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Stephen Sondheim

A rare recording of a musical by an 18-year-old Stephen Sondheim surfaces

A rare recording of Phinney's Rainbow — thought to be the first produced musical of Stephen Sondheim (shown here as a wizened showbiz veteran of 32, with three Broadway musicals under his belt) — has been found on a bookshelf in Milwaukee. Michael Hardy/Express/Getty Images hide caption

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Michael Hardy/Express/Getty Images

Theater

A rare recording of a musical by an 18-year-old Stephen Sondheim surfaces

Broadway-legend-in-training Stephen Sondheim was a college sophomore in 1948 when his musical Phinney's Rainbow was produced — and recorded — at Williams College in Massachusetts.

A rare recording of a musical by an 18-year-old Stephen Sondheim surfaces

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Stephen Sondheim, the Broadway legend, has died at 91

Composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim in New York in 1976. Sondheim died on Friday at age 91. R. Jones/Getty Images hide caption

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Music

Stephen Sondheim, the Broadway legend, has died at 91

The celebrated composer-songwriter died on Friday. He had won several Tonys and Grammys, as well as an Oscar and Pulitzer, for musicals including West Side Story and Company.

Stephen Sondheim, the Broadway legend, has died at 91

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A Cult-Classic Sondheim Flop Gets An Essential New Recording

Even after brutal reviews for the short-lived Anyone Can Whistle, Stephen Sondheim continued to create provocative and form-shattering musicals. Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images hide caption

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Review

Music Reviews

A Cult-Classic Sondheim Flop Gets An Essential New Recording

An updated recording of Anyone Can Whistle, a now-celebrated musical by composer-lyricist Stephen Sondheim, has some surprises, even for the completist.

A Cult-Classic Sondheim Flop Gets An Essential New Recording

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Hear Jake Gyllenhaal Perform 'Move On,' From 'Sunday In The Park With George'

Annaleigh Ashford and Jake Gyllenhaal during the opening night performance curtain call for Sunday in the Park with George on Feb. 23, 2017. Walter McBride/WireImage hide caption

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Walter McBride/WireImage

Review

All Songs Considered

Hear Jake Gyllenhaal Perform 'Move On,' From 'Sunday In The Park With George'

The actor and singer appears with Annaleigh Ashford in a new Broadway cast recording of the Stephen Sondheim musical.

Hear Jake Gyllenhaal And Annaleigh Ashford Sing 'Move On'

'Re-Imagining Sondheim': A Pianist And His Peers Deconstruct The Master

Pianist Anthony de Mare commissioned 36 composers to rework songs by Stephen Sondheim for the new album Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from The Piano. Paolo Soriani/ECM Records hide caption

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Paolo Soriani/ECM Records

Deceptive Cadence

'Re-Imagining Sondheim': A Pianist And His Peers Deconstruct The Master

Seated at the piano in NPR's studios, Anthony de Mare explains why he commissioned composers from the classical, jazz and Broadway worlds to interpret some of Sondheim's finest songs.

'Re-Imagining Sondheim': A Pianist And His Peers Deconstruct The Master

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Stephen Sondheim: Examining His Lyrics And Life

Sondheim, shown here in 1974, won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Sunday in the Park with George. He has also received eight Tony Awards, eight Grammy awards and a Kennedy Center Honor. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Theater

Stephen Sondheim: Examining His Lyrics And Life

Fresh Air

In this rebroadcast from 2010, the musical theater legend talks about writing the lyrics and music for several of his productions, including the 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along, which is currently in the middle of a two-week run in New York City.

Stephen Sondheim: Examining His Lyrics And Life

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Stephen Sondheim On Piano Jazz

Stephen Sondheim in 1974, the year after the premiere of his A Little Night Music, which includes "Send in the Clowns." Evening Standard/Getty Images hide caption

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Studio Sessions

Stephen Sondheim On Piano Jazz

The musical theater composer performs "Send in the Clowns" and more with host Marian McPartland.

Stephen Sondheim On Piano Jazz

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Look, He Made A Hat: Sondheim Talks Sondheim

Happiness is a good rhyme: Stephen Sondheim's new memoir takes its title from a lyric that captures what songwriter Paul Simon -- in a New York Times review of the book -- describes as "that feeling of joy, the little squirt of dopamine hitting the brain" when an artist is at work. Courtesy of the author hide caption

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Courtesy of the author

Theater

Look, He Made A Hat: Sondheim Talks Sondheim

Fresh Air

The musical-theater titan tells the stories behind some of his most famous work, from West Side Story to Gypsy. And he offers some surprising criticisms of other theater greats, including his mentor Oscar Hammerstein.

Look, He Made A Hat: Sondheim Talks Sondheim

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'Primrose': 44 Years Later, Still Sharp As Thumbtacks

Anthony Perkins and Charmian Carr starred in Stephen Sondheim's 1966 made-for-TV musical, Evening Primrose, about people living in a department store after-hours. ABC/Photofest hide caption

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ABC/Photofest

Television

'Primrose': 44 Years Later, Still Sharp As Thumbtacks

Fresh Air

Evening Primrose, Stephen Sondheim's made-for-TV musical about a poet and the girl he discovers living after hours in a department store hasn't been been televised since its 1966 premiere. David Bianculli says the musical, out Tuesday on DVD for the first time, showcases Sondheim's "early brilliance."

'Primrose': 44 Years Later, Still Sharp As Thumbtacks

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'On Sondheim:' The Musical-Theater Legend At 80

Sondheim, shown here in 1974, won the Pulitzer Prize in Drama for Sunday in the Park with George. He has also received eight Tony Awards, eight Grammy awards and a Kennedy Center Honor. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Theater

'On Sondheim:' The Musical-Theater Legend At 80

Fresh Air

The New York Times calls Stephen Sondheim the "greatest and perhaps best-known artist in American musical theater." Sondheim composed the music and lyrics for, among others, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and Company. He joins Fresh Air to discuss his career in musical theater.

'On Sondheim:' The Musical-Theater Legend At 80

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Stephen Sondheim's Clever 'Clowns'
istockphoto

What Makes It Great

Stephen Sondheim's Clever 'Clowns'

While discussing Sondheim's quintessential song "Send in the Clowns," commentator Rob Kapilow reveals that, like other great song composers, Sondheim doesn't really set words to music. Instead, he focuses on the emotion behind the words.

Hear What Makes 'Send In The Clowns' So Great

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Music News

A Dream Team, a Dream Musical: 'West Side Story'

The musical West Side Story premiered on Broadway 50 years ago today. While it is now an indelible part of American culture, with well-loved versions of film and music, the show's success was not assured back in 1957. It was the work of director and choreographer Jerome Robbins, playwright Arthur Laurents, lyricist Stephen Sondheim and composer Leonard Bernstein.

A Dream Team, a Dream Musical: 'West Side Story'

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Music Interviews

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

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