The genius of Sondheim- Page 3

[freeadmission]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 12:14pm

Perhaps, but that has nothing to do with Sondheim being a musical/lyrical genius bound for classicism.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 12:17pm

voiceanth-- you're killing me. There are different levels of music and different kinds and I'm not saying that some are better than others. But get a grip and go to the off-topic board and we'll all agree with you that John Mayer is cool. But get off the Sondheim thread because they are not related.

Updated On: 8/24/05 at 12:17 PM

Posted: 8/24/05 at 12:18pm

Everything is related! Everything!

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 12:22pm

I've learned my lesson and I'm ignoring you now.

[BoxFive]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 12:41pm

Sondheim's informed and passionate music will always be respected and regarded with praise. Someone here clued me into voiceanth and his infantile antics, he likes to provoke and thinks of himself as "above it all"-seems he was gone for a year after they fired him as a writer for BWW, it all makes sense now! Sad. As for John Mayer, well he's a talent to watch, who adores Broadway...he told me so himself!

[MisterRussell]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 12:59pm

bump

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 1:16pm

The next chapter in the legacy of Stephen Sondheims life will not necessarily be in regards to his musicals. He is done writing the shows he once was writing. In no means is he incapable, but I think his ability as a teacher of the theatre will be the lasting link from his generation to the next. I correspond with Mr. Sondheim personally and he is nothing if not a mentor and a teacher. His influence over the creative minds of the next generation is impossible to overlook. His willingness to teach, learn and understand is what seperates him from the rest. Sondheim is going to be the name that people refer to when they speak of their influences.

This is a far greater way to preserve a legacy than any musical, no matter how great. Sondheim realizes that if he can help one person he is helping a generation and the works of Adam Guettel, Michael John LaChiusa, Jason Robert Brown, Jeanine Tesori, Marc Shaiman and any number of others will reflect his brilliance.

Updated On: 8/24/05 at 01:16 PM

[MisterRussell]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 1:21pm

Sum:

Incredibly well-said.

As a writer myself, I can claim him as one of my chief influences.

Along with the likes of W.S. Gilbert, Tim Rice and Stephen Schwartz.

A toast to the genius of Sondheim.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 1:28pm

I'll drink to that!

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 1:30pm

Bravo, sum, very elegantly and logically said.




By the way, I'm jealous that you correspond with him. That must be so exciting. Hold on, I'm PMing you right now.

[MrBungee7]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 1:41pm

'Genius' is individual. You cannot judge it by any rule or standard. Most importantly, you cannot judge it against the genius of someone else. Thank you.

[rusmic]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 3:39pm

Comparing Mozart and anyone who composes music isn't really that far fetched. Not many stand up to the standard of Mozart (or Beethoven, or Chopin, or..well I could go on forever there) but it's a fact ALL music stems from the classical. We learn from what comes before, whether we want to admit it or not.

Now as far as Sondheim, I am one that has always liked a lot of Sondheims songs but never really "get" a lot of his shows. I keep trying though, because I do love the music and the lyrics, and I KNOW there is something there. Sweeney Todd is actually one of the shows I have the hardest time with, and I know a lot of people on this board love that show. But because I have such a limited access to musical theatre (where I live and money restraints) I do watch anything I can find on TV and get to the few shows that come here. I hope I expressed that right, I'm not trying to deny that Sondheim is a genius because I do see that. I just think that for people that don't get exposed to that much theatre, it's a bit harder to get in to his shows. I still am not sure I said it right, but there it is.

[SorryGrateful]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 4:05pm

rusmic, I think you made sense. But the point is that at least you try and don't automatically dismiss it. You know that there's something good there and you're trying to get it. I think you are to be commended for that. And if you end up not liking Sondheim's stuff, at least respect him for what he's done for and in musical theatre.

[rusmic]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 8:06pm

Thanks SorryGrateful, I'm glad it made sense. I do think part of the reason I keep trying to watch Sondheim shows is because I like so many songs from Sondheim shows, when they are sung out of the context of the shows, so I try to listen to the cast recordings or watch what I can to get the full impact of the songs. It doesn't always work for me. I probably should say, when I say I don't "get" the show, I do understand what is going on for the most part, but I still think I miss something because I don't think WOW when it's over. I guess I'll be a Sondheim fan that doesn't like Sondheim shows? I did watch the whole Passion concert from Live at Lincoln Center and actually liked quite a bit of it.

[jam_man]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 9:42pm

Sorry I missed the fireworks from earlier!

rusmic, I believe your last point about people who aren't exposed to enough musical theatre, it's harder for them to get into Sondheim shows. Today in my Theatre Arts class, in which we can bring in CDs, I started playing "You Must Meet My Wife" from A Little Night Music, and everyone started asking "What's that?" Keep in mind, this is a class that one of the possible requirements is that you be an official Thespian, but I'm sure I see many more shows than most/all of them. Anyway, after a few bars or so, a few people decided, "Okay, we're putting in Wicked!"


AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I had a bit of a tough day.



Now granted, without knowing much, if anything about the show to begin with, it's hard enough to get into new theatre music, let alone Sondheim (let alone Night Music).

[yipper]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 9:59pm

I wish Sondheim would write a book on the craft of writing for the theatre. I've never read or seen an interview with him that didn't include some astonishing insight into the way theatre works. We can honestly say we have been blessed to live in time with such an artistic genius.

[jam_man]

Posted: 8/24/05 at 10:50pm

yipper, that's a WONDERFUL idea!!!!!!! Any of us with any correspondence with Mr. Sondheim should see if we could convince him of such an idea. I would wait at the bookstore all night for that one. Not that many bookstores around here would carry that, but I'd still get it as early as possible.