The Story So Far..

Stephen Sondheim - The Story So Far..

The Story So Far..
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Music CD Cover

Artist: Stephen Sondheim
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2008-09-30
Music Label: SONY CLASSICS
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
  1. America
  2. Tonight
  3. Gee, Officer Krupke
  4. Everything's Coming Up Roses
  5. Comedy Tonight
  6. Everybody Ought to Have a Maid
  7. There's Something About a War
  8. Don't Laugh
  9. Anyone Can Whistle
  10. A Parade in Town
  11. A Hero is Coming
  12. This Week, Americans
  13. Perhaps
  14. Everybody Loves Leona
  15. The Boy From...
  16. (If You Can Find Me) I'm Here
  17. Arts and Crafts
  18. I Remember Sky
  19. When?
  20. Take Me to the World
Music CD 2
  1. Another Hundred People
  2. The Ladies Who Lunch
  3. Being Alive
  4. Happily Ever After
  5. Waiting for the Girls Upstairs
  6. Broadway Baby
  7. Losing My Mind
  8. I'm Still Here
  9. Can That Boy Fox Trot!
  10. The Miller's Son
  11. Liaisons
  12. Send in the Clowns
  13. Night Waltz (Love Takes Time)
  14. Silly People
  15. Not Quite Night
  16. Welcome to Kanagawa
  17. Pretty Lady
  18. Prayers
  19. There is No Other Way
Music CD 3
  1. The Ballad of Sweeney Todd
  2. Green Finch and Linnet Bird
  3. A Little Priest
  4. The Worst Pies in London
  5. Not a Day Goes By
  6. Old Friends
  7. Finishing the Hat
  8. Agony
  9. Children Will Listen
  10. Have to Give Her Someone
  11. Interesting Questions
  12. Second Midnight
  13. Everybody's Got the Right
  14. The Ballad of Booth
  15. Happiness
  16. I Wish I Could Forget You
  17. Bounce
  18. Isn't He Something!
  19. Invocation and Instructions to the Audience
Music CD 4
  1. I Must Be Dreaming
  2. The Two of You
  3. Class
  4. Love's a Bond
  5. In the Movies
  6. I'm All For You
  7. They Ask Me Why I Believe in You
  8. Incidental Music
  9. Truly Content
  10. No, Mary Ann
  11. Incidental Music
  12. Theme
  13. Auto Show
  14. Arlette by Night
  15. Operetta
  16. Theme (European version)
  17. I Never Do Anything Twice (The Madam's Song)
  18. Theme
  19. Sooner or Later
  20. Live Alone and Like It
  21. What Can You Lose?
  22. Back in Business
  23. More
  24. Water Under the Bridge

Free Music Notes for The Story So Far..

Free Music Review: Comprehensive but not complete
Hit: 4 Stars

It's hard to believe it's taken this long for a box set covering the career of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim to be compiled. Sondheim is no doubt one of the greatest composers of our time. There are so many great scores -- Into the Woods, Follies, Company, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, and so many more. This compilation offers a sampling from all of Sondheim's shows, and this is where my main criticism of this compilation lies: what songs should have been featured versus the ones that are included.

I think the purpose of this compilation is a bit unfocused. Yes, its objective is to cover Sondheim's illustrious career. But it's unclear if this collection is aimed at Sondheim enthusiasts or casual Sondheim fans looking to delve more into his catalogue. Perhaps I am in between -- I like Sondheim's music but I don't know all of his scores, and would like to learn more. On one hand, this collection covers all of his shows, but some shows (ie. Merrily We Roll Along) only get one song, while others get four (ie. Into the Woods). But I wasn't fully satisfied. Although I like Sondheim's music, I don't own a lot of it. So, unlike others who have purchased this collection and already own the individual scores, I was hoping to get a large sampling of Sondheim's career without buying the individual scores. I see no reason why songs like "Somewhere", "Rose's Turn", "Everybody Says Don't", "Putting It Together", "Pretty Women", "Johanna", and "Move On" were not included. In fact, those songs are some of Sondheim's most famous compositions. So, not having them makes this compilation feel incomplete, even if they have been included on other compilations. Yes, having the demos and rare recordings were interesting, but I crave hearing the missing songs because they are the essence of Sondheim.

I guess your enjoyment of this compilation will depend on how you approach it. If you own Sondheim's scores already, and don't necessarily need to hear "Somewhere" again but want the rare tracks, then you will probably have little issues with this compilation. But, if you're like me, and would like a mix of the Sondheim "hits" with a sprinkling of his more obscure stuff, you may find this a bit unbalanced and unsatisfying.

Still, I give this collection four stars because the recordings you do get are top-notch. And the package is beautifully presented. I just wish it was a bit more complete.

The Story So Far.. Poster

Stephen Sondheim's career is so rich that trying to encompass it on a mere four discs seems like a tall order. This satisfying set tries to please both newbies (the first three discs propose an overview of the master's career via excerpts from all of his shows) and hardcore fans (the fourth disc sheds some light on lesser-known corners of Sondheim's oeuvre). Of course, the individual selections won't please everybody (Sunday in the Park with George gets one song while Evening Primrose and Into the Woods get four each?) but at least there are clear curatorial decisions. For instance, disc 2 covers only four shows-Company, Follies, A Little Night Music and Pacific Overtures-and clearly puts them up as Sondheim's iconic works. Disc 4 is incredibly fun, maybe because a lot of the material is new to us. Highlights include "Truly Content" from 1962's Passionella, excerpts from Sondheim's superb Jazz Age-style score for Alain Resnais' 1974 movie Stavisky, and not one but four previously unreleased tracks from Dick Tracy. The physical set comes with a nice booklet that includes, among other things, an essay by Sondheim expert Mark Eden Horowitz and the lyrics of the previously unreleased songs. -- Elisabeth Vincentelli

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