At 75, Stephen Sondheim Looks Back... and Forward Stephen Sondheim turns 75 this week, but the legendary musical composer and lyricist of such classics as Sweeney Todd and Assassins is still going strong. New York's SymphonySpace hosts a 12-hour tribute concert Saturday.

At 75, Stephen Sondheim Looks Back... and Forward

At 75, Stephen Sondheim Looks Back... and Forward

  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/4538517/4541506" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Songs from Sondheim

More from Sondheim

"I Work Better in the City..."

Only Available in Archive Formats.

On Working with Director Hal Prince

Only Available in Archive Formats.

Talking About Sondheim

Frank Rich: On 'Pacific Overtures'

Only Available in Archive Formats.

Sheldon Harnick: On 'Saturday Night'

Only Available in Archive Formats.

Angela Lansbury: On 'Anyone Can Whistle'

Only Available in Archive Formats.

Frank Rich: Sondheim Beyond Broadway

Only Available in Archive Formats.

Broadway composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim turns 75 on March 22. The living legend will be honored with a 12-hour performance of his works, Wall-to-Wall Sondheim, Saturday at New York's Symphony Space.

Stephen Sondheim hide caption

toggle caption

He composed stage classics including Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, Company and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; and he provided the lyrics for shows such as West Side Story and Gypsy.

After so many songs, numerous Tony Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and an Oscar (for best original song, 1990's Dick Tracy), Sondheim might not be blamed for enjoying a quiet retirement. But he continues to work: Bounce was produced in Washington, D.C. in 2003. And an album of Sondheim singing his own music -- recorded in the 1950s and '60s -- is due out in May.