What a tantalizing first issue this is. PS Classics has been granted
permission, on the occasion of Stephen Sondheim's 75 birthday, to begin
releasing his own demonstration recordings made as he wrote the scores for
the Broadway shows that have made him a legendary master of musical theater.
As explained in the introduction written by Sondheim's archivist, Peter E.
Jones, Sondheim made "demo" recordings of seventy-four of his songs between
1962 and 1972. Most were made at the home of a friend who had a "hi-fi" tape
recorder even as early as 1962. From this collection, nineteen are included
here, Each is a fascinating opportunity to explore the thought process
involved in creation by listening to them being sung before anyone started
"interpreting" them either as part of the collaborative process of staging a
show or as a vocalist's vehicle in the recording studio, concert hall or
club. This is a disc that you won't put on as background music and you won't
listen to very often - but the afternoon or evening you spend exploring it
will be well worth the price. |
Contents: Stephen Sondheim
playing and singing songs from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the
Forum, Company, Anyone Can Whistle, A Little Night Music, Follies and
more.Sondheim himself is quoted as
saying of his singing style: "I tend to sing very loud, usually off pitch
and (I) always write in keys that are just out of my range." No matter. His
piano playing is energetic and clear while his singing voice is good enough
to carry, if not the tune, then the essence of the song. It is never painful
to listen to. Instead, it is both a privilege and a pleasure. And just wait
till you hear Mr. Sondheim himself murmur, as he's called upon to do three
times in the song "The Lame, the Halt and the Blind" which was cut from
Anyone Can Whistle.
Guided by Peter Jones' notes, which place
each song in perspective, there are great discoveries to be had here. You
can follow the legendary evolution of the opening of A Funny Thing
Happened on the Way to the Forum where the show only really worked after
the right opening was created. And, the three efforts to construct a final song
for Company are brought together so you can see what each did for the
show that launched the concept of the concept musical.
The lyrics of the songs are printed in the
booklet in the form that they took when Sondheim recorded them. There are
fascinating and frustrating features to the presentation. The fascinating
aspect is the footnoting which shows the changes made before the songs were
unveiled to the public. The frustrating thing is there is no indication of
the date of each recording so you can't tell just how far in advance of
opening night for each show the recording was made. |
