US concert pianist Anthony de Mare pays tribute to Stephen Sondheim in a fascinating project. De Mare invited contemporary composers from a broad variety of genres – from Sondheim’s own world of musical theatre to jazz, classical, pop, film and beyond – to 're-imagine' a Sondheim song of their choice as a piece for solo piano.

Sondheim is more than America’s pre-eminent composer of musical theatre, and his influence has resonated far beyond Broadway. Contributing 're-composers' include Steve Reich, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Wynton Marsalis, Nico Muhly, William Bolcom, Jake Heggie, Michael Daugherty, Frederic Rzewski, Mary Ellen Childs, Duncan Sheik, Nils Vigeland, Gabriel Kahane, Tania Leon, Fred Hersch, Ethan Iverson, David Shire, Thomas Newman and more – in total, 36 composers representing seven countries and 29 Grammy, Pulitzer, Tony, Academy and Emmy Awards!

Among the Sondheim songs featured are Being Alive, Pretty Women, I’m Still Here, The Ladies Who Lunch, No One Is Alone, Johanna, Finishing the Hat, the title numbers from ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ and ‘Into the Woods’, and, of course, Send in the Clowns.

“Each of the composers is having a conversation with Mr Sondheim”, Anthony de Mare told the New York Times, “with his material but also his influence, his musical wit and his craft.” Sondheim’s response? “To hear composers take my work and take it seriously … it’s a thrill.”

“Not just inventive piano arrangements of the songs but new compositions written in the composers’ own styles… It was fascinating to hear how each composer approached the song. Mr de Mare’s playing was dynamic and stylish, requiring formidable virtuosity… I loved it.” – The New York Times

Contents:
CD 1
- A Little Night Fughetta (arr. William Balcom)
- Color and Light (arr. Nico Muhly)
- Finishing the Hat – 2 Pianos (arr. Steve Reich)
- The Ladies Who Lunch (arr. David Rakowski)
- Perpetual Happiness (arr. Eve Beglarian)
- Birds of Victorian England (arr. Jason Robert Brown)
- Johanna in Space (arr. David Sheik)
- You Could Drive A Person Crazy (arr. Eric Rockwell)
- That Old Piano Roll (arr. Wynton Marsalis)
- Sorry-Grateful (arr. Derek Bermel)
- No One Is Alone (arr. Fred Hersch)
- A Bowler Hat (arr. Annie Gosfield)
- I'm Excited. No You're Not. (arr. Jake Heggie)

CD 2
- The Demon Barber (arr. Kenji Bunch)
- Send in the Clowns (arr. Ethan Iverson)
- The Worst [Empanadas] in London (arr. Ricardo Lorenz)
- I Think About You (arr. Paul Moravec)
- Very Put Together (arr. Mason Bates)
- I'm Still Here (arr. Frederic Rzewski)
- Love is in the Air (arr. David Shire)
- Epiphany (arr. John Musto)
- Pretty Women (arr. Mark-Anthony Turnage)
- Paraphrase (Someone in a Tree) (arr. Phil Kline)
- In and Out of Love (arr. Bernadette Speech)
- Another Hundred People (arr. Daniel Bernard Roumain)

CD 3
- Into the Woods (arr. Andy Akiho)
- Every Day A Little Death (arr. Ricky Ian Gordon)
- Merrily We Roll Along (arr. Nils Vigeland)
- Notes on "Beautiful" (arr. Rodney Sharman)
- Being Alive (arr. Gabriel Kahane)
- ot While I'm Around (arr. Thomas Newman)
- The Ballad of Guiteau (arr. Jherek Bischoff)
- Now (arr. Mary Ellen Childs)
- A Child of Children and Art (arr. Peter Golub)
- going... gone (arr. Tania Leon)
- Everybody's Got The Right (arr. Michael Daugherty)
- Sunday in the Park ~ Passages (encore) (arr. Anthony de Mare)