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Leonard Bernstein and Richard Wilbur: Make Our Garden Grow
I first encountered Candide in a college production that my high school’s Thespian Club attended. It was exciting and irreverent and the “Make Our Garden Grow” finale had me walking on air. I talked about the show so much that my mom bought me the double LP (1974 version with the red cover), which I played over and over in my bedroom. Thanks, Mom!
Gordon Lightfoot: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Our week began with a horror story on a lake and now we will end with a true ghost story on the world’s largest freshwater lake.
Stephen Sondheim: The Ladies Who Lunch
I can’t curate a week of Song of the Day posts without featuring my favorite composer, Stephen Sondheim, the musical theatre’s most prolific living writer. I suspect most of you know Sondheim and George Furth’s 1970 musical Company, but in case this song slipped off the playlist the last time you were at a Midtown sing-along piano bar I’ll provide a little context.
Elton John / Sara Bareilles: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
I love when great artists cover other great artists’ songs, especially when the cover version turns a pop tune into a beltress’s torch ballad. Today I present you Sara Bareilles’ piano/vocal rendition of Elton John’s 1973 hit “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.”
Stanisław Moniuszko: Szumią jodły na gór szczycie
Stanisław Moniuszko’s Halka is regarded as the Polish national opera and is widely performed in the composer’s homeland. However, the opera is seldom heard outside Poland despite its charming folk dances, haunting melodies, and a star turn for a lyric soprano.
Hugo Wolf and Eduard Mörike: Die Geister am Mummelsee
We begin our week with a horror story in the Black Forest. One of my favorite things about the study of poetry and music is opening my imagination to the world in which these magnificent compositions were birthed. Take a journey with me now to Stuttgart in the 1820s where we meet a twenty-something year old named Eduard Mörike who was studying to be a clergyman but along the way found a passion for writing.
J. Strauss II: Emperor’s Waltz (orch. by Schoenberg)
Bonus Weekend Song of the Day!
Richard Strauss: trio and duet from Der Rosenkavalier
For the finale, back to harmony and counterpoint. This is the final trio from Der Rosenkavalier, by my all-time favorite cast of Renee Fleming, Susan Graham, and Christine Schaefer. In 2000 a friend and I saw the Fleming-Graham-Schaefer trio in Rosenkavalier at the Met Opera and it was glorious.
Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run
Born to Run can be considered Bruce Springsteen’s anthem. It is also the song that may have saved his career. Up until that moment, Springsteen’s two albums were not selling well. He had a fan base in New Jersey, Manhattan clubs and, for some reason, Arizona. There were executives at Columbia Records who wanted to turn him loose, but his supporters, who were the company publicists and promoters, plus John Hammond, who signed him, convinced everyone to keep him on the label. Third time was the charm.
Steve Young: Seven Bridges Road (The Eagles)
Here’s to the Eagles, despised by many critics who didn’t think their music was tough enough for rock and roll, but loved by their many fans who made their Greatest Hits the best selling album of all time (29 million copies thus far). I loved them best in concert and “Seven Bridges Road” was a particular knockout—the band standing together, doing what sounded to me like flawless 5 part harmony.
Rodgers and Hart: Sing for Your Supper
“Sing for Your Supper”, a Rodgers and Hart trio from The Boys from Syracuse is irresistibly goofy, especially when it’s done so enthusiastically by world class singers. I couldn’t decide who did it better—the Broadway stars Rebecca Luker, Audra McDonald and Mary Testa or the opera legends Frederica von Stade, Marilyn Horne and Renee Fleming.
Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer: Come Rain or Come Shine
Let’s start with Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer. To know their music is to love it. They wrote a string of classic songs without ever managing to write a hit Broadway show. “Come Rain or Come Shine” was written for St. Louis Woman that lasted 103 performances in spite of its gorgeous score. Eileen Farrell, accompanied by Leonard Bernstein, performs it here.
Melissa Lusk: Feeling Of
What a week this has been! There are so many fantastic songs out there that it was hard to pick just one a day. Thank you NYFOS for asking me to play this really fun game. Today’s selection is “Feeling Of”, written (and performed) by the super talented Melissa Lusk for her band BOY GIRL PARTY.
Jason Robert Brown: Another Life
This is one of my favorite conventions in theater—the character who has one (showstopping) song. This song from Jason Robert Brown’s incredible score is sung by Whitney Bashor, who plays the ex of the leading man. She only appears for this moment, but lends so much depth and realism to his backstory. Bashor has a really gorgeous voice and I look forward to hearing more from her soon!
Katy Perry: Swish Swish
Something sassy to get you through the middle of the week…