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Logo Credit: David Stout, of “Sketchpad”
Ta-Dah!
With immense thanks to Michelle Moore, who popped up like a fairy godmother and offered to make a website for Outlander: the Musical….and _did_, in less than 48 hours….
Here it is:
Complete with pictures and bios of the performers, ordering links and information (yes, in the fullness of time, you’ll also be able to do this via Amazon and iTunes, but we aren’t quite there yet), a downloadable version of the complete “Blood of my Blood” song, aaaaannnnd….a complete list of the songs, each with its own sample snippet to listen to!
Huge applause for Michelle, and great thanks to Kevin Walsh, who kindly supplied the musical snips! Also to all the performers, who did an amazing job on this project. I hope y’all will enjoy it as much as I have!
Thanks Diana! This is just another way for us to enjoy your wonderful story.
I already listened it to and LOVE it. Can't wait to buy it.
I listened to all the samples, and well, it's not really my cup of tea. But its still a nice idea for those who like this kind of music.
I only have a little logical problem with it:
I thought Jamie can't sing one bit and has no musical understanding at all. Knowing that, it was kind of weird "hearing" Jamie sing (or, to be more correct: to hear someone singing from Jamie's point of view).
Maybe I'm too rational about that, but it still is kind of weird.
Dear Lisa–
Yep. You're too rational. [g]
Nothing wrong with rationality, of course–within reason [cough].
No, really–this illustrates the difference between a literal translation and an adaptation. _Literally_, no, Jamie wouldn't sing. But–as y'all will be able to hear when listening to the complete song-cycle, what Mike and Kevin have done is to crystallize the subtext of the novel, by choosing moments of high emotion/conflict and rendering those in musical terms.
To take one example–the first song there, "The Way that Life Was" is a duet between Frank and Claire, in which they muse, singly and then together, on the fact that they aren't the same people that they were before the war, and therefore, "This is not the way that life was…"
OK. This is exactly what's being illustrated in the first hundred pages or so of OUTLANDER–and yet I never once _said_ explicitly that this was the case between them, nor did they ever have a conversation about that subject. And yet that's the heart of their relationship, right there.
It's also a very moving, and oddly _rousing_ song–you feel their longing and frustration, and yet there's a sense of moving forward to it. No, this _isn't_ the way that they thought life would be…but there is still life that comes next, and what will _that_ be like?
It's fascinating to see just how Mike did this; choosing specific moments that capture something like that. It's a rare skill–though it wouldn't work as well as it does, without Kevin's wonderful musical settings, which capture the mood of the song and give it an additional emotional dimension.
But you know…emotion is _not_ rational. Those two processes use different parts of the brain–and in fact, they interfere with each other [g], as you may have noticed now and then.
(For those who do like this sort of music [g]–there's another full song, "I Am Ready", on Allan Scott-Douglas's website,
http://74218.ccpactor.com/?p=6511&fuid=106471
(sorry, you may have to cut and paste that address; I don't know how to make links "live" inside a comment.))
I was excited to hear the music, but I'm a bit disappointed. The guy doing Jamie sounds a bit, how should I say it, fay.
Dear Anonymous–
Er…do you mean "fey" (which I'm pretty sure doesn't mean what you think it means. [cough] Amongst other things, it's a Scots word, meaning "fated or doomed to die."), or do you mean "gay"? (In which case I will let anyone feeling especially Politically Correct at the moment address your concerns. [g])
Nah, perceptions differ, is all. I haven't met the gentleman in person, and certainly wouldn't speculate about his sexual orientation, but I don't think he's awa' wi' the fairies (that being the definition of "fey" that probably comes closest to what you intended to say). Don't think he sounds effete, either, but then, I've had the advantage of hearing the Whole Thing.
If I recall, Jamie is just tone-deaf. That doesn't mean he's not musical – he was quite the sought-after dance partner in Book 2 & he knew a bit of music theory when it came to decoding important messages, right? So I think it works just fine to have a musical telling of his story. The "Jamie" singer has a very classical, well-trained voice – I imagine that with all his fancy schooling & it being the 18th century and all, Jamie would sing like that, too (pre axe-whack on the head, that is) (-:
Love it all! Now write, write, write, Ms. G!!!!
