Tarzan Cast-Album - German original version

Broadway or Hamburg? The German cast recording for the musical Tarzan competes with the Broadway version and there is no definite winner. Both versions have both strong and weak points: Phil Collins’s music is the same, it is rather entertaining pop music without much theatrical effect and unfortunately also frequently without a dramaturgical structure. The strongest pieces are the songs that were used for the film. New songs like Wer Ich Wirklich Bin and Auf Einmal are pleasant, too.
A big plus for the Hamburg recording is the orchestra. The full and strong sounding ensemble, actually the orchestra playback from the Dutch version, introduces new colours to the score and is quite superior to the Broadway version. Andreas Lichtenberger as the ape leader Kerchak and Ana Milva Gomes as monkey mom Kala are on a par with their Broadway colleagues. Unfortunately they have to waste their talent mainly with the weaker songs. Gomes’s version of Dir Gehört Mein Herz is certainly unbeatably beautiful; she really gives the song a very special something.

cover When one listen to the main actors it shows that the recording was made while the rehearsals were still going on. Anton Zetterholm and Elisabeth Hübert sing in fine voices but their interpretations is not quite up their with that of their Broadway counterparts. A strong accent mars the performance of Rommel Singson who plays Tarzan’s best friend Terk – his lyrics are very difficult to understand. Perhaps it is for the better because Frank Lenart’s translation has a couple of quirks: Song Of Man, for example, became So Ein Mann [Such A Man].
Hamburg or Broadway? In the end it is a matter of personal preference. Both recordings are worthwhile listening to and have fine moments. The German version is worth buying because of the stronger orchestra and the touching Dir Gehört Mein Herz. The bonus track, a duet version of Dir Gehört Mein Herz sung by Elisabeth Hübert and Anton Zetterholm, is dispensable.