Les Miserables soundtrack

FOR THE LES READER: How will Republic’s Les Misérables soundtrack fare as the sprawling musical flick’s Xmas debut nears? Advance buzz on the film is deafening, and the unique approach to recording vocals—they were sung live on set by stars Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Russell Crowe, et al and synced to track in post—has heightened curiosity about the album, which will offer just over an hour of music. Usually iTunes owns soundtracks, but the older-skewing audience for this stage perennial (multiple mountings are treading boards worldwide as we speak) could mean a larger-than-usual physical-sales factor. We also wonder if the multiplatinum original cast recording (1987) and Susan Boyle’s starmaking rendition of the show’s “I Dreamed a Dream” will get another big ride on the film’s 18^th Century coattails. (12/3p)