
The first "without him" 😍
Lea Salonga is a treasure! Her voice here just vibrates through my brain and opens my tear ducts every time.
So glad its not just me! Haha.
@@MarcDanielPatrick Haha, No one can blame us!!! Lea Salonga was my introduction to musicals and how wonderful they can be. This song was the reason why.
There's nothing I can add. The best Eponine imo. Her articulation both musically and verbally is phenomenal. What is interesting about this song is that it was written in the French original for Fantine as L'air de la misère, singing about her misery, and was later rewritten to be Eponine's song to round out her character and plotline in the story.
Her voice and the way she pronounced every word is so crystal clear! That is what I love about her.
Right? Its perfection.
This is the best rendition of "On my Own" I love Lea proud of her.
I love her! A living legend that is world renowned! Thank you for this great reaction and commentary!
I couldn't agree more - this is the greatest musical ever written. Lea is absolute perfection, not only vocally but in presentation. One aspect of this show that is seldom talked about is the thrilling orchestration. From beginning to end the orchestration is brilliant, but the last 16 bars, especially with the addition of the French Horn, totally transforms the listener to another, better place.
When I think of LesMiserables, this is the version that I always think of.
There are so many heart wrenching songs in Les Mis. How about reacting to Lea's version of Fantine's songs in the 25th Anniversary concert?
The Garden City ....or better yet compare the 10th and 25th anniversary concert performance of Les Mis 😉
as much as i love Lea Salonga and that Fantine performance, I actually prefer Ruthie Henshal's performance from the 10th anniversary
Please do!! We saw Lea as Fantine in the Broadway production ~12 or so years ago, and stayed to meet her after the show. It was seriously the highlight of the year...she is phenomenal, and to see her in my favourite musical to boot!
Goosebumps, gosh Leah! Why so perfect 🤩
Lea displayed a very quiet control and unique interpretation at the beginning arguably harder that belting
Yes. Her version never fail to give me goosebumps every time i watch the video. I wish i was there to watch the musical live!
Dont we all wish we were there!
She is so amazing; I have seen her many times on Broadway and in concert a super talent!
This is my favourite musical of all time. I've went through so many VHS of the show before I learnt about DVDS. And the sound track is constantly on in my car!
Micheal Ball is my favourite Marius. ❤️
As an orchestra and pit orchestra muso, I just want to say thank you for mentioning us. From time to time we feel left out - particularly when we are being piped in from another room. So, cheers!
A very underrated aspect of live musical theatre, I would agree. If you've watched any other videos on my channel, my catch phrase is "God Bless The Orchestra Pit" - t-shirts coming soon! :) Thank you for the comment.
This is absolutely my favorite performance and it makes me cry every time
Same.
This song is just for Lea!!! Like, literally no one has ever sung this better than her! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
The Song ON MY OWN was written For Her… The song had waited and waited until IT Found HER…. and when IT was Time for her to sing THE SONG, she Found IT ❣️❤️❣️
So Marc Daniel Patrick, Lea Salonga's performance of "On My Own" is your favorite for this song. "On My Own" has the "best music ever" and is your "favorite song" from your "favorite musical theater show," Les Miserables. So can I assume then, that Lea Salonga's performance is your favorite performance in musical theater of ALL TIME? It is for me.
Haha. It is certainly up there.
Goosebumps. The 10yr concert is my fave performance of LM.
Admittedly, Lea started our love of broadway & she began the trend for more musicals to be created after. Every broadway she was involved in was a hit! She just paved the way for other broadway stars to come out and succeed and influenced so many future musical stars. Iconic!!!
Yeah ,,she has the cleanest voice ,,and i love her
I have this Les Miserables DVD & there are several performances that always bring me to tears. Lea’s rendition is such a heartbreaker.
I couldn't agree more with you on everything you said.
I watch her performance here on RUclips several times per week... Pure Perfection... it does exist....
I watched it over and over and over....and it still makes me cry.
Same.
i have watched many many vocal coaches reacting to performers...you are the most honest...no attitude...easy to listen to...you dont' talk about the singers larynx etc...you do a great job
So I’ve watched this particular reaction video for about 10x now and I have to say that your eyes show beautiful emotions, too, as Lea sings so beautifully. Hahaha. She is like fine wine.
Aw, thank you so much.
thank u for your humble comment of her singing, she's the best singer in our country 😍
Lea has made the song very interesting and you can really get the message of the song “On My Own” and she is an excellent performer. Her rendition is the best. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
So exceptional! Lea is one of a kind. She's the flair no one can replace....
