Is it possible to have a more sublime combination than the erudite music of Stephen Sondheim and the ethereal song stylings of Judy Collins? This filmed concert, originally broadcast on PBS, features the legendary songstress performing the Broadway master\u2019s finest works at Denver\u2019s Boettcher Concert Hall, backed by the Greeley Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Glen Cortese.<\/p>\n
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Collins has the unique talent for retelling Sondheim\u2019s most biting and acidic works with a distinctive sense of ruefulness \u2013 a work of musical magic that gives a new layer of ironic serenity to songs that are too-often plumbed for bitterness. Under Collins\u2019 interpretation, Sondheim classics including \u201cI\u2019m Still Here\u201d and \u201cSend in the Clowns\u201d are presented as introspective last-laughs at an uncaring world, while \u201cGun Song\u201d provides a disturbing layer of wonderment to a harrowing portrait of a dreadful weapon. Collins\u2019 beautiful phrasing enshrines the genius of Sondheim\u2019s lyrics, and her performances of intellectually intricate songs like \u201cChildren & Art\u201d and \u201cFinishing the Hat\u201d offer a magnificent display of the songwriter\u2019s peerless command of language.<\/p>\n
Oddly, Collins includes a few non-Sondheim numbers including her Joni Mitchell-penned pop hit \u201cChelsea Morning\u201d and a pair of John Denver songs \u2013 these numbers do not fit the marvelous mood created by the Sondheim canon and would have been best left for the special features section of the DVD that will be available via MVD Visual in February. Nonetheless, this invigorating concert, which is handsomely directed by Pierre Lamoureux, is a treat for the senses.<\/p>\n