A Weekend In The Country

[lavalamp625]

you need to do a billion more sondheim deconstructions pleaaseeee

[companythemusical]

you are ... good!

[tangerinespeed0]

LOVE you for your wonderful analysis of my favorite song from this show.

[puccinilover]

"very small waltzes"

LOVE IT!!!

[companythemusical]

you so get sondhein.... we love you..keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep going

[jaspar38]

I remember one of professors telling me that when ALNM was in rehearsal, Sondheim was having trouble ending the first act. To remedy this, he told the actors to improvise as their characters, and then took notes and wrote "A Weekend in the Country" that night. I'm not sure how much truth there is to this, but I always found it interesting.

[amberlyxx]

ah Sondheim, the most amazing and clever man in the world

[DanielJosephKuhlman]

"Desiree's like, "What??""

[maryhartline]

The horns are wonderful--but they're quoting the introduction of "Rosenkavelier", which I would guess is an inside joke (in effect, comparing one famous May/September romance with another.) Few others than Sondheim could pull off that musical quote so brilliantly.

[beardedartisan]

@maryhartline Actually, I think the "Rosenkavelier" quote was added by Jonathan Tunick when scoring the orchestrations.

[uKooKu]

I'm 54, you're younger, but we could have a gas waxing Sondheim together. (But you glazed over "Pack everything white"; poor insecure Anne HA-HA)! Great job! ukooku

[Broadway3]

its true about high notes though, at a certain point (depending on the soprano) its easier to go straight to it than build.

[Broadway3]

omg! i know what you mean by les miz and penises

[jaymiewithaY]

@Broadway3 I don't get it.

[totallyactr18]

hey seth have you listened to the new album?

i love how all the singing is acting focused!

[ohdarling95]

@totallyactr18 but it's so badly sung!! I'm all about great acting but oh man, not at the expense of the vocal line

[totallyactr18]

@ohdarling95 you're very right...the album doesn't represent the true performances though. i saw it and czj was fantastic

[noahsdad61]

Hilarious! I also love how the lyrics so economically speak volumes about the characters' various states: Anne's initial girlish glee, followed by assertion of authority over Petra ("no, here, let me") and insecurity; Fredrik's self-deception; Charlotte's world-weary manipulation and sarcasm shading into despair (her "oh my God" tells you all you need to know about her relationship); the Count's bluster. A gem! And thanks for deconstructing. Please do the same for "Liaisons"...

[Sixmonte]

I love it when Ann says "You should pack everything white" So amazing!

[danperry73]

The horns are amazing in this piece and they are missing in the revival. I was so disappointed - fantastic onstage performance over that miniscule orchestra

[kitnkabootle]

You did an excellent job reviewing this song. It's such an epic song and for you to describe it to those who haven't seen the fabulous musical - it really breaks it down and makes it really enjoyable.

[LilyAnneSquirtle]

I love your face!!

You make me so happy listening to these tunes and geeking out like me!

[tripppstar]

um, yeah, that brass line is totally the best part of the whole number.

it's like the horn in "melodie de paris" from yeston's phantom - "whispering under each BRRA-da-da-da-da-da"

[uncletibs]

havin a hard time with the lip synca...yet i still love your drill

[doxma33]

How could you have skipped the rhyme,"...hopelessly shattered/by Saturd/ay night!" Still, I love your deconstructions.

[Selendomono]

Its funny, Henrik's and Anne's (the actors) daughter is Anne in the new revival of Night Music

[kmh524]

I love when you deconstruct Sondheim.

[brutusbassoon]

@kmh524 omg right?! it's because sondheim is the best and there's so much to deconstruct.

[STEVEHAYESTOQ]

A wonderful, insightful video about a wonderful, insightful song - scene. Thank you!

[nickukiah]

That French horn line (08:57-09:00 and 09:05 to 09:08) is a quote from Strauss's Rosenkavalier!

[sajrocks]

Scene songs forevah! Thank you!

[crazeball]

oh Seth I wish you could have seen the London production of this; Kelly Price was simply perfect as the Countess, you would have LOVED her.

[billkruckman]

Thanks so much for the deconstruction, Seth! I'd love some more.. I'm still reeling from last April's 30 decons in 30 days.. here's hoping that this is the start of another string of deconstructions!! :)

[morninglory99]

I learn so much from your deconstructions, thank you :D

[WWEQAF]

After hearing this song, I immediately fell in love, and now I have to get it!

[at8ax]

Point of order: 6/8 and 12/8 are technically duple meters, not waltzes. And fragments of "Miller's Son" are explicitly in 2/4. Love you anyway.

[elvenlove]

Hilarious, I love you, I want to make love to your face.

[TangoMaureen07]

Oh I've missed these videos!

[kickasscancan]

Damn I love this show....

I am glad you used it in a deconstruct....

P.s by the way did anyone see the bird or what ever it was at like 2 minutes.... I thought I was hallucinating or something.... do you have a bird.. My god I thought I was cracked until my roommate saw it too....

[webcomix]

Yay! Another deconstruction!

Night Music is possibly my favorite Sondheim, this summer I randomly started listening to it again and became re-obsessed.

[711luvAquaatmall]

Yay!! another deconstruction!!! :) THANKYOU

[DivaBehavior]

"Guess who begins with an A? Armfeldt. Is that a relation to the decrepit Desiree?"

I AM OBSESSED with that lyric. It's ingenius.

[RentandWicked]

Wow what great music and Seth your fabulous!

[HeyMrShesMySister]

i love ur username!

[digitalpretzel]

good to see you back!

[pumpkinheadedmf]

Brilliant choice to deconstruct. A Little Night Music is very underappreciated, I've found.

I also love listening to you deconstruct the orchestrations. You should do more of that when you can. :)

[elphabelle07]

Dude...I can not tell you how many times i have sung this song playing all the parts...glad to know I'm not the only one!

[bwaystar123]

ah! i missed you too!

[TheaterGirl62]

I missed you!

[rachellebyrne1]

Just a BIG Thank-You!!!

Rachelle*

[WillaCather]

You're back!!!! Hurray! And thanks, I'm not familiar with this one so I just ordered it! Gypsy and Sweeney Todd are old favs of mine so I'll probably love this too!

Love the videos!

[blackpython]

Dear Seth, I am BEYOND OBSESSED with this song, so I kind of lost my mind when I looked in my subscription box and not only was there a new deconstruction, but it is of possibly my favorite Sondheim song. My musical theater class is probably learning this in a few weeks, I'm excited. LOVE THIS VID!

[1musicalnote]

I had a crappy week.

THANK YOU, for brightening up my Friday. I seriously, seriously love you. :)

This video made me so happy. Thank you thank you thank you.

[machinegunvibrato]

you're my favorite. in terms of everything. btw love the les miz penis reference. epic.

[absolutelyfab]

your interpretations are fascinating :)

[iwannabapirate]

I LOVE YOU.

[bcrocker33]

yayyyy!

you are back. i can't wait for my book.

[uhaul129]

It has been too long! I'm so excited for this new video!

[kolgibson89]

You don't even know how long I have been looking forward to a new vid!!!!!! This was amahzing.

[henryantrobus]

I have been performing this song for years!

As a one-man show.

In my living room...

or my car.

[noplain]

And the reason the whole show is written in waltz? Because the show is essentially about love triangles and relationships in threes, so Sondheim wrote the music in 3/4 timing! Genius!

[Selendomono]

OMG A NEW VID! HAPPY!

[noteDhero]

Catherine Zeta Jones better tear this up. I wonder who's playing the Count and Countess. I love this song.  Been on my iPod for about 2 years now.

[judysweetfunny]

I seen you on Cash Cab xoxo

[MaryJesusJoseph]

My favorite show.

[DrewOrlando]

As always, Seth, a delightful deconstruction. The great french horn decoration you mentioned is a theme from R. Strauss' opera "Der Rosenkavalier", in case you didn't know. I wonder if it was Sondheim's or the fantastic Jonathan Tunick's idea to add it?

[mmb1998]

thank good you posted a video

[tellmewhatsahappenin]

another awesome deconstruction, seth! i played anne at my college last year..you're right- it is written "a weekend out of town"

[practicaldreamyr]

A classic sample of Sondheim's lyrical genius - thank you for this video, your deconstructions are always so entertaining! <3