She became my favorite Broadway actress because of this song! Boubil and Schonberg are brilliant together; I can't see anyone else but her as Kim as well!
literally she’s the BEST
It's good to finally know that I'm not the only one who CAN NOT hold it together through Les Miserables.
I went to college in NYC and went to see the Broadway production at least once a semester. I could never hold it together during the show (and still can’t, nearly 20 years later!).
Nobody compares to lea. She is amazing.
Most reactions on Lea's performance is just saying PERFECTION PERFECTION PERFECTION..
Wow i love how Miss Lea Sings its too Clear ,So Great 😇😇😇💖💕💓💞💗💝🇵🇭🤩🤩🤩🥰🥰🥰
A Little Fall Of Rain with Marius is full on acting!
Mmmm. yes yes. Another fav.
I cry whenever I listen to this huhu
She is absolutely the best. Probably the most perfect singer alive today.
i totally agree that les miserables in one of the greatest. lea, judy kuhn and michael ball are truly amazing.
Couldn't agree more. ty
Great cast...every step
She is the best, no one could dispute this.
This concert was my introduction to Les Mis 24 years ago. I completely agree, the best musical ever.
My first show as well. Broadway, March 1991. ❤️❤️❤️ Nothing will ever top it. I hear the opening music and I start crrrryying...
I love this and just about every LS performance. She is a vocal goddess!
I like how you gave context to the performance. I've seen other reactors who will just react without knowing the background of the performance and it kinda takes you out of the whole reaction video.
I appreciate that, thank you so much.
I could listen to her sing all day.
Watching this musical live is in my bucket list. Thankfully Musical Theatre is getting popular again in my country and we’re getting more international shows shown here, and I managed to see it when it came.
It’s my favorite musical of all time. All the songs are just magnificent.
She is amazing.
She did Fantine on the same show too but a couple years after this.. you might like reacting to that video as well..
Spot on!!! a very powerful, moving and emotional performance . One of my favorite musical performances ever!
Lea Salonga is the barometer of On My Own... 💯. Please react on her I dreamed a dream performance as Fantine in the O2 Arena or her Don't cry for me Argentina version during her Broadway Concert. Thanks.
Would love to! I'll get to those videos as soon as I can. Thank you for the comment and suggestions!
@@MarcDanielPatrick That's so sweet. I will be waiting for that. Keep safe!
I dreamed a dreamed fantine same year was also great. Different singer
Lea Salonga is vocal goals....a true inspiration
I completely agree with you about this song (and most of Les Mis), the music, words, being best ever and Lea best, favorite, all time... ever. Thank you for saying what I've felt and known since the original!
The first time I saw Les Mis when I was in high school, 9th grade, with our music teacher, practice solo teacher, assistant, and the 50 person honors choir (honors was audition only spanning across 9th to 12th), and for reasons unknown to us she was in the area and took place of the woman in the bulletin. I have never seen my music teachers so freaking excited in their lives when it was announced that she would be the "replacement" (haha) for Eponine that night. I've yet to hear these songs sung by anyone else that even comes close to matching her. I have no idea what put her in Toledo, Ohio at the Stranahan on that one Saturday night but by God, I am eternally grateful!
I just discovered your channel this morning and am so delighted. I love musical theater and having a channel focused on it is perfect. Lea Salonga does such an amazing performance and your comments further enhance my understanding of this song. Looking forward to catching up on all of your posts.
Beautiful stunning performance... it's a Big YES from me, 2 thumbs up. 👍🏼👍🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
The way she sings the last phrase is perfection!
I'm so late to this video and your channel, but it was this that led me to you. the 10th anniversary edition is the one and only for me. I had this on VHS when it first published on PBS. I memorized every lyric, every mouth movement, every voice. This was the musical that led me to musical theater. My childhood dream was to be in the chorus at the next concert production. I never recorded it (pre-cell and camcorders were expensive) but it was this version that I sang at my high school talent show and TO-DATE it's my proudest performance. Not the superiors I got at competition, but the high schooler me singing this song like my life depended on it
Pls react to her cover of Don't Cry For Me Argentina in one of her Concerts. Her performance there has full of emotions and as good as this one. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the comment and for watching. I do love that song as well, I'll check it out.
@@MarcDanielPatrick it has been more than 5 mos sir, pls react to her version of Dont Cry For Me Argentina pls
I never had the pleasure of seeing her perform this song live, but I have had the pleasure of seeing her perform the character of Kim in Miss Saigon on Broadway back in the 90s.
She has really great vocal technique for a belter. It's a rich round resonant tone and is on top of the pitch.
By far my favorite Eponine ever!! She was amazing in Miss Saigon also.