OPUS TWO CELEBRATES STEPHEN SONDHEIM: NEW CHAMBER MUSIC ARRANGEMENTS
BRIDGE 9605
The acclaimed Opus Two violin-piano duo presents new arrangements of musical highlights from Stephen Sondheim's brilliant Broadway shows. Arranger Eric Stern reminisces about his work with Sondheim: “I was one of the many lucky ones who got to work with Sondheim and experience close hand his genius, collaborative nature, and inherent kindness." Stern's work with Sondheim included the 1984 revival of Pacific Overtures, conducting Sunday in the Park with George in the second year of its original run, co-music directing the first production of Into the Woods, conducting productions of Follies, and conducting Merrily We Roll Along at the Kennedy Center. Mr. Stern writes that "My last conversation with him was about the Little Night Music suite which you’ll find on this album. We are all extremely grateful for his enthusiastic endorsement of the arrangement and performance, muted only by our sorrow that the rest were written after his passing.”
Reviews:
"Utterly charming and beautiful tribute to Stephen Sondheim. Performed by violin and piano with occasional guests, the centerpieces are extended suites from A Little Night Music and Sweeney Todd, put together by experienced Broadway music director Eric Stern. I hope both become fixtures in violin and piano recitals." — WFMT (Robbie Ellis)
"In all, this is a hugely enjoyable release, showcasing a very fine arranger, guest soloists and a clear demonstration that Opus Two are a duo to watch." — The Light Music Society
"It has often been said that Sondheim’s lyrics take precedence over the music, but here, I think, we get the chance to concentrate on Sondheim the composer, and we find how lyrical, in the musical sense, his music is. The only piece I didn’t know was the main title from Alain Resnais’s 1974 film, Stavisky, a short, evocative piece, but it, too, has a tune which lingers in the memory for some time afterwards.
Terwilliger shines in Sorry/Grateful from Company, which is here arranged for solo violin, whilst Cooperstock is given the jazzy Now You Know from Merrily We Roll Along as a piano solo. They then come together again for the final work, the Fleet Street Suite, which combines themes from Sweeney Todd and closes the recital with the beautifully poetic Johanna, which, in the show, is a moment of calm and pure beauty amidst the turbulence of the rest." — MusicWeb International
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