The Story So Far...

構成数 : 4枚
合計収録時間 : 05:00:12
Lyricist: Stephen Sondheim. Personnel: Stephen Sondheim (vocals, piano); Cheryl Bentyne , Chita Rivera, Christopher Durang, John Cameron Mitchell, Claude Bolling, Cy Walter, William Parry, Charmian Carr, Daisy Prince, David Winters, Dean Jones, Debra Monk, Donna Murphy, Eddie Korbich, Eddie Roll, Elaine Stritch, Ethel Merman, Sarah Rice, Kim Crosby, Jonathan Hadary, Sarah Stanley, Jim Walton , Chuck Wagner, Gedde Watanabe, George Hearn, George Lee Andrews, Glynis Johns, Greg Germann, Grover Dale, Hank Brunjes, Marcus Olson, Howard McGillin, Tony Mordente, Maureen Moore, Jack Cassidy , Janis Siegel, Lee Remick, Lee Wilkof, Len Cariou, Linda Lavin, Liz Callaway, Liza Minnelli, Lonny Price, Lorraine Feather, Marilyn Cooper, Madonna, Mandy Patinkin, Mel Torme, Michael Cerveris, Michael Rupert , Nathan Lane, Pamela Myers, Patrick Cassidy, Patti LuPone, Angela Lansbury, Ann Morrison, Annie Golden, Robert Westenberg, Roger Bart, Arte Johnson, Stan Freeman, Stephen Collins, Barbara Cook, Victor Garber, Zero Mostel, Bernadette Peters, Hermione Gingold, Marin Mazzie, Billy Stritch, Richard Kind, Larry Kerr, Carol Bruce, Carol Burnett, Carol Lawrence (vocals); John Barrow (French horn); Paul Gemignani (percussion). Liner Note Authors: Hal Prince; Stephen Sondheim. Recording information: Carnegie Hall, New York, NY; The Hit Factory, New York, NY. Authors: Frank Rich; Judi Dench; Laura Benanti; Lonny Price; Mandy Patinkin; Michael Feinstein; Patti LuPone; Victor Garber; Paul Gemignani. Photographer: Martha Swope. Arrangers: Jim Tyler; Jeremy Lubbock; Shirley Walker . Stephen Sondheim: The Story So Far is a four-CD box set of 82 recordings of music by the Broadway songwriter, with a running time just under five hours. It is far from the first compilation of Sondheim's work, or even the first box set, but it follows a pattern in such compilations and in box sets in general, in that the selection seems aimed at two different classes of potential purchasers, those general fans looking for a single omnibus collection of the best or most popular of an artist's efforts, and the aficionados primarily interested in rarities. Despite his renown, particularly among musical theater buffs, and a mantelpiece straining with Tony, Grammy, and Academy Awards, Sondheim does not have a slew of "hits," as in, songs that have made the Top 40. Among his early efforts as a lyricist only, West Side Story (with music by Leonard Bernstein) generated such hits as "Somewhere" and "Tonight," and Johnny Mathis' recording of "Small World" from Gypsy (with music by Jule Styne) made the Top 20. Since then, only "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music produced a Top 40 hit for Judy Collins in 1975. Sondheim tends to downplay his lyrical collaborations, and they are typically underrepresented here, with only "Tonight" included. "Send in the Clowns" appears in the recording from the original Broadway cast album of A Little Night Music, sung by Glynis Johns, for whom it was written. Of course, fans have their favorites among Sondheim's large catalog, and his songs have been extensively performed and recorded outside their shows. But, like its many predecessors, this sampler of his work leaves out many of those favorites. Basically, its first three discs trace his career in the musical theater from 1957's West Side Story to a 2004 revised version of the 1974 musical The Frogs. Usually, two or three songs (not necessarily the best-known) from a show are excerpted, accompanied by songs cut from the scores, often performed in informal demonstration recordings, many of those by the composer himself. The fourth disc is given over almost entirely to obscurities, including music written for films. Thus, of 82 tracks, 33 are previously unreleased and 13 are sung by Sondheim himself. That's a selection and a proportion of rarities that will delight Sondheim fans, who may only wish the set was all rarities. For others, the collection may be more proble to be continued...