Sweeney Todd (2007 Film Soundtrack) (Deluxe Edition)
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Music CD Cover
Composer: Stephen SondheimEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Dictionary)
Format: Soundtrack
CD Release Date: 2007-12-18
Music Label: Nonesuch
Product features:
- DELUX EDITION *** MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
- Opening Title
- No Place Like London
- The Worst Pies in London
- Poor Thing
- My Friends
- Green Finch & Linnett Bird
- Alms Alms
- Johanna
- Pirelli s Miracle Elixir
- The Contest
- Wait
- Ladies and Their Sensitivities
- Pretty Women
- Epiphany
- A Little Priest
- Johanna
- God, That s Good!
- By the Sea
- Not While I m Around
- Final Scene
Free Music Notes for Sweeney Todd (2007 Film Soundtrack) (Deluxe Edition)
Free Music Review: At last! A Film Version of Sondheim That Works!
Hit: 5 Stars
I received the soundtrack for Sweeney Todd today, and although I have not seen the film yet (it will open in three days), I am more looking forward to seeing the movie than ever. The soundtrack was a pleasant - I shouldn't say "surprise"; I expected to like it - let's say a wholly satisfying experience, for more than one reason.
Firstly, as stated by Mr. Sondheim, be forewarned that the film is not exactly the same as the stage version. That said, the score appears to be as close to the original as one could hope. I only noticed a few cuts and some minor changes here and there in the various numbers, and although (as had been announced) whole portions of the score have been excised for the purpose of trimming the running time, many of the small, subtle changes Mr. Sondheim has made in the lyrics are decided improvements. There is, if I heard correctly on my first listen, a whole verse missing from "Priest". While I lament (as many will) the deletion of some grand moments of wit, especially in the chorus and opening, enough of the original score has been preserved, and preserved well, for me to feel an enormous satisfaction upon my first listen. Although I haven't seen the film yet, I have a feeling (and certainly hope) that the single-disc CD omits some portions of the music that are in the film.
Many have complained already that the singing is a bit weak, but for me, the voices were no problem at all. Many theatre fans and critics consider Stephen Sondheim to be the most accomplished theatre composer of the 20th century. Although lauded as his masterwork, Sweeney Todd is not my favorite Sondheim score, but I never argue with those who praise it as his best work, and they certainly have good reason for their assessment. The problem with a Sondheim score - any Sondheim score - is that his glorious wit and amazing rhymes require very delicate handling, without extensive dramatization or gesticulation; in fact, I have seen certain performers ruin his songs through excessive theatrics. His witty, urbane words and ultra-clever rhymes need only be performed, thank you, and easily stand on their own without overt grandstanding. Any playing for broad comedy tends to detract from his marvelous command of the language, not to mention his amazingly deft rhymes and delicious wit. Thus, in these performances, I found myself thrilled to note that they are put across simply and quietly, with careful enunciation but no unnecessary scenery-chewing, the way I believe Sondheim should be performed. Even so, many could argue that it is difficult to ruin material of this caliber, but I always feel that with Sondheim, the words are all that are really required to put any of his songs over.
It is also a delight to hear virtually all of the cast proffering the appropriate British (and in some cases, Cockney) accents, and for once, the score sounds like it might be actually enacted by inhabitants of 19th century London. Not that I object, mind you, to earlier interpretations of this particular work - all of the previous casts have been outstanding in their way, but what a nice change to hear actors playing Londoners who sound English. But what comes across best in the soundtrack for me is the acting, and Johnny Depp, who I have never been especially fond of, must be singled out. His performance, which is more acting than singing, may not be vocally impressive, but his invocation of the character and spirit of the narrative is perfectly realized, and the early doubts I confess I may have harbored have been completely swept away.
Most joyous to me is that it appears (from the soundtrack, anyway) that someone has finally made a film version of a Sondheim show that actually works, something that hasn't happened, in my opinion, since West Side Story. Too many attempts at filming Sondheim have butchered his score, or changed it for the worse, or been horribly presented, or all of the above. It is my fervent hope that this film will inspire moviegoers who were previously unfamiliar with the talents of Mr. Sondheim to investigate his glorious, literate and oh so satisfying way with words and music. Although I must deliver kudos to the principals involved, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, Mr. Sondheim's brilliant score is, to me, the real star here.
Judging by the soundtrack alone, I believe that we may now have a film that has finally done Mr. Sondheim justice. I may die happy yet!
Sweeney Todd (2007 Film Soundtrack) (Deluxe Edition) Poster
This Deluxe Complete Edition of the Sweeney Todd film soundtrack contains the complete music from the film. It is specially-packaged with an 80-page bound booklet, with lyrics and photographs.Stephen Sondheim's Grand-Guignol blend of opera and musical theater is a perfect match for director Tim Burton's gothic sensibility. The result of their encounter is a superb screen musical that, despite early fears from the show's fans, preserves most of the score ("The Ballad of Sweeney Todd" being the most egregious loss) and, perhaps even more importantly, its spirit (regular Sondheim orchestrator Jonathan Tunick did the new arrangements). And yes, Johnny Depp can sing. Granted, singing in a movie is easier than it is onstage, but still, Depp is at ease with the material, if a little thin-voiced. Helena Bonham Carter is a bit more problematic as Mrs. Lovett (there's a reason this character has been played by the likes of Angela Lansbury and Patti LuPone on stage) and her take on "The Worst Pies in London" tries hard but lacks gleeful gusto (she fares better on "By the Sea"). More convincing are Sacha Baron Cohen, appropriately outlandish as Pirelli ("The Contest"), Jayne Wisener as Johanna ("Green Finch and Linnet Bird"), and Alan Rickman as Judge Turpin (a good duet with Depp on "Pretty Women"). Sondheim fans won't be disappointed, and the film should also bring new converts into his world. --Elisabeth Vincentelli
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