Sondheim responds about the reduced Orchestra for SUNDAY...

[ljay889]

Posted: 8/23/08 at 1:31pm

This is very interesting. First read the original article in the Times from Aug 13. It's all about orchestrations.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/theater/17elli.html?ref=arts

What happened? Were the producers too cheap to allow six more instruments into the theater? “It was part of a particular artistic concept the director had,” said Todd Haimes, Roundabout’s artistic director. “The show had been in a small theater in London. Then when it came over here, Steve Sondheim was asked if he was happy with the way it sounded. He said yes, so there was never a discussion about increasing the size. If he had said, ‘No, it can’t come to New York unless there are 11 musicians,’ we probably would have accommodated that.”



And here is Sondheim's reply from today, Aug 22

Like everybody else, as Ms. Elliott reports, I deplore the downsizing of orchestras, but I understand the economics. If I had thought for one minute that Roundabout, a nonprofit company, could afford 11 players for the revival of “Sunday in the Park With George,” I’d have asked for them. After reading in Ms. Elliott’s article that Todd Haimes, the company’s artistic director, would have given them to me, I’ll know better the next time we work together (which, I hasten to add, I hope will be soon).

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/arts/24alsmail-ORCHESTRATIO_LETTERS.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin

So hopefully this now means Sondheim will ask for a beefier orchestra for MERRILY.
Updated On: 8/23/08 at 01:31 PM

[BustopherPhantom]

Posted: 8/23/08 at 1:50pm

Oh please, Mr. Sondheim, get yourself a proper orchestra for MERRILY. Don't settle for the nightclub orchestrations of the 1994 revival.

Updated On: 8/23/08 at 01:50 PM

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 8/23/08 at 1:59pm

Go Sondheim.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 8/23/08 at 2:24pm

I remember how thrilling that blast of brass was in the opening bars of the Overture to MERRILY in the Alvin in 1981. Even the cast album didn't quite capture it fully. But the reductions heard on Varese and JAY are pale immitations.

[TooDarnHot]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 1:45am

Roscoe Roscoe Roscoe!

Ya gotta read this stuff, sweetheart.

it's right down your alley...

[Byron Abens]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 2:06am

As exciting as those brass sections are on the original Merrily recording, I think the part that always gets me are those descending timpani notes used in in the 79-75 Merrily transition. Something about the sound of a timpani has always intrigued me, I can't tell you what it is.

I just wish I had been old enough to have seen the original production. Hopefully there will be a decent revival of it someday soon.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 7:35am

The original Merrily sounded great, but believe me, it was nothing to look at. Eugene Lee's giant metal erector set would reconfigure into different shapes, all of them ugly. And the remains of Judith Dolan's costumes were in bright garish 80s colors... pinks, purples, reds, all clashing with each other. The score worked, some very funny George Furth one liners and I didn't find the backwards time frame confusing, but you didn't start caring about the characters until midway through Act Two (I think the revision has really helped in this regard, although it's still a problem that you meet the characters at their absolute worst). Lonny Price, Ann Morrison, Jason Alexander and Terry Finn were all pretty memorable, though.

Updated On: 8/24/08 at 07:35 AM

[My Oh My]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 8:20am

Truly depressing what they're doing to Broadway orchestras nowadays. Loved Sondheim's response.

[Smaxie]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 8:33am

It's actually gotten a bit better of late, what with Young Frankenstein having opened with a 25 piece orchestra, Gypsy with 25, South Pacific with 30 and this coming season's West Side Story with 30. Of the long runners, Wicked, The Lion King and Phantom of the Opera all have proper orchestras of over 20. I hope people realize what they've been missing.

Roundabout has had bigger orchestras at Studio 54, including 13 pieces for Assassins. At the time, I didn't really understand why they didn't go with the original 11 for Sunday, but figured it was a creative decision to keep the sound intimate. Guess not!

Updated On: 8/24/08 at 08:33 AM

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 12:28pm

But Smaxie, it was. Didn't it say the director wanted a smaller, intimate sound to go with the smaller show? It made sense to me, and I never for once thought "wow, this show needs a bigger orchestra." I loved that you only heard the strings and the piano. Every time I heard the chord that they play throughout the show, I get chills.

[K8eeyore]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 9:42pm

I loved the part about Starobin still being 'six elevenths' responsible for the orchestrations. Only Sondheim would think of being that precise!

[RuprechtJr.]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 9:52pm

Some of the frills that Starobin added are still in the newer orchestrations, so the new orchestrator did "steal" some of Starobins work. It would be ok if the frills were in Sondheim's score, but since they were added by Starobin it becomes a little less creative to me to just copy and paste them.

[heathurrr]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 9:53pm

"Oh please, Mr. Sondheim, get yourself a proper orchestra for MERRILY. Don't settle for the nightclub orchestrations of the 1994 revival."

... and that perfectly summs up my thoughts. Especially the last part!

[je veux te voir2]

Posted: 8/24/08 at 10:06pm

I'm so happy that the issue of downsizing orchestras is finally being addressed a lot more nowadays. It's been going on for years. For a lot of revivals at Wolf Trap in DC and many other areas in the DC area, there has been a huge uprise in the musician community because the theaters have been using tracks or keyboards that immitate an orchestra. It is a huge travesty. People must never forget that musical theatre is just as important to the musicians as it is to the actors and ensemble on stage. It is a absolutely great employment opportunity. And when we musicians study ever since childhood on our primary instruments and then also learn multiple other instruments in order to get pit orchestra gigs, it is downright horrendous for theaters to start to use tracks because it saves a few bucks.

Not to mention it sounds absolutely awful and completely obvious when they use keyboards or tracks. lol.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 9:28am

I'm curious about Sondheim's reaction. Did he want more musicians for the SUNDAY Revival? I thought he was okay with that atrocious travesty of his work, sorry, brilliant re-imagining. If he wasn't okay with it, why did he allow it in the first place?

[My Oh My]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 9:32am

^ Apparently, he wasn't aware of it. Which I also doubt. And a travesty it is.

[CouldaWouldaShoulda]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 11:45am

The man's a genius.

[Ryan4]

Posted: 8/25/08 at 3:01pm

I thought the small orchestra sounded great when I saw "Sunday..." and was surprised at how much sound they made for so few musicians. I thought the orchestrations were beautifully done and should have beaten "In the Heights" for the Tony.

Posted: 8/25/08 at 7:19pm

I'm also happy that the issue of downsizing orchestras is getting addresses.

I didn't like the somewhat empty orchestration. But regardless of whether it was liked or not, the broadway community extends to the musicians too.

To the musicians, its like if instead of using live actors they used holograms or video of past actors. lol...The musicians deserve better and this really shouldn't become a trend or the musicians union is going to have a huge revolt.