Anthony de Mare - Liaisons II- All Things Bright and Beautiful – Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano (2024) [24/96]

Pianist extraordinaire Anthony De Mare’s landmark commissioning project, Liaisons: Re-Imagining Sondheim from the Piano, reaches Volume II with a diