Stephen Sondheim?s career is so rich that trying to encompass it on a mere four discs seems like a tall order. This satisfying set tries to please both newbies (the first three discs propose an overview of the master?s car... more »eer via excerpts from all of his shows) and hardcore fans (the fourth disc sheds some light on lesser-known corners of Sondheim?s oeuvre). Of course, the individual selections won?t please everybody (Sunday in the Park with George gets one song while Evening Primrose and Into the Woods get four each?) but at least there are clear curatorial decisions. For instance, disc 2 covers only four shows?Company, Follies, A Little Night Music and Pacific Overtures?and clearly puts them up as Sondheim?s iconic works. Disc 4 is incredibly fun, maybe because a lot of the material is new to us. Highlights include "Truly Content" from 1962?s Passionella, excerpts from Sondheim?s superb Jazz Age?style score for Alain Resnais? 1974 movie Stavisky, and not one but four previously unreleased tracks from Dick Tracy. The physical set comes with a nice booklet that includes, among other things, an essay by Sondheim expert Mark Eden Horowitz and the lyrics of the previously unreleased songs. -- Elisabeth Vincentelli« less
Stephen Sondheim?s career is so rich that trying to encompass it on a mere four discs seems like a tall order. This satisfying set tries to please both newbies (the first three discs propose an overview of the master?s career via excerpts from all of his shows) and hardcore fans (the fourth disc sheds some light on lesser-known corners of Sondheim?s oeuvre). Of course, the individual selections won?t please everybody (Sunday in the Park with George gets one song while Evening Primrose and Into the Woods get four each?) but at least there are clear curatorial decisions. For instance, disc 2 covers only four shows?Company, Follies, A Little Night Music and Pacific Overtures?and clearly puts them up as Sondheim?s iconic works. Disc 4 is incredibly fun, maybe because a lot of the material is new to us. Highlights include "Truly Content" from 1962?s Passionella, excerpts from Sondheim?s superb Jazz Age?style score for Alain Resnais? 1974 movie Stavisky, and not one but four previously unreleased tracks from Dick Tracy. The physical set comes with a nice booklet that includes, among other things, an essay by Sondheim expert Mark Eden Horowitz and the lyrics of the previously unreleased songs. -- Elisabeth Vincentelli
""If they asked me, I could write a book . . ." oops, wrong songwriter. But that's the way I feel about Sondheim. Back in 1971 a college pal took me to see "Company" in LA. Thus began my life-long love affair with Sondheim. I am proud to say I saw "Follies" in LA back then too!
I own most of the available CDs (shows and compilations). I put "The Story So Far" into my refurbished, just purchased iPod. (I also created a whole playlist with just Sondheim's work.)
I cried, laughed, sang along for hours today, while riding buses and walking in downtown Santa Monica, doing errands. I feel as if I'm with my best friend, the wisest, wittiest person in the world.
I truly love the alternative versions to his songs. Really shows you the work he puts into his creations. So many settle for "whatev" these days. His craftsmanship, integrity, and pure genius shines through in this compilation.
The packaging is very elegant as well: clean layouts, large photos, beautiful cover, easy to read. I love the behind-the-scenes photos, capturing so many moods of his expressive face, which perfectly match his work. He is truly like wine: his face becomes more beautiful and interesting as the years pass by.
My only complaint is overlooking "Everybody Says Don't" from "Anyone Can Whistle." It's an amazingly life-affirming, courageous song, written in 1964, during a very turbulent climate of radical social change and dissent. I prefer Jerry Herman's "Before the Parade Passes By" from "Hello Dolly" to Sondheim's "A Parade in Town." Both musicals released the same year. I wish they'd retire the latter song and revive "Everybody Says Don't," a truly timeless and universal song of personal freedom and responsibility. Next boxed set, ok?
Love SONDHEIM SINGING! Yes, I know peeps have written re other Sondheim releases they prefer "real" singers. NOT I! I love hearing his voice -- the man behind my fave songs. I could listen to him for hours, longer and more often than trained voices who lack his personality, his warmth, his humanity.
Finally, please, Masterworks Broadway/Sony Legacy promote this wonderful package! I found out about this release because I blogged about Sondheim's Lifetime Achievement Tony Award earlier this year. A good friend read my entry and was surprised I'm such a "Broadway Baby." I'm known as an iconic punk rock photographer and Amazon sells my solo book, and many books and CDs with tons of my photos. But give me Broadway and Sondheim over any genre or songwriter! My friend sent it to me, hot off the presses, so to speak. So please get the word out!
