Die-hard Sondheim fans or those who like his music very much will find much to adore here. It is a great opportunity to hear old favourites as well as some not-so-well-known numbers, and to have it performed by talented performers(most very experienced in Sondheim) is even more of a bonus. The concert is beautifully shot, never static and with an intimate touch when needed, and the venue Carnegie Hall makes you feel very welcome. The music is magnificent of course, what do you expect from Sondheim, and I think of a bigger variety than his birthday concert(which is still wonderful) a few years back with more stalwart favourites and a more even balance of what musicals were included(the birthday concert was very Follies-dominant). The orchestrations are as rousing and lush as you could hope, and every nuance comes through in the orchestral playing. The playing has lots of beautiful tone and powerful, lively and nuanced are all done adeptly. Paul Gemignani's conducting is accommodating and has complete authority, all tempos are appropriate and there is a real sense that he has a love for Sondheim and understands him.
The performances are little to complain about either. The highlight was Dorothy Loudon, who gives a truly affecting rendition of Losing My Mind(Follies) and You Could Drive a Person Crazy(Company) doesn't disappoint at all either. Bernadette Peters's Not a Day Goes By(Merrily We Roll Along) is equally deeply felt with a real connection to the words and mood of the song, she's also in much better voice than she was in the birthday concert. Sunday(Sunday in the Park with George, wish there was more numbers from that) is beautifully sung as well. Bill Irwin and Karen Ziemba dance and sing up a storm in Sooner or Later(Dick Tracy), great singing, dancing and acting from both and the chemistry too. Irwin's Evening Introduction is filled with zany humour that leaves you in a good mind for what is to follow.
Patti LuPone's Being Alive(Company) is done with such gusto and is enough to rouse the spirits, Liza Minnelli shows in Back in Business(Dick Tracy) that she still has it- likewise in a more restrained rendition of Old Friends(Merrily We Roll Along) and Harolyn Blackwell's bright clear voice is perfect for Green Finch and Linnett Bird(Sweeney Todd). Johanna/Pretty Ladies(Sweeney Todd) is suitably chilling, and all the ensemble- especially Our Time(Merrily We Roll Along)/Children Will Listen(Into the Woods)- and production numbers are very fine as well. Weekend in the Country(A Little Night Music) is very catchy if slightly repetitive and inventively staged. Lovely to see Jerry Hadley and Madeline Kahn here, they acquit themselves well here and both are still much missed. I've heard better renditions of Send in the Clowns(A Little Night Music), for example Sally Ann Howes(Judi Dench also) but Glenn Close does sport a surprisingly decent voice and it's still quite emotional, much better than Elizabeth Taylor's all-over-the-place rendition in the film at any rate. All in all, a fabulous concert. 10/10 Bethany Cox
The performances are little to complain about either. The highlight was Dorothy Loudon, who gives a truly affecting rendition of Losing My Mind(Follies) and You Could Drive a Person Crazy(Company) doesn't disappoint at all either. Bernadette Peters's Not a Day Goes By(Merrily We Roll Along) is equally deeply felt with a real connection to the words and mood of the song, she's also in much better voice than she was in the birthday concert. Sunday(Sunday in the Park with George, wish there was more numbers from that) is beautifully sung as well. Bill Irwin and Karen Ziemba dance and sing up a storm in Sooner or Later(Dick Tracy), great singing, dancing and acting from both and the chemistry too. Irwin's Evening Introduction is filled with zany humour that leaves you in a good mind for what is to follow.
Patti LuPone's Being Alive(Company) is done with such gusto and is enough to rouse the spirits, Liza Minnelli shows in Back in Business(Dick Tracy) that she still has it- likewise in a more restrained rendition of Old Friends(Merrily We Roll Along) and Harolyn Blackwell's bright clear voice is perfect for Green Finch and Linnett Bird(Sweeney Todd). Johanna/Pretty Ladies(Sweeney Todd) is suitably chilling, and all the ensemble- especially Our Time(Merrily We Roll Along)/Children Will Listen(Into the Woods)- and production numbers are very fine as well. Weekend in the Country(A Little Night Music) is very catchy if slightly repetitive and inventively staged. Lovely to see Jerry Hadley and Madeline Kahn here, they acquit themselves well here and both are still much missed. I've heard better renditions of Send in the Clowns(A Little Night Music), for example Sally Ann Howes(Judi Dench also) but Glenn Close does sport a surprisingly decent voice and it's still quite emotional, much better than Elizabeth Taylor's all-over-the-place rendition in the film at any rate. All in all, a fabulous concert. 10/10 Bethany Cox
