Well, I went the the library today... — Page 2

You really think ALNM is inaccessible? Maybe it's because I have a background in classical, but I actually found this score to be lovely from the first time I listened to it. Now, something like Anyone Can Whistle or Sunday in the Park With George- that can get relatively inaccessible.

Aigoo, maybe Company or Follies will be more up your alley.

Updated On: 6/28/05 at 09:43 PM

Which Traviata did you get, Aigoo? I worship Carlos Kleiber's Traviata with Ileana Cotrubas, but I'm trying Solti's with Angela Gheorghiu currently, which isn't bad (she has a much heftier voice, and is a bit more confident with the colatura work, but lacks some of the sparkle). I envy your library...sounds like a nice selection. You should get Otello and Rigoletto too.

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Grazie, Aigoo. :)

And if the Follies OBC doesn't do it for you, the concert recording is definitely worth trying. It's practically the only Sondheim show where I don't think the OBC is necessarily the definitive recording.

Gah, Sunday. If that doesn't cause you to worship Bernadette Peters, I don't know what will. I worship her performance in that show- it's right up there with Joanna Gleason in Into the Woods.

I'll explain my ALNM comment this way -- I LOVE Sondheim. I think he's an absolute genius. Someone asks me who I'd want to have dinner with, my answer is Sondheim. I think ALNM is beautiful, BUT it took me the longest time to get into (aside from Bounce which I still don't totally like). I even liked Passions on my first listen. I just think in general for a modern audience ALNM is most removed of his scores from what we're used to hearing. Like I said, still not a fan of Liasons, and The Glamorous Life doesn't do much for me either, but most of the score is fantastic.

Aigoo -- I've never seen Follies, but the music is some of Sondheim's best, and most often anthologized. One of my all time favorite songs from ALL musicals is Losing My Mind, but the score is full of great music. You need to get the double disc PaperMill Playhouse recording - some of the cut stuff (there's a joke about that on a CD called Big City Rhythm in a song called "I Won't Sing a Sondheim Song" which cracks me up every time) is awesome - especially "Can That Boy FFFFFFFF-oxtrot"

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Oh, god, they disrespect Chopin like that? *is in psychic pain*

I think you'll like Sunday. Or at least I hope so.

I've always appreciated opera, but now, I'm thinking, "VERDI?! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!"





I know, Plum...I know.

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