Stephen Sondheim - Liaisons II. All Things Bright and Beautiful (Anthony de Mare)

Information

Composer: Stephen Sondheim

1. Nice is Different Than Good (after “I Know Things Now”) (arr. Timo Andres)
2. Everybody Says Don’t (arr. Mark Bennett)
3. Pretty Lady: Gymnopédie (arr. Stephen Hough)
4. The Gun Song / The Ballad of Booth (arr. Jon Batiste)
5. Another National Anthem (arr. Ted Hearne)
6. Move On (arr. Conrad Tao)
7. Kiss Me (arr. Christopher Cerrone)
8. Rhapsody in Red (after “Goodbye for Now”) (arr. Marc Schubring)
9. Dialogue (after “Poems”) (arr. Meredith Monk)
10. Always (after “I Wish I Could Forget You”) (arr. Paola Prestini)
11. Not a Day Goes By (arr. Jeff Beal)
12. Anyone Can Whistle (arr. Max Richter)
13. Being Alive (arr. Kevin Puts)
14. All Things Bright and Beautiful (arr. Anthony de Mare)

Anthony de Mare, piano

Conrad Tao, piano (6)

Date: 2025

Label: AVIE Records

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Pianist extraordinaire Anthony De Mare’s landmark commissioning project, Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano, reaches Volume II with a diverse range of 14 tracks by a roll call of contemporary composers from the worlds of classical, jazz, film, indie, pop and musical theatre, including Jon Batiste, Stephen Hough, Meredith Monk, Max Richter, Conrad Tao, with the soloist himself contributing the title track “All Things Bright and Beautiful”.

Launched in 2015 (on ECM Records) with an acclaimed three-volume set – “a revelation … De Mare’s playing superb throughout, a combination of lyrical reflection and extroverted pyrotechnics” (San Francisco Chronicle) – Liaisons II extends the ambitious endeavour that brings together the world’s leading composers to re-imagine the legendary musical theatre composer’s songs for solo piano. Sondheim, the ever-eloquent wordsmith, proclaimed he was “thrilled” with the music: “I think the new pieces are terrific,’ he wrote in October of 2021, simultaneously praising de Mare: “I also like how they show off your piano-playing chops.”

Timed to coincide with the 95th anniversary of Sondheim’s birth, Liaisons II: All Things Bright and Beautiful stands as a celebration of the life and enduring legacy of the exceptional musical theatre giant.

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