Sondheim At The Movies: Songs From The Screen (Studio Cast Re-recordings) [CAST RECORDING]

Stephen Sondheim (Composer, Conductor), Alet Oury (Performer), Bryan Batt (Performer), Christiane Noll (Performer), Danny Burstein (Performer), Farah Alvin (Performer), Gary Beach (Performer), Guy Haines (Performer), Heidi Godt (Performer), James Hindman (Performer), Jane Krakowski (Performer), Jennifer Simard (Performer), Jolie Jenkins (Performer), Julie Alderfer (Performer), Kevin Pariseau (Performer), Liz Callaway (Performer), Susan Egan (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Alet Oury, Bryan Batt, Christiane Noll, Danny Burstein, Farah Alvin, et al.
• Conductor: Stephen Sondheim
• Composer: Stephen Sondheim
• Audio CD (September 9, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B000001512
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #265,482 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
The premier stage composer of his time, Stephen Sondheim has also contributed a substantial body of work to the big and small screens, explored in this 65-minute collection by the Varèse Sarabande stable of artists. The best known is Warren Beatty's 1990 live-action cartoon Dick Tracy, which won Sondheim an Oscar for "Sooner or Later" (covered here by Ally McBeal's Jane Krakowski). This CD includes "Back in Business" as well as the three songs also released on Madonna's movie tie-in album. Other rarities include "Dawn" and "Sand" from the unproduced film project Living Out Loud, the revised version of "The Glamorous Life" written for the 1978 feature film, and "It Takes All Kinds" from The Bird Cage. Orchestral selections include three suites taken from the film score of Stavisky and the gorgeous ballad "Goodbye for Now" from Reds. The major piece here is five songs written for the 1967 television drama Evening Primrose and covered by golden-voiced Liz Callaway and Gary Beach. The recording may not have the star power of an earlier recording by Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters, but it's simply and effectively performed here. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant overall, with some invaluable rarities, May 6, 1999

By A Customer

The best moments from this umpteenth collection of music by Broadway supercomposer Stephen Sondheim are the (remarkably dissimilar) selections from 1990's "Dick Tracy" and the obscure 1960's TV musical "Evening Primrose," some of which have never before been recorded. Other items are less memorable, including some regrettable disco/80's pop pastiches from "Singing Out Loud" and "The Birdcage." The selections from "A Little Night Music" and "Stavisky" received sharper performances in the original soundtrack recordings ("The Glamorous Life" can be found appended to the newly remastered Sony/Columbia recording of "Night Music"s original cast; the complete soundtrack to "Stavisky" is available packaged with the must-have 1985 concert recording of "Follies."). This CD should be invaluable to avid Sondheim collectors for the "Primrose" numbers, dynamically sung by Gary Beach and Liz Callaway. Those less fanatic will probably find this a pleasant and workmanlike, but not particularly outstanding recording.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What can you lose?, January 28, 2000

By	"efrex" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Sondheim's little-known work for the big and small screen get presented in this enjoyable compilation. Fans of Sondheim's stage work might be extremely surprised to find the master trying his hand at several pop-flavored tunes. Gary Beach and Liz Callaway do a magnificent job with the four songs from "Evening Primrose" (and is my preference over Mandy Patinkin's over-hysterical rendition with Bernadette Peters), with particular beauty found in the stunning duet "When?"

Sondheim even tries the cheesy disco thing, with "It Takes All Kinds", cut from "The Birdcage". A more thrilling piece of ear candy has never been heard. Although the movie version of "Glamorous Life" can be heard on one or two other compilations and the movie soundtrack, this is one of the best.

I wish the album was truly comprehensive (tracks which have gotten more exposure, such as "Sooner or Later" "Can That Boy Foxtrot" and "Water Under the Bridge" are omitted), but the gems it contains more than compensates. An important album in any Sondheim fan's collection