"Sooner or Later" you're gonna buy "STEPHEN SONDHEIM THE STORY SO FAR." Buy it now!"
Good if you're not already a collector
Michael Reitter | Outside Philly, PA | 11/02/2008
(3 out of 5 stars)
"The Story So Far is a great collection of highlights from Sondheim shows, with alternate tracks, demos, and cut songs thrown in. If you don't already have at least one recording of a production of a show, then this collection is great. As someone who has, for example, the Original New York, The New York Revival, and London recordings of Into The Woods, I obviously collect Sondheim, and other, recordings. This duplication of material on other discs is abit repetitious. The recording proclaims all of these rare recordings, but many of the Sondheim recordings of his own he released on two CDs, and the Evening Primrose collection already came out on a disc of its own, so they're not that much obscurity there. All of the truly "unreleased" material could have been packaged as one CD, and perhaps sold as a companion to the excellent book content that was prepared for this compilation. The photos, stories, and information in the book is a treasure, and that, expanded, would be worth the purchase. Overall, the package oversells itself by including so many already available songs."
A little bit of everything.
Terence R. Fuerst | Atlanta, GA United States | 10/27/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Packaging was poorly designed with nothing holding the booklet in the folder. Many of the recordings are songs from different plays which you probably already have on the cast albums. His writing is excellent as expected but his voice will surely grate on you after a while. Contains many old, original recordings which were never previously released in which he sang and played piano. Would LOVE to hear professional singers perform the songs. This is a "must" for serious collectors of Sondheim."
Sondheim's scores shine
Lawrence E. Pargot | Highland Park, N J, USA | 12/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"THE STORY SO FAR is a compilation of music from all of Sondheim shows. It is arranged chronologically, so you can see how he has developed. His musical themes are evident in each succeeding show. Lyrically he is unsurpassed. I happen to be a Sondheim enthusiast; I saw every production on Broadway, have all of the individual cast albums. What makes this collection interesting is incorporates the important songs from the show, not just the "hits" although Sondheim, except for SEND IN THE CLOWNS (included) is not hit motivated. He is a man dedicated to the story, to character development. The accompanying booklet gives insight to the person, the performances, and the time period in which he writes."
Comprehensive but not complete
Tom | Toronto | 01/01/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's hard to believe it's taken this long for a box set covering the career of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim to be compiled. Sondheim is no doubt one of the greatest composers of our time. There are so many great scores -- Into the Woods, Follies, Company, Assassins, Sweeney Todd, and so many more. This compilation offers a sampling from all of Sondheim's shows, and this is where my main criticism of this compilation lies: what songs should have been featured versus the ones that are included.
I think the purpose of this compilation is a bit unfocused. Yes, its objective is to cover Sondheim's illustrious career. But it's unclear if this collection is aimed at Sondheim enthusiasts or casual Sondheim fans looking to delve more into his catalogue. Perhaps I am in between -- I like Sondheim's music but I don't know all of his scores, and would like to learn more. On one hand, this collection covers all of his shows, but some shows (ie. Merrily We Roll Along) only get one song, while others get four (ie. Into the Woods). But I wasn't fully satisfied. Although I like Sondheim's music, I don't own a lot of it. So, unlike others who have purchased this collection and already own the individual scores, I was hoping to get a large sampling of Sondheim's career without buying the individual scores. I see no reason why songs like "Somewhere", "Rose's Turn", "Everybody Says Don't", "Putting It Together", "Pretty Women", "Johanna", and "Move On" were not included. In fact, those songs are some of Sondheim's most famous compositions. So, not having them makes this compilation feel incomplete, even if they have been included on other compilations. Yes, having the demos and rare recordings were interesting, but I crave hearing the missing songs because they are the essence of Sondheim.
I guess your enjoyment of this compilation will depend on how you approach it. If you own Sondheim's scores already, and don't necessarily need to hear "Somewhere" again but want the rare tracks, then you will probably have little issues with this compilation. But, if you're like me, and would like a mix of the Sondheim "hits" with a sprinkling of his more obscure stuff, you may find this a bit unbalanced and unsatisfying.
Still, I give this collection four stars because the recordings you do get are top-notch. And the package is beautifully presented. I just wish it was a bit more complete."
Track Listings (20) - Disc #1
