Wall to Wall Sondheim, which took place on March 19, 2005, was one of those once-in-a-lifetime events-a Woodstock for Sondheim-lovers. Sondheim himself was there for all twelve hours, culminating in a big 75th birthday cake. On Monday, March 22, in celebration of Sondheim's 80th birthday, the entire event will be remembered with a webcast at Symphony Space Live (symphonyspacelive.org).
Performers included Elaine Stritch, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Donna Murphy, George Hearn, Michael Cerveris, Debbie Gravitte, Neil Patrick Harris, and many more, singing songs from shows including Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George, A Little Night Music, Follies and Into the Woods, among others. Please note: Symphony Space Live is currently hosting a two-hour Wall to Wall Sondheim: Broadway Baby NPR special program. The March 22 webcast will feature the entire 12 hours from start to finish. (Please see below for a run-down of performances from the storied event.)
Symphony Space Live relaunched last year as a comprehensive streaming online audio service, offering on-demand access to many of
Symphony Space's recent Music, Literature, Family and Theatre performances. Reflecting a remarkable diversity of programming,
Symphony Space Live includes live recordings from the 2008-09 season of Selected Shorts and Thalia Book Club, three seminal election-year Thalia Follies Political Cabaret shows, selections from the acclaimed 2008-09 Just Kidding family shows, and dozens of music performances from recent years, including jazz, classical, contemporary, Broadway and world music concerts. Programs are available at symphonyspace.org or symphonyspacelive.org.
Since opening in 1978 with a 12-hour marathon concert called Wall to Wall Bach,
Symphony Space has earned its place as an innovative, multi-disciplinary cultural center in the heart of New York City's acclaimed Upper West Side neighborhood. In its two performance spaces, diverse programs bring great actors, musicians, writers, and dancers together with the public in a unique melding of world-class artistry in an informal and intimate setting.
Click here to see the playlist schedule on www.symphonyspace.org.