BWW CD Reviews: Masterwork Broadway's Remastered A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Original Soundtrack Recording) Waltzes Well

Stephen Sondheim's A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC holds a special place in my heart. A particularly impressive production at a community theatre was my first time to see a Stephen Sondheim musical staged, and it began my love affair with the man's music. The Tony Award winning and successful 1973 musical features a score written entirely in schmaltzy waltz time signatures and has a delightfully soapy plot derived from Ingmar Bergman's 1955 Swedish film Sommamattens leende (In English: Smiles of a Summer Night). In 1977, a film version of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC was released, starring Elizabeth Taylor, Lesley-Anne Down, and Diana Rigg, with Len Cariou, Hermione Gingold, and Laurence Guittard reprising their Broadway roles. While the critical reception to the stage musical was glowing, the critical reception of the film was notoriously underwhelming. Despite this, Jonathan Tunick received an Oscar for his orchestrations of the memorable, lovely, and tuneful score, which is magnificently preserved on Masterworks Broadway's digital and CD re-release of A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Original Soundtrack Recording).

All criticisms of the film aside, Masterworks Broadway has produced a treasure for fans of Stephen Sondheim and of the film alike with this record. They have splendidly remastered the 1978 soundtrack for the digital era. They have pulled the audio from the original stereo masters, included "Poor Old Frederick," a previously unreleased instrumental cue, and the film versions of both "Night Waltz" and "Every Day A Little Death," which includes the carriage ride verse written for the film. There is simply no denying that the music that made it into the film is just as brilliant as it was on Broadway. Stephen Sondheim's new version of "The Glamorous Life" and the added verse for "Every Day A Little Death" is also fascinating, even if they aren't as strong as the rest of the score. Likewise, Elizabeth Taylor's sultry but unpolished singing voice for Desiree Armfeldt isn't bad.

The merits of the album come from Jonathan Tunick's integrity to Stephen Sondheim's original concept and score. He guarantees that the music for the film score is lushly sumptuous. The entire cast on the album handles the score well, bringing emotionality and life to each of the signature numbers. The strongest and most impressive vocals on the album come from as Len Cariou as Frederick Egerman, Lesley-Anne Down as Anne Egerman, Diana Rigg as Charlotte Mittelheim, and Laurence Guittard as Count Carl-Magnus Mittelheim. These four make songs such as "Now," "Soon," "Every Day A Little Death," and "It Could Have Been Wonderful" the standout tracks on the album.

The recording is flawed, but these sullying aspects are by no means the fault of Masterworks Broadway's work. Christopher Guard's straining vocals on "Later" are most unpleasant to listen to. The changing of Christopher Guard's character's name from Henrik to Erich is awkward and only serves the film's Austrian setting opposed to the Swedish setting of the source material. Lastly, the film's exclusion of "In Praise of Women," "The Miller's Son," and "Liaisons" makes the score feel incomplete for listeners who are familiar and enamored with the stage version of the musical.

Essentially, Masterworks Broadway has ensured that fanatics of Elizabeth Taylor, Stephen Sondheim, and/or A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC can easily add to their collections by releasing the remastered A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Original Soundtrack Recording). However, if you are simply a casual fan of Stephen Sondheim or if you have no nostalgic connections to the 1977 film adaption, then I'd point you to Masterworks Broadway's 1998 re-release of the 1973 Original Broadway Cast Recording or even the New Broadway Cast Recording released by PS Classics.

The remastered A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Original Soundtrack Recording) was released digitally on August 13, 2013. Physical copies are only available from August 13 - September 9, 2013. Through September 9, 2013 both the digital and the limited physical copies can be purchased exclusively from Masterworks Broadway's online store. Starting September 10, 2013, the digital copies of the album will be available everywhere digital music is sold.

For information about other theatrical recording releases, click here.

Image courtesy of Broadway Masterworks.

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