The world has been celebrating Stephen Sondheim's recent 80th birthday in style all month and will continue to do so with upcoming events at New York City Center and Ravinia. Today, NPR's Fresh Air celebrates by talking with the composer about his great body of work, his musical influences, his writing process, and much more.
Stephen Sondheim celebrated his 80th birthday last month in style, starting with two nights of sold-out concerts at Lincoln Center dedicated to the composer's work and continuing with many accolades and honors through the following weeks. There's still more to come in the days and months ahead, including New York City Center's Sondheim birthday celebration this coming Monday, April 26—with current A Little Night Music stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Angela Lansbury (the recent recipient of The Signature Theatre's Sondheim Award), and Alexander Hanson joining an all-star cast for a gala benefit—and Ravinia's own gala benefit this summer, starring Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris, and Patti LuPone.
Today, on NPR's Fresh Air, the composer talks with host Terry Gross about all of these public celebrations and much more. The two discuss Sondheim's great body of work, musical influences like film composer Bernard Herrmann, his writing process, and his life in the theater.
"I'm interested in the theater because I'm interested in communication with audiences," Sondheim says. "Otherwise I would be in concert music. I'd be in another kind of profession. I love the theater as much as music, and the whole idea of getting across to an audience and making them laugh, making them cry—just making them feel—is paramount to me."
Tune in to the latest episode of Fresh Air on your local NPR station, or head to npr.org, where you can listen online starting at 5 PM ET today. To browse through the extensive Sondheim catalog on Nonesuch Records, including the recent Broadway cast recording of A Little Night Music, visit the Nonesuch Store.
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