Beautiful Instrumental Pieces?- Page 2

[EricMontreal22]

Posted: 5/29/12 at 4:23pm

Horse Tears--thanks for bringing up On The Town. I think the ballet music is really the heart of the piece and some of the most gorgeous music Bernstein wrote. Thankfully the recording he did in the 60s (I believe) is included as bonus material on the studio cast album with much of the original cast they did around then.

I have to echo the vote for the prologue of Follies--I love the song with lyrics, but I think I prefer it without. This doesnt' really count, but I also love Sondheim's Stavisky score and have always thought it would make a good ballet piece (Sondheim has mentioned how much of the orchestral music he loves the most is ballet--I was pleased to see in his list of record albums a copy of Glazunov's gorgeous score for Raymonda--and I would love to hear an original score from him for a ballet).

My favorite Rodgers piece is Slaughter on Tenth Avenue.

[Gypsy9]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 6:40am

How could I forget about the symphonic dance music from Leonard Bernstein's ON THE TOWN? It adds so much to an already marvelous studio cast recording with most of the original cast members, made in the 1960's. From that album, one of my very favorite cast recordings, is the wonderful, sublime "Some Other Time". How about a really good revival? The only time I have seen a production was a good one at the Arena Stage in Washington. I realize there have been Broadway revivals but for some reason they have all fizzled.

[jdrye222]

Posted: 5/30/12 at 7:17pm

I just have to second the LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA - Full Overture version. Possibly one of the most beautiful things ever written for the theater. It is a shame they didn't keep the full overture intact in the theater, but I understand why.