Epiphany Sweeney Todd Sondheim at the Piano

[MJKT95]

I love how he's battling with himself whether or not to continue playing the song. It's like "I shouldn't give too much away... but it's too awesome to hold back!" LOL!

[AvalonMorley]

Wonderful getting to see all this. Thank you.

[BlackieGirl]

Steve's obviously a huge Bernard Herrmann fan, most notably Psycho.

By the way, who in the hell would dislike this?!

[jonlerne]

Probably the most intelligent, sophisticated composer the Musical Theater will ever know.

[allanfisch]

this is amazing

[FleetStreetNightmare]

whoa, I love how he explains the songs, This is awesome!

[sploopidy]

Sondheim > Lloyd Webber

[asmileisspecial]

@sploopidy Oh of course. There's absolutely no comparison. NONE.

[Sword1479]

@sploopidy A group of my friends started singing selections from Phantom of the Opera. Me and my side sang selections from Sweeney Todd, and out sang them. It was a happy day.

[asmileisspecial]

That Sweeney's JOOOOY was pitiful! :D

[saveourplanet14]

Screw the dueling piano video, Sondheim owns Webber anyday.

[imashitup]

I saw Len Cariou with Angela Lansbury the first run through SF and that dude scared the SH*T outa me when he pointed at me saying "you sir... too sir... welcome to the grave..."... not like this clip at all. I just saw the Company movie on NetFlix and it is astounding with 2 new incredible songs. See it if you love Sondheim.

[AvalonMorley]

@imashitup Which COMPANY did you see? The John Doyle direction from B'way, w. Raul Esparza, Barbara Walsh & Kate Moss, where the actors play instruments, & which was broadcast on PBS? Which are the 2 new songs? I guess one might be "Marry Me a Little," which is included in most COMPANYs these days & has been for some time now; it was written for the original, but was replaced by "Being Alive." (I love it, but hate the idea of it as Bobby's last song. Perfect for end of act 1, tho. )

[sacredfem]

HOLY SONDHEIM!!!! God damn I love this man. So, SO technical. Ridiculously so. It's beautiful. My accompaniest hates me for picking sondheim.

[Selesen]

Sondheim is AMAZING here, but I have to say, whoever the actor playing Sweeney in this is... really unfortunate. He's so cartoony. Is that Len Cariou? I know he's not my favorite, but I didn't think he was that bad :/ (No one can top George Hearn anyway, though.)

[notebook784]

You can convert thiss or any youtube video to an mp3 at ezmp3grab..com

[topduelist111]

2 people missed the like button

[pushup8daisies]

Sondheim is absolute genius

[mrjuly]

i really dont like this sweeney. I just dont see/feel the pain and suffering. :(

[waynespeers]

genius - but so was beethoven - thematic development

[oscarphile]

God, Quilley looks positively ghoulish in the full costume and makeup!

[RachPhantom40]

WE ALL DESERVE TO DIE!!!... they all excuse me... THEY ALL DESERVE TO DIE!!! STEPHEN SONDHEIM=GENIUS

[colinlikeschapstick]

God the actor is dreadful... Sondheim's genius though :D

[JonnoGradian]

The song is perfection. But the guy they've got singing it's bloody awful o_o

[luizcadu]

Genius at work!

[stickyfixer]

This makes me sad - I loved Sondheim when I was younger and I still do, but it would be nice if someone new would come along who was this good (now that he's 106). Someone who is both this accessible and this sophisticated at the same time. I live in hope.

[tkd12359]

Sondheim isn't 106! he was born in 1954. But I agree, that it would be nice if some as innovative as Sondheim came along, that would be wonderful.

[stickyfixer]

1954? You mean he wrote the lyrics for West Side Story when he was 3?? Now I'm impressed. (I'm showing off like I know all about Sondheim but I had to look up Wikipedia)

[tkd12359]

Haha, you're right :P i wrote it down wrong, He was born in 1930... sorry my bad

[okaytrees]

hes still not 106 though! lolol. being born in 1930 makes him 79. lmao

[nightwolf117610]

@okaytrees What? And here I thought he was going to be one of the oldest men in the world! Aw, shucks.

[thissignupisannoying]

I'll get subject matter soon. no worries.

[DustinHahnMusic]

Oh, I'm getting there! Dustin Hahn at your service! I'm still learning a lot, but I hope to follow the footsteps of Sondheim's career and make him proud!

[wilsondylanmccartney]

I'm just not digging Sondheim's stuff at all. Give me Irving Berlin's, or Cole Porter's, or Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals anyday. Take this Sondheim character and send him into the dumpster.

[asmileisspecial]

I'm staring at the screen with my mouth wide open. Even though I've seen this clip so many times, Sondheim never fails to amaze me with how meticulous he is.