I think that it is a great idea to make the book into a musical. Would I have ever thought to do it, no, but that doesn't mean it won't work.
I think people are reading (haha) too much into the whole 'musical' concept. Sure in the book Jamie can't sing but that's why it is a musical, Claire didn't sing a whole lot either and I don't think Jenny did at all.
Take Romeo and Juliet for example. How many ways has it been interpreted and re-done since Shakespeare wrote it?
Diana, in no way is my comment a criticism of the performer singing Jamie (his sexual orientation is none of my concern). I just feel that his voice doesn't have the "masculine" tone that I see Jamie having.
And I think I did mean to spell fay with an "a" rather than an "e". My Websters dictionary describes "fay" as resembling an elf or fairy (which is what you were correct in gathering I meant to say). Of course, you're the writer and I defer to you
Anything for you Diana! It's the least I can do to thank you for all those hours with a great book, but that comes second to the wonderful friends I've made because of you. I will be grateful always!
I'm sappy, it's late, I'm going to bed. *G*
Dear Anonymous–
Haha! No, you're right, "fay" is indeed an alternate spelling with the meaning you used. I'm not giggling at you–like I say, tastes and perceptions differ, and _everybody's_ going to have his or her own idea of what Jamie should sound like– but at the notion of juxtaposing Allan with the word "elf." I haven't met him, but I know his, um, dimensions, so to speak–and having been married to a gentleman who's 6'4" and having a son who's 6'5"…that's dang big for an elf, Will Ferrell notwithstanding. [rof,l]
I do admit to giggling over all the outrage caused by Nonsinger Jamie's appearance in a musical–as if it's only those of us who CAN sing who burst into song at a moment's notice. It's a MUSICAL, people–characters sing to communicate, not because they have a good voice or are/aren't musically inclined. LOL.
The more I think about it, the more I think a musical may actually be a better medium for bringing Outlander to life than a film/miniseries. In a musical, characters can communicate with an audience directly through a song, as they might do in a book. So we know about Claire's secret and conflict because she can tell/sing to us, the audience. In a movie, it would be much tougher to do that…
Diana:
"No, this _isn't_ the way that they thought life would be…but there is still life that comes next, and what will _that_ be like?"
It seems the songwriters have hit upon one of the major themes running through the whole series, the characters' ability to "roll with the punches", to adjust to changing circumstances, to not let themselves be destroyed by whatever unexpected shock that life (or their creator <g>) throws at them. Your statement above applies not just to Claire and Frank, but to every single one of the major characters in these books. I think the fact that the songwriters picked up on that is very encouraging.
Based on what I've heard so far, and your comments here, they do seem to "get" what the book (and, by extension, the whole series) is about, on some of the deeper levels, and I for one appreciate that very much. <g>
Can't wait to hear the whole thing!
Karen
I was commenting to one of my "Outlander" friends how much I would appreciate a theatrical production like this more so than a commercialized, Hollywood-ized attempt. Just my humble opinion, and I wouldn't have thought such a thing until hearing the music samples. I have waited with so many for the "movie." Kudos for music and lyrics and I'm excited to be able to get the whole thing!
"…that's dang big for an elf, Will Ferrell notwithstanding. [rof,l]"
That really did make me laugh out loud!
I for one love musical's and When I listen to "I Am Ready" I could just picture the staging in my head
Thank You I sounds delightful. I am looking forward to the CD
Karen–
Yes, they do–definitely 'get' the book and characters, I mean. Mind, it _is_ (has to be) an adaptation, not a literal translation, as I said–but it's a _good_ adaptation, in that it catches the spirit of the original and adds interesting new dimensions to it.
Hope you'll enjoy it!
–Diana
Some of the songs are wonderful extensions of the fantasy. American ears have to listen with Scottish intent. It takes me to where I long to be….right in the middle of Scotland with a man such as Jamie.
Thank you for sharing your talent