SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED: THE NYC SESSIONS – VOLUME TWO Release Date Announced
The second edition is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 22 – which would have been Sondheim’s 92nd birthday.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 07, 2022
YELLOW SOUND LABEL has announced the release of Sondheim Unplugged: The NYC Sessions - Volume Two, the next installment of the monumental three-volume set dedicated to the oeuvre of iconic musical theater composer Stephen Sondheim. The second edition is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, March 22 - which would have been Sondheim's 92nd birthday - in streaming and digital formats, in addition to a 2-disc CD. The album is produced by the series creator Phil Geoffrey Bond and features Music Director Joseph Goodrich on piano. Sondheim Unplugged: The NYC Sessions, which will ultimately encompass 70 singers and 120 songs, is a landmark collection destined to be a major contribution to the canon of Sondheim recordings. The series will continue on June 1 with Volume Three. Sondheim Unplugged: The NYC Sessions - Volume Two is now available for pre-order at YellowSoundLabel.com and SondheimUnplugged.com. A preview track is available at SondheimUnplugged.com.
Sondheim Unplugged is the smash New York revue captured here with electrifying performances from some of Broadway's most impressive vocalists, who collectively boast over 100 Broadway credits to their names. Several of this edition's key performers originated roles in Sondheim musicals, including George Lee Andrews (A Little Night Music), George Dvorsky (Passion), Danielle Ferland (Into the Woods, Sunday in the Park with George), Teri Ralston (Company, A Little Night Music), Sarah Rice (Sweeney Todd), and Jim Walton (Merrily We Roll Along).
The album also includes singers currently on Broadway in the new revival of Sondheim's Company (Jeff Kready, Manu Narayan, Nicholas Rodriguez, Tally Sessions), in addition to performers from recent Sondheim revivals of A Little Night Music (Hunter Ryan Herdlicka), Company (Leenya Rideout), The Frogs (Eric Michael Gillett), Pacific Overtures (Telly Leung), and Sunday in the Park with George (Melanie Vaughan). The illustrious list continues with Tony Award nominees Dee Hoty, Sally Mayes, and Emily Skinner, in addition to the return of the acclaimed vocal quintet Marquee Five.
In contrast to some of the grand concert presentations of the composer's work, Sondheim Unplugged strives to convey each song simply and essentially, burnished by impeccable performances and enhanced by spare yet elegant piano accompaniment. This second edition highlights more of the best-loved tunes from the master composer's prolific collection of works ("Being Alive," "Losing My Mind," "Anyone Can Whistle"), as well as lesser-heard, sparkling treasures from projects like Evening Primrose and Reds. It also features rarely-recorded selections from the unproduced movie musical Singing Out Loud, and cut songs from Gypsy ("Smile, Girls"), A Little Night Music ("Silly People"), Anyone Can Whistle ("There's Always A Woman"), and more. Recorded in the studio throughout 2020 and 2021, this is a once-in-a-generation compendium of some of the most classic songs in contemporary musical theater history.
The first volume in the series was the #1 best-seller on Amazon in the "Musical Soundtracks and Scores" category for the first three months of its release.
"Yellow Sound Label is once again excited to release another compelling edition of this ongoing Sondheim project," says label's executive producer Michael Croiter. "It's an honor to have an album with so many beloved songs and wonderful rarities from Sondheim's catalog."
Sondheim Unplugged - hosted by series creator Phil Geoffrey Bond, who fills the audience in on Sondheimian facts, history, and assorted tidbits of theatrical lore - has been a celebrated monthly New York event since 2010, featuring some of Broadway and the nightclub scene's most dynamic voices, accompanied by piano only. In addition to its regular home of Feinstein's/54 Below in New York, the evening has been seen in venues and performing arts centers, including NJPAC (New Jersey Performing Arts Center), and in London at The Hippodrome and Live at Zedel.
The show is the recipient of the BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Award for "Best Variety Show/Recurring Series" and the Bistro Award for "Outstanding Cabaret Series," in addition to a nomination for "Show of the Year" from the Manhattan Association of Clubs.
For more information and to listen to a sample track from Volume Two, please visit SondheimUnplugged.com.
SONDHEIM UNPLUGGED: THE NYC SESSIONS - VOLUME TWO - Track List
Disc One
1. Marry Me a Little - Nicholas Rodriguez
2. Can That Boy Foxtrot! - Sally Mayes
3. Anyone Can Whistle - Telly Leung
4. Smile, Girls - Lucia Spina
5. Our Time - Jim Walton
6. You Could Drive a Person Crazy - Jacob Hoffman
7. Could I Leave You? - Dee Hoty
8. Happiness - Ereni Sevasti
9. If You Can Find Me, I'm Here - Courter Simmons
10. Dawn - Lisa Sabin
11. Buddy's Blues - Rob Maitner
12. Green Finch & Linnet Bird - Sarah Rice
13. There's Always a Woman - Natalie Arneson & Donna Vivino
14. With So Little to Be Sure Of - T. Oliver Reid
15. Some People - Teri Ralston
16. Losing My Mind - Natalie Douglas
17. Lovely - Natalie Arneson
18. Every Day a Little Death - Victoria Cook & Erica Spyres
19. Giants in the Sky - Hunter Ryan Herdlicka
20. Everybody Loves Louis - Julie Reyburn
21. Sand - Leenya Rideout
22. Finishing the Hat - Evan Harrington
23. Being Alive - Karen Mason
Disc Two
1. Sunday in the Park with George - Christina Bianco
2. More - Courter Simmons
3. Little Lamb - Alexa Green
4. Johanna - Evan Harrington
5. Agony II - Jeff Kready & Tally Sessions
6. Not a Day Goes By - Leenya Rideout
7. Pirelli's Miracle Elixir - Jacob Hoffman
8. Too Many Mornings / All Things Bright and Beautiful - Eric Michael Gillett & Melanie Vaughan
9. Pretty Lady - Rob Maitner, Julie Reyburn & Lucia Spina
10. Franklin Shepard, Inc. - Manu Narayan
11. Children Will Listen - Emily Skinner
12. Hello, Little Girl - Danielle Ferland
13. Another Hundred People - Marquee Five
14. I Wish I Could Forget You - George Dvorsky
15. Silly People - George Lee Andrews
16. Moments in the Woods - Kelli Rabke
17. It Wasn't Meant to Happen - Stearns Matthews
18. The Last Midnight - Kristy Cates
19. The Miller's Son - Gabrielle Stravelli
20. Take Me to the World - Julie Reyburn
21. Goodbye For Now - Sarah Rice
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