Intimate Sondheim

Opus Two Celebrates Stephen Sondheim William Terwilliger, violin.Andrew Cooperstock, piano. Elena Shaddow, soprano; Andrew Garland, baritone;Beth Vanderborgh, cello. Bridge 9605 Total Time:  52:03 Recording:   ****/**** Performance: ****/****

Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021) left a great legacy of musical theater work often challenging expectations and enlarging the capacity of the American musical.  Along the way, he composed a number of engaging melodies in songs that run the gamut of human emotion as one might expect.  Arranger Eric Stern worked on many of Sondheim’s productions as arranger and conductor and for this release has provided a beautiful collection of new arrangements for violin and piano. 

The opening and closing tracks are wonderful suites of music from A Little Night Music (famous for “Send in the Clowns”) and a Fleet Street Suite which features songs from Sweeney Todd (“Johanna”, “Pretty Women” among them).  In between comes a host of additional pieces from across Sondheim’s body of work.  These include “I Remember” written for a 1966 TV musical (Evening Primrose, sung here by Elena Shaddow) and the main title for the 1974 film Stravisky.  For the most part these are all fine, though “Sorry/Grateful” feels a bit overlong. 

Stern’s arrangements honor the melodic shape of Sondheim’s songs with some slight instrumental variants that allow for a bit of development within the shorter selections.  The piano harmonic ideas also stay fairly close to the original intent with some moments to shine, though often serving as the transitional tissue connector within the arrangement.  There is also a performance featuring Andrew Garland of “Finishing the Hat” from Sunday in the Park with George.  The duo is also joined by cellist Beth Vanderborgh in “Every Day A Little Death” (from A Little Night Music).

The performances are all fine here with a sort of salon feel.  The two vocal selections help a bit in the less familiar songs to casual audiences bringing a touch of Broadway style to this semi-crossover release.  The recording is a bit dry at times but quite imaged well.  A nice album for fans of Sondheim’s music for a casual listen.