Your favourite orchestrations

[musicalperson17]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 10:24pm

Great orchestrations are like a great dish. You may not taste each ingredient individually but they all blend into something great. Same goes for good orchestrations. I hate it when you can hear all the instruments try and blend and not sound harmonious. I'm curious to hear your opinions.

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 10:27pm

I love the orchestrations for Phantom and Evita.

[Orangesaretuesdays]

Posted: 1/3/11 at 10:34pm

The original orchestrations for Company are thrilling!

[chewy5000]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:43am

Jonathan Tunick can do no wrong.

I also have a thing for the woodwind in Anyone Can Whistle.

[newintown]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 9:50am

Tunick is the model from whom all can learn. Starobin is excellent with smaller ensembles.

In the past several years, the best I've heard were Tunick's work on A Catered Affair and Larry Blank's for The Drowsy Chaperone.

[philly03]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 10:15am

Tunick's orchestrations to Napoleon made the music interesting. He really is the best.

Also: Phantom of the Opera, Woman in White, .. most Lloyd Webber musicals.

[mallardo]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 11:34am

Anything by Tunick. Almost anything by William Brohn or Bruce Coughlan or Michael Starobin.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 11:36am

Love Never Dies.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:00pm

Some interesting ones:

MAN OF LA MANCHA - Brass, woodwinds, 2 Spanish guitars, 2 percussionists, no string section, no keyboards.

LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA - Piano, Strings, woodwinds, guitar, harp, percussion, no brass section.

SEE WHAT I WANNA SEE - piano, bass, two woodwind players, THREE percssion players.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:15pm

I love the massive amounts of percussion in Celebration. Also, the orchestrations to the original Madrid recording of Evita are sumptuous. But as far as ingenuity, I think Company and Into the Woods are tops.

[ClapYo'Hands]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:18pm

I find the Madrid EVITA to be really lacking.

[gvanover]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:29pm

This is a tough one...

I, too, love the original "Company" and the Original "Funny Thing...Forum". And though I think it is a little too chorded in parts, "Sweeney Todd" has some excellent passages.

I know I will probably be killed for saying this, but "Little Women" has some gorgeous scoring, especially in both of Marme's numbers.

And, Wildhorn's "Camille Claudel" and Brown's "Parade" both make my list.

[rougeduck]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:56pm

Ragtime (original) and Sweeney (original).

[morosco]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 12:58pm

I love the GRAND HOTEL orchestrations by Peter Matz.

[rougeduck]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 1:10pm

Incidentally does anyone have the brilliant New York Philharmonic recording of Sweeney?

[SondheimFan23]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 3:00pm

anything by Stephen Sondheim

[Smaxie]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 3:14pm

There's lots of terrific orchestrators beyond Tunick's great work for the Sondheim shows. Check out the work of Sid Ramin, Robert Ginzler, Eddie Sauter, Billy Byers, Tori Zito, Ralph Burns, Irwin Kostal, Mort Lindsay, Luther Henderson... Almost everything they touched still sounds extraordinary.

[SondheimFan5]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 3:36pm

I love Doug Besterman's work on THE PRODUCERS.

Next to that, pretty much anything by Jonathan Tunick (Follies, Sweeney) or Robert Russell Bennet (South Pacific, The King & I) is amazing. Also love Ragtime and the Scarlet Pimpernel.

[morosco]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 3:58pm

I really like Harold Wheeler's work as well. Especially Dreamgirls and Side Show.

[bwaymizfit2]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:05pm

@gvanover. Let's just say that if shots get fired, we'll be going down together!

[Weez]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:08pm

It's not that I don't adore great big full beautiful orchestras, and it's not that I don't adore the work of Jonathan Tunick (making musical theatre sound great since 1957!), but I have a LOT of love for Sarah Travis's orchestrations for Sweeney Todd. I love the way she cuts the instruments down to the bare minimum, but still maintains the spirit of the show and keeps some of the brilliant little moments you almost might not notice on any other day.

Updated On: 1/4/11 at 04:08 PM

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 4:48pm

Jonathan Tunick and William David Brohn were the two that sprung instantly to mind - Company, Into the Woods and Ragtime are particularly brilliant.

Has anyone read 'The Sound of Broadway Music - A Book of Orchestrators and Orchestrations' by Steven Suskin? Excellent book, highly recommended for anyone interested in the subject...

[philly03]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 5:25pm

I'd put Frank WIldhorn's Camille Claudel on my list as well (which was orchestrated by Jonathan Tunick as well!).

Also: Edward B. Kessel who did "A Tale of Two Cities"!

[Tamerlano]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 5:57pm

Philip J Lang..Mame, Annie and 42nd Street.

[givesmevoice]

Posted: 1/4/11 at 6:16pm

Another Philip J. Lang: Fanny. Including the bass, 14 in the string section? That's kind of bananas and incredibly beautiful.