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| High-baritonne |
Buying Sondheim CD's!Hi, I have recently began to get to know Sondheim, first through "Sweeney Todd", then through the revival video of "Company" and the Original Broadway Cast Video of "Into the Woods". I have also watched some parts of "Sunday in the Park with George" via YouTube. I have now decided to buy Sondheim Cast Recordings, and wonder which of his musicals, and which of the Cast Recordings I should get.I already have the Broadway Revival of Sweeney Todd on CD and the Deluxe version of the Film Soundtrack. I will not buy any more than 14 CD's. All suggestions will be greatly appreciated. |
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| Dvarg |
Re: Buying Sondheim CD's!
Start with getting all of the Original Broadway Cast albums of his shows. |
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| Salome |
OBC of Follies,Company and Sweeney. his 3 best. | ||||
| ActingDude17 |
Can't judge Follies and Company, but Sweeney is a definite definite. 
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| Sweeney Hyde |
If you can get up to 14 recordings I would suggest these:
1. West Side Story - OBCR 2. Gypsy - OLCR or 2008 Revival 3. A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum - OBCR 4. Anyone Can Whistle - OBCR 5. Company - OBCR 6. Follies - OBCR 7. A Little Night Music - OBCR 8. Pacific Overtures - OBCR 9. Sweeney Todd - OBCR 10. Merrily We Roll Along - Off-Broadway Revival 11. Sunday in the Park with George - OBCR 12. Into the Woods - OBCR 13. Assassins - OCR 14. Passion - OBCR Other great ones: Sweeney Todd - 2000 Concert with the NYC Philharmonic (the most complete recording of the show) The Frogs - OBCR |
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| ActingDude17 |
I also own the Into The Woods OBCR and would suggest that too!
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| High-baritonne |
I know some people will want to shoot me now, but I've now bought 13 different Sondheim CD's. They are:
1. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum - 1962 Original Broadway Cast Recording I'm buying this one out of curiosity. 2. Anyone Can Whistle - 1964 Original Broadway Cast Recording The same goes for this one. 3. Assassins - 2004 Broadway Revival Cast The same goes for this one. 4. Company - 1970 Original Broadway Cast Recording Because I've seen the Broadway Revival DVD and love the music and the lyrics, so I want the original too. 5. Company - 2006 Broadway Revival Cast Recording Because I love the performances. 6. Into the Woods - 1987 Original Broadway Cast Because I love this musical and Bernadette Peters. 7. Into the Woods - 1991 Original London Cast Recording Because of the way the tracks are sorted and because I am a collector who LOVES Into the Woods. 8. Into the Woods - 2002 Broadway Revival Cast Also because I love Into the Woods, and some of the alterations interest me. 9. Passion - 1994 Original Broadway Cast Out of curiosity. 10. Sunday In The Park With George - 1984 Original Broadway Cast Recording I've seen the DVD, and as said above I LOVE Bernadette Peters! 11. Sunday In The Park With George - 2006 London Revival Cast Recording Because I love the music and want more of it than you get on the Broadway CD also because of the dialogue. 12. Sweeney Todd - 1979 Original Broadway Cast Recording Because I love this musical and have the Soundtrack and the Revival CD, and I want ALL the music and as everyone claims the original Sondheim versions are the best. 13. West Side Story - 50th Anniversary Recording I have no idea why I chose this version, but I hate the soundtrack and the original cast. |
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| Dvarg |
With the exception of these:
it's a wonderful list. |
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| High-baritonne |
Why don't you like those two particular recordings? Please, elaborate. | ||||
| Joshua |
Aww you should've bought more from Sweeney Hyde's list. |
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| IndigoMedusa |
You said you would buy no more than 14 CD's right? You still have one more space.... BUY THE OBC OF PACIFIC OVERTURES!!!! It is nothing less than a stroke of genius. I promise you won't regret it. Or if you don't want to buy it, I can post it. But whatever, you just need to hear it. Edit: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=DFW9F4U4 To anyone who hasn't heard it, TAKE IT!!!!!!!! |
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| dolbinau |
Yes, the OBC of Pacific Overtures is to me almost perfection, I love the album art too. I uploaded a (albiet low quality) video of the OBC on YouTube (Complete) you should check out if you are going to get it.
I also love Bernadette Peters, as such my favourite Gypsy recording is the 2003 revival cast so you should look at getting this in future  . (Despite a strange love for Lansbury's recording here).
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| IndigoMedusa |
I saw Bernadette live a few months ago!!! She was so wonderful!!! | ||||
| High-baritonne |
I used that to by the Original Recording of Martin Guerre which actually arrived long before the other CD's which are estimated to arrive between 23rd and 30th of October. Thanks for the upload BTW, but I never add downloads to my music library, virus fright. |
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| Dvarg |
With the OBCR and the OLCR of ITW, you really don't need the revival. It has a few changes that are interesting to a Sondheim fanatic (like me), but they are mainly for the worst. The OLCR is cool because it's so different. The revival recording is similar to the OBCR, but less good. I rarely listen to my copy. (Maybe I should revisit it?) I take it you mean one of those studiorecordings of WSS? Frankly I haven't heard either of them, but it seems they are fairly pointless. One wants actors that sing well in WSS, not pop versions of the songs. If you mean the reissued OBCR of WSS, it's swell, though it lacks much music, and the rewritten America (which I prefer). Your list also have some curious doubled recordings - it's courageous. I'd not dare to buy TWO SITPWGs, for example, until I knew I'd like it. |
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| High-baritonne |
I have bought only one CD I've regretted before and that was the London Production of Lord of the Rings which I bought after I saw the show! I swear, the music was SO much better performed on-stage! And I pretty much LOVE music, almost any kind of music, so I will not regret anything written by the man who wrote two of my favorite musicals. I've also seen the Sunday In the Park with George video, so I don't consider it risky.
The West Side Story CD I've bought is a studio recording, with all the songs plus the instrumental parts. The thing with West Side Story is that the music is SO beautiful, but I have yet to listen to an album artist who is good enough for them. |
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| Salome |
Dvarg,
I disagree with your asesment o the broadway revival of ITW for one person..John McMartin...he is the epitome of the narrator. his performance blows teh other 2 away. the nuance and texture he brought to the role justifies buying the revival CD. |
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| Dvarg |
Well, I haven't listened too closely to it (and don't really hate it), but there are LOTS of Sondheim steuff that is more essential than that particular (and small) performance. |
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| High-baritonne |
I just saw a bootleg of the Broadway Revival of Into the Woods, and I must say that Agony was far more funny with the new princes than with the originals! And the thing with the cow was so funny! I laughed much more about all the little stuff, so if I am to say which one is my favorite it has to be the Original Broadway Cast, but that is for two, and two reasons only! 1, Bernadette Peters. 2, the bakers wife who's name I can't recall. | ||||
| dolbinau |
I don't know, I personally feel the opposite about the ITW revival - I miss all the supporting cast a lot more than I do Bernadette and I liked the plastic cow just because of the moment when the Baker picked it up and ran, lol.
Also, I didn't like how the narrator was more involved with the characters, like, hanging the birds etc.. for Cinderella - It made the part when the characters turn on him to give to the giant less shocking as the '3rd wall?' (Well maybe not 3rd wall, but whatever wall, you know what I mean) had already been broken between the narrator/characters. |
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| High-baritonne |
I see your point too, but I have always loved "Agony" and "No One is Alone" and the Revival have made me love them even more! Although they manage to ruin some great parts in the revival, especially "There's a dead giant in my backyard". | ||||
| Dvarg |
What I meant to say by this, is that when buying your first Sondheim cast recordings, three versions of ITW is not necessarily what you need the most if you have a limited number of cds to buy. |