Sondheim: A Celebration (1997 AIDS Charity Benefit Cast) [Cast Recording]

Stephen Sondheim | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 12, 1997)
• Original Release Date: August 12, 1997
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Cast Recording
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00000151B
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,845 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Overture

2. Invocation to the Gods and Instructions to the Audience

3. Everybody Ought to Have a Maid

4. No More

5. Someone in a Tree

6. Multitude of Armys

7. Getting Married Today

8. The Ballad of Sweeney Todd

9. Loving You

10. Quartet

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. You Could Drive a Person Crazy

2. Sorry-Grateful

3. The Miller's Son

4. More

5. Move On

6. Good Thing Going

7. There Won't Be Trumpets

8. Losing My Mind

9. Everybody Loves Louis

10. Not While I'm Around/Children Will Listen

See all 15 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Uneven, but some real gems, July 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sondheim: A Celebration (1997 AIDS Charity Benefit Cast) (Audio CD)

I find it hard to be too critical of any concert put on for charity, as this one was. However, there are several uneven performances on this collection, as well as a few flat-out bad ones. These, luckily, are balanced by some great performances and some clever interpretations of Sondheim standards. I especially enjoyed David, Shaun, and Patrick Cassidy singing "You Could Drive a Person Crazy", the cast of Forever Plaid singing "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd", "Barcelona", and Tim Curry's interpretation of "Losing My Mind." This is not a collection for the Sondheim purist, nor is it a good introduction for someone who knows little about Sondheim's work. But if you're willing to wade through a few questionable performances to get to the good stuff, you'll enjoy it.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Only if you absolutely must..., December 28, 1999

By 

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

This review is from: Sondheim: A Celebration (1997 AIDS Charity Benefit Cast) (Audio CD)

This album has been derogatorily referred to as the "Send in the singers" album by Sondheim afficianados, and not without reason: The interpretations of "Someone in a Tree" and "Invocation" are off-key, off-tempo, and off-full. There are some redeeming features (A hysterical parody of "The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" by the Forever Plaid cast; Glynis Johns's proof of her ownership of "Send in the Clowns"; and the Cassidy brother's "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" are probably the major ones for me), but this is by far and away the most mediocre of the Sondheim compilations out there. If you must have every thing ever done, then get this album; otherwise, get the considerably better Carnegie Hall celebration.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars so very disappointing, February 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Sondheim: A Celebration (1997 AIDS Charity Benefit Cast) (Audio CD)

maybe visuals would help? maybe you had to be there?

it starts off with this horrible muddy rendition of "invocation to the gods" with two people singing and seemingly competing rather than cooperating. most of the numbers are fine but far from the best renditions i've heard of those songs, but not a few are the worst renditions i've heard, in my opinion. dale kristien does "move on" in a higher than usual key and it sounds strained and unhappy up there. all right, i really enjoyed carole cook's "can that boy foxtrot" (although i have an eerie feeling that i was missing a lot without the visuals). and glynis johns singing "send in the clowns" was a lovely revisit. but mostly this was an uninspired CD--one that i'll keep because i'm a completist, but seldom revisit.