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My favorite song sung by Lea Salonga (honestly) is "Sun and Moon"
from, of course, Boublil and Schonberg's masterpiece, Miss Saigon.
While I'm sure quite a few may say this song (as I believe I read
somewhere that this is also Lea's favorite song from Miss Saigon), I
truly love this song for the various musical and lyrical elements that
it so beautifully combines (plus, it is from the musical that of
course, won Lea her Tony award). Lea sings everything with such
beauty, and I think to ultimately choose a favorite, you have to go
beyond the beauty and clarity of her voice because she is so vocally
consistent. In this song, she combines all of her perfect vocal
talents in a duet to convey the strength of Kim's love and the
happiness.
As I'm sure you know, the song is sung by Kim and Chris; it
metaphorically compares Kim to the moon and Chris to sunlight. In its
short 2:43 time, it captures the love situation that is happening in
Saigon. Lea brilliantly sings her part and has the passion in her
voice to convey that, while the sun and moon shouldn't meet in the
sky, Kim and Chris (paralleling the moon and sun) have met in the sky.
It's something that is not destined to happen, but the excitement of
Lea's voice coupled with its melodic tune shows her conviction in its
truth. Even in the Original London Cast recording, we are blessed
with the clarity and ever-on-pitch Salonga (who became even more
confident in this part as the play moved to Broadway). With her
magnificent timbre, never-failing enunciation and intonation, she
conveys Kim's feelings to the point where the listener feels her
happiness—the listener understands that while everything in Kim's life
has gone wrong thus far, something un-destined to happen has gone
right. Lea's talent for acting and singing undoubtedly spur this
feeling. There are really no words for it—the beauty behind Lea's
marvelous tone perfectly fits the role and truly expresses Kim's
feelings.
"Sun and Moon" is played in a calm E major melody, and later
transitions to a D major melody. Claude-Michel Schonberg's melodies
throughout this song are unique (at some points, it feels as if a
harmonic line were the melody), and the harmonies between Kim and
Chris, especially before the key change, are captivating! Once again,
Lea Salonga (and in the OLC, Simon Bowman) hit each note perfectly and
absolutely fascinate the listener. Each moment builds to the message
they convey. As Lea and Simon alternate on the sequence, "The birds
awake… The stars shine too… My hands still shake… I reach for you, And
we meet in the sky!" the climbing melodic line, followed by a
brilliant harmony not only makes the song memorable, but highlights
the ultimate message—Kim and Chris, the moon and sun, have met in the
sky, with the "flame of love."
I think it's as simple as that. Lea Salonga absolutely enchants all
listeners as Kim with her beautiful voice in this song. It's one of
the few songs I know that uses such a powerful metaphor – the sun and
the moon – to reveal the love and unrivaled passion between two
people. And while it doesn't have the beautiful end sequence in "The
Last Night of the World" or "I Still Believe," the song has enough
beauty in its own melody. Lea (as I'm sure) has sung this as close to
vocally perfect as humanly possible in one of her many performances
and, in its perfection, this has got to be one of the best. With
Lea's clarity and natural vocal beauty, this song absolutely
enthralls. Its melodies, harmonies, and message are not easily
forgotten, and with Lea singing it, "Sun and Moon" will always be a
favorite.
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As I'm sure you know, the song is sung by Kim and Chris; it metaphorically compares Kim to the moon and Chris to sunlight. In its short 2:43 time, it captures the love situation that is happening in Saigon. Lea brilliantly sings her part and has the passion in her voice to convey that, while the sun and moon shouldn't meet in the sky, Kim and Chris (paralleling the moon and sun) have met in the sky. It's something that is not destined to happen, but the excitement of Lea's voice coupled with its melodic tune shows her conviction in its truth. Even in the Original London Cast recording, we are blessed with the clarity and ever-on-pitch Salonga (who became even more confident in this part as the play moved to Broadway). With her magnificent timbre, never-failing enunciation and intonation, she conveys Kim's feelings to the point where the listener feels her happiness—the listener understands that while everything in Kim's life has gone wrong thus far, something un-destined to happen has gone right. Lea's talent for acting and singing undoubtedly spur this feeling. There are really no words for it—the beauty behind Lea's marvelous tone perfectly fits the role and truly expresses Kim's feelings.
"Sun and Moon" is played in a calm E major melody, and later transitions to a D major melody. Claude-Michel Schonberg's melodies throughout this song are unique (at some points, it feels as if a harmonic line were the melody), and the harmonies between Kim and Chris, especially before the key change, are captivating! Once again, Lea Salonga (and in the OLC, Simon Bowman) hit each note perfectly and absolutely fascinate the listener. Each moment builds to the message they convey. As Lea and Simon alternate on the sequence, "The birds awake… The stars shine too… My hands still shake… I reach for you, And we meet in the sky!" the climbing melodic line, followed by a brilliant harmony not only makes the song memorable, but highlights the ultimate message—Kim and Chris, the moon and sun, have met in the sky, with the "flame of love."
I think it's as simple as that. Lea Salonga absolutely enchants all listeners as Kim with her beautiful voice in this song. It's one of the few songs I know that uses such a powerful metaphor – the sun and the moon – to reveal the love and unrivaled passion between two people. And while it doesn't have the beautiful end sequence in "The Last Night of the World" or "I Still Believe," the song has enough beauty in its own melody. Lea (as I'm sure) has sung this as close to vocally perfect as humanly possible in one of her many performances and, in its perfection, this has got to be one of the best. With Lea's clarity and natural vocal beauty, this song absolutely enthralls. Its melodies, harmonies, and message are not easily forgotten, and with Lea singing it, "Sun and Moon" will always be a favorite.
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