THE SWEETEST SOUNDS -- ALLEGRO Written in 1947, ALLEGRO was preceded in the R&H canon by OKLAHOMA! and CAROUSEL, and followed directly by South Pacific and THE KING AND I. In this podcast, hosted by Jeff Lunden, the bold innovations and experimental aspects of ALLEGRO are explored in the context of the first complete recording of its score, released by Sony Masterworks Broadway today, February 3, 2009. The CD is produced by David Lai, Bruce Pomahac and Ted Chapin.
Album co-producers Ted Chapin and Bruce Pomahac, original production assistant Stephen Sondheim, and recording co-star Patrick Wilson participate, joined by archival interviews with Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, and excerpts from the new ALLEGRO recording, featuring Audra McDonald, Nathan Gunn, Judy Kuhn, Liz Callaway, Laura Benanti, Norbert Leo Butz, Marni Nixon, and more.
Jeff Lunden is a freelance arts reporter and radio producer. His stories have been heard on National Public Radio's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and Weekend Edition, as well as Studio 360, Marketplace, Weekend America, Performance Today, The Savvy Traveler and Voice of America. Since 1990, Mr. Lunden has produced numerous award winning documentaries on musical theater and Tin Pan Alley for NPR, including profiles of Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Lorenz Hart, Sheldon Harnick and an award winning program on OKLAHOMA! hosted by Shirley Jones. Mr. Lunden appeared on the PBS/BBC "Great Performances" documentary on Rodgers and Hart.
He is also a theater composer whose credits include the award winning adaptation of Arthur Kopit's WINGS (book and lyrics by Arthur Perlman), proudly represented by R&H Theatricals, a division of The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.
RCA Red Seal, Sony Classical, deutsche harmonia mundi, Masterworks Broadway and Masterworks Jazz are labels of Sony BMG Masterworks. For email updates and information regarding RCA Red Seal, Sony Classical, deutsche harmonia mundi, Masterworks Broadway and Masterworks Jazz artists, promotions, tours and repertoire, please visit www.sonybmgmasterworks.com
Founded by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II in 1944, R&H today represents a wide variety of entertainment copyrights, primarily in the musical theater and featuring works by dozens of writers including Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, Adam Guettel, Sheldon Harnick, Lorenz Hart, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Schwartz, Charles Strouse, and Kurt Weill, as well as Rodgers and Hammerstein. R&H is represented on Broadway this season with Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific (winner of 7 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival), PAL JOEY by Rodgers & Hart, and Irving Berlin's WHITE CHRISTMAS. For more information visit www.rnh.com.
