The Demo CD Finally Arrives

Yes, finally. Go to http://www.draculamusical.co.ukto hear them. Enjoy!

TRACK 1: OVERTURE (Instrumental)

TRACK 2: MUST YOU GO (Katie Roehl sings the role of Mina)

TRACK 3: ARRIVAL AT THE CASTLE (Instrumental)

TRACK 4: PREY (Instrumental)

TRACK 5: LUCY & MINA'S REUNION (Instrumental)

TRACK 6: THE STORM (Instrumental)

TRACK 7: THE ONE THAT I LOVE REPRISE (Jessica Cromheecke sings the sole of Lucy)

TRACK 8: TONIGHT WE MAY SLEEP (Instrumental)

TRACK 9: THE GRAVEYARD (Instrumental)

TRACK 10: SAVE THE LIVING REPRISE (Instrumental)

TRACK 11: BEYOND THE DARKNESS (Katie Roehl sings the role of Mina & Jessica Cromheecke sings the role of Lucy)

TRACK 14: NEAR WATER (Instrumental)

TRACK 15: MY HOPE (Instrumental)

TRACK 16: LET ME TRY (Katie Roehl sings the role of Mina)

TRACK 17: A MAN WHO ONCE WAS YOUNG (Instrumental)

TRACK 18: ON THE EDGE OF MORNING (Katie Roehl solo, Piano Only)

Dracula Visits A Recording Studio

It should have happened in March but it ended up taking place in July. The middle of July. Never the less, it was a historic occasion and it was the first time that I heard the songs from DRACULA, as they should be, performed by talented singers with orchestral accompaniment in a professional environment. Well, ok so I'd heard them rehearse but don't spoil and good story (and my study is hardly a professional environment).

THE SINGERS

At this point in time I had to be realistic about my goals. While I do have contacts that could have got me a good number of pro and semi-pro singers that specialise in musical theatre, I resigned myself to producing 5 tracks of female vocal material from the show.

I was delighted to be working with a good friend of mine, Katie Roehl. I met Katie through Beenham Band, which she conducted. After hearing her sing in a rehearsal I asked her if she'd be interested in the project and luckily she jumped at the chance. Katie is a trained mezzo soprano with an amazing range and great vocal purity. The first song I approached Katie with was LET ME TRY, although slightly phased by some of the lyrics, said "Right let's have a look at this" and proceeded to sight sing the entire song with pretty much 95% accuracy. Katie sings Mina's songs on the demo recordings of LET ME TRY, MUST YOU GO and ON THE EDGE OF MORNING.

Some time later I mentioned that there was a duet from the show I would also like to record (BEYOND THE DARKNESS). Katie said she would introduce me to a friend of her's, Jessica Cromheecke who is a wonderfully rich soprano. Jessica and Katie's voices blend particularly well. Jessica sings THE ONE I LOVE (REPRISE) and Lucy's part in BEYOND THE DARKNESS.

The added advantage was that both Katie and Jessica are aged matched to Mina and Lucy and their voice maturity I think is pretty spot on for the roles.

THE REHEARSAL PROCESS

Basically I prepared piano vocal scores of the 5 songs I wanted to record which I handed over to Katie and Jessica. Being amazingly quick learners, they were able to come to rehearsals knowing the music pretty well. They were able to offer advice on making some minor alterations to the original music such as key changes to move the vocal lines into more classic mezzo or soprano ranges and helped give ideas about changes in vocal quality. We then rehearsed with the orchestral tracks, I made changes to add a small amount of vocal support or note Qs as well as a few tweaks to the tempo etc so that the orchestral tracks matched, as much as possible, the performance the singers wanted to give.

THE MUSIC

The orchestral tracks I used are directly from the full score of the musical and have been recorded using sampling technology of the Vienna Symphonic Library. Yeah ok so it's not 100% realistic but I don't have a budget of millions of pounds or the time to rehearse a full band.

THE STUDIO

The tracks were recorded at the Shak Studio in Pewsey. The studio is an intimate environment that forms part of Pewsey's Sports and Youth Development Centre which is run by a good friend of mine, Ivor Richards. Prior to this engagement, Ivor has years of recording experience working with some top names including Michael Ball and have been involved in countless live recordings of bands for different organisations.

THE RESULTS

The tracks are currently being mixed at the moment for the best results, but if you're absolutely desperate to hear something in the mean time, what about the newly orchestrated Overture?