"It is...from the devil."

I think I heard from the opposition today.
One of my friends (who shall remain nameless--unless he wants to identify himself--because I didn't ask whether I could quote him) told me about asking a Russian exchange student for the newly translated-and-released Jesus Christ Superstar from Moscow. The student said he would not get it for him for the reason quoted in the title of this post. I listened to Moscow '92 a few days ago (is it the first Russian recording? Couldn't tell you for sure) and didn't think there was anything objectionable in it. As I've said before, though, I know there are people who find the very idea of JCS blasphemous, and perhaps the Russian exchange student was one of those.
Or maybe he was thinking of the version I listened to today.
This was the first JCS I found disturbing. A whole bunch of separate elements combined to give me this impression. In the overture, sections of the score were unexpectedly repeated or omitted--and when you're as familiar with the score as I am, any deviation is attention-grabbing. But I didn't think that was so bad at first because variety is the spice of Lent.
Then it seemed like the songs had gotten out of order somehow--was Jesus singing "Poor Jerusalem" immediately afterward? It was the melody for it, but what the words were of course I can't say. It was strange to hear it here because this song comes in most versions right after "Simon Zealotes" (or "Simon de Fanaticus," as his name is wonderfully rendered in the Dutch JCS I listened to yesterday).
Things just got weirder as they went. The melodic setting for the last moments of Jesus' trial before Pilate (where he sings, "Where are you from, Jesus?") showed up right after "Everything's All Right," but again, what were they actually singing? As this continued to happen, I formed a theory--maybe the Russian translators decided the audience wouldn't have the background knowledge of the story necessary to make sense of the show, and so they added musical numbers to provide more backstory. They just recycled melodies used elsewhere so as to preserve the show's integrity.
But what was this? "Hosanna" was like a dance remix of everything, incorporating elements of "Simon Zealotes," "Superstar," "Strange Thing Mystifying," "Death of Judas," "Last Supper," and probably a couple of other things I didn't recognize in regurgitated format.
It didn't make sense. And it certainly did not preserve the integrity of the show. It was like putting the show in a Cuisinart.
What else bothered me...
...the heavy reverb placed on most of the voices most of the time, making them sound less than human. It gave the impression the singers were stranded inside a cavernous, desolate space.
...the way choral parts were buried deep in the mix. I strained to hear them. Again, the impression was of great distance between everyone.
...the "wobble" used in some of the songs to make the instruments sound out of tune. This effect was used a lot in "The Temple"--together with another restating of the "Poor Jerusalem" theme.
...making "I Don't Know How To Love Him" a duet. ???? And then adding some of the melody to "King Herod's Song" into it--yeah, that musical theme does not have the connotations you want in this part of the show.
I could go on, but I'll spare you. I'll just say the overarching sense was of ugliness--ripping something apart and then putting it back together haphazardly.