[ritieeesie]

I don't understand he write the music for the whole musical and he don't know it because he needs to look at th sheet music, if write something you don't forget it.

[littlepipandcowbell]

there is a lot of notes in epiphany, ritieesie.

[encorebc]

Ummm...you're such a crock.

[kongxyz89]

thats not true, i need a reference for things i write depending on how often i play it or what other music i happen to be working on in the time

at this point in Sondheim's career his body of work was phenomenal, and all of the orchestrations relatively complex....sooooo if the guy needs to double check every once in a while especially when he is under the pressure of being documented....i think we can give the man a break

[aloha12214]

Gosh, He is so freaking genius. I love him. I hope i can be lucky enough to work with him one day.

[hellooldfashion]

sondheim is the definition of genius, look at the man go, it's amazing :)

[Elaforestr]

version 8.8 BB C. This is good stuff on youtube.

[loismustdie1123]

Wow! listening to that man talk is amazing!

[zeldanerd822]

sorry sondheim i think your god but please dont sing

[amandakuchinski]

you're an idiot

[DarthGuybrush7]

Wow, this is really really interesting seeing Sondheim going through the songs and explaining the composition like this. Extremely helpful and interesting (I'm in a production of the show right now, as Pirelli). I'm glad these videos exist.

I'm not so enthused about Dennis Quilley as Sweeney, though. I mean, I know Sweeney Todd is a melodrama, but this guy behaves like a cross between Noel Coward and Dracula. Overacting much?

Oh well. Still some very interesting clips.

[kimlecia]

GENIUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS­SS

[mrslovvet]

Sondheim is a genius.

[SweeneyTodd98]

i'm sorry but that guy is the worst actor ever.

[SweeneyTodd98]

it's weird because there's the 1982 tour cast doing this and they're George Hearn and Angela Lansbury and that was Stephen Sondheim's

[Bbtufty]

Stephen Sondheim seems to be avoid singing...he just seems to talk the words most of the time...

Amazing score though

[hajilove1]

omg! Talk about old, haha back in 1980, but thats pretty cool :)

[RangerGordon]

It's wonderful to see him explaining his conceptual process at the piano--are there more excerpts from this rare BBC show available? Does he talk about "The Worst Pies in London" or "A Little Priest"?

[madngirl]

god he is an amazing composer. . . :) i love it when he does the piano for the murderous mood. . .lol

[Splurge24]

jesus h. christ! his genius is overwhelming!!!! I can't take it!! it's too much! The man is amazing!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

[leojbramble]

Seriously. Either his lyrical or composing skills alone could blow anyone away; to have both in one person is astounding.

[jayms74]

An extra bit of Sondheim genius... well, this could be blatantly obvious but... the "Dies Irae" is also "the Ballad of Sweeney Todd".

[musiccat]

its not the same. its completely different, have you even looked at the music for each!?

[bdmusik]

I hate to break it to you musiccat, but jayms74 is right. Sure, it's not identical, but pieces of the melody of the Dies Irae were used in the Ballad of Sweeney Todd. I believe it's in the book "Sondheim on Music: Minor Details and Major Decisions" that Sondheim himself explains his use of the Dies Irae.

[EldKatt]

Stephen Banfield, in "Sondheim's Broadway Musicals", actually derives many significant motives in the score from the first phrase of the Dies irae. The Ballad, though it's never "the same", really has some of the more unveiled references: The opening phrase has a similar outline, with the same scale steps emphasized; "Swing your razor wide, Sweeney" is the entire phrase but tonally transposed; the persistent eighth-note accompaniment figure is derived from an inversion of the first four notes.

[fragilecapricorn]

sondheim is a genius

[Feareous]

I want more than anything to meet the genius Stephen Sondheim!

[flexbrowne]

How in the name of all that is holy can u compare a rehearsal of a stage production to a movie!!! Of course the film is unreal..but it is a stage musical!!!

[pjcgatsby]

invaluable!

[hyperboreal]

He managed to slip in the 'dies irae' gregorian chant in that chord progression right after the "but not for long" line. Genius!

[agenkolar18]

This Sweeney sux

Sondheim is absolutely brilliant

[Reeal15]

Yeah, that guy isn't exactly George Hearn or Len Carious. (or Johnny Depp, lol) Yeah, Sondheim is some kind of genius!

[GreyEyesCrying]

johnny depp isn't exactly george hearn or len cariouse either!

[lythnia]

It's true, but what he lacks in vocal power he makes up for with his subtle acting (he uses every part of his body!) and the emotion that just floods his voice...

[krusty320]

Now, I just don't see that in Johnny Depp's performance, or Helena's either. There was no energy. I understand that energy on stage and energy on screen is completely different, but there was no energy at all coming through the performance. Take "A Little Priest," or "The Worst Pies in London," for instance. These were two of Mrs. Lovett's big numbers, but Helena was SO flat in the role.

[gengski]

maybe you should teach her to act....hahahaha

[favilla]

I dont agree but, i can understand.... Its really diferent...

I guess it depends on what you see first...

[BlackieGirl]

I agree completely with your assessment of Helena's performance. She brought absolutely nothing to the role. Depp is a good actor, but he can't sing to save his life. After seeing Hearn, Lansbury, Cariou, all the great performances, why would you want to see the film?

[GoldenBalls1234]

He has a musical background, and he can sing rather well indeed.

I've seen both, the movie and the broadway show. They're both good in their own ways.

Tim Burton gave it a fresh and amazingly creepy look as always. And Depp sings rather well and even hits the right notes in songs like Epiphany when he's to sing the word "JOY"

[coxyomommasaid]

I'm not sure why these stage fans think they know anything about movies. You don't need the perfect singing in a movie musical. In a film cutting and camera angles and cinematography take care of the tone, atmosphere, emotion, and feeling wheras on the stage you don't have that and you need the excellent singing and a longer script. In a movie musical the actors most important job is acting and accenting the lyrics properly and Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter accomplished that wonderfully.

[HimanshuTailor601]

That's true but in film there is also more you can cover up. Actors in theater need to be precise in singing, acting and showing emotions facially and with the gestures. Im not saying that one i better than the other but they are both two different types of acting and performing that I feel cannot be compared because of the type of audience and how they are viewed.

[littlepipandcowbell]

this was fairly early on in the rehearsal process. and for the record, Sondheim has said acting is more important than singing.

[encorebc]

How about both! This guy is TERRIBLE!

[HimanshuTailor601]

althought I do agree with you. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter were phenomenal!

[encorebc]

Ugh. She was disgustingly boring.

[chriscommissomusic]

Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!

[ImperfectlyPerfect2]

Doesn't he look lovely at the piano? I swoon over Sondheim.

[luiissaw95]

Sthephen Sondheim is the master

perdon por mi ingles

[luiissaw95]

Sthephen Sondheim is the master

perdon por mi ingles

[andrael]

This Sweeney looks like Doctor Who. I keep expecting him to offer Mrs. Lovett a jelly baby then sing to his sonic screwdriver. Hearing Sondheim talk about what went into the piece is amazing, though.

[blackpython]

Quilley looks like Londo Mollari from Babylon 5 in his full make up/wig.

[blackpython]

I love Sondheim in this clip, thank you! I love him talking about his own work.

Though I'm not a fan of Quilley's Sweeney. I'm going to guess that Quilley's not usually a singer? Because it seems like he's jumping too much from singing to speak-singing. He just seems to lose where his tone a lot (I don't know if that's the right way to say it)

[musicalfool]

i dont like this sweeney

[s8ntmark]

If nothing else, I can kind of see where Tim Burton got the idea for Sweeneys hair in the movie.

This guys wig is more Johnny Depp then Len Cariou....And as far as I know this was the production Burton first saw that caused him to fall in love with Sweeney.

[jv92]

Here's my question- When was the second "Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett..." changed to "Even you, Mrs. Lovett..."? Here in London? It's in the vocal score and libretto but not on the album. The reason why I ask is because Hal mentions it ("No, I love the 'even you...'") at the very start of this video. I guess it was changed for this production. Maybe I'm answering my own quesiton.

[adcahela]

i love sondheim and agree that I cannot stand this sweeney, it's like a wimpy len cariou (i'm a george hearn sweeney fan)

[Enjoras]

Sondheim is so amazing. There are only few people in the existance of humanity who are this brilliant

[Awakening127]

I ADORE watching Sondheim talk.

[LukeWehner]

I agree. He is so intelligent and passionate.

[bryceep]

I didn't realize the similarities between the lyrical parts with him being "in love with death" as Sondheim says. Heartbreakingly horrible Sweeney, but I like watching Sondheim talk about his stuff.

[jwiener]

this is like the greatest thing ever

[harriter88]

Denis was a wonderfull Actor.And the third Sweeney ever.Plus he's English.I don't mind his Sweeney at all.I like the genteel quality he brings,sort of an English version of Len's Sweeney.

[Thaychris]

This video is bitter-sweet because you see behind the mind of Sondheim but hear and watch the crappiest Sweeney... ever

[Awakening127]

The crappiest interpretation of Sweeney is most definitely the kid Sondheim teaches My Friends to during a Master Class. O.O

But yeah...this guy comes pretty close to the bottom.

[weaselprince71]

In Quilley's defense (sort of), even just on this video (I never saw him onstage) his improvement between rehearsal and performance looks pretty massive. The orchestra certainly helps as well, but it's not just that: while I don't LOVE the performance footage, it's at least respectable -- especially by comparison with the wretchedness of the rehearsal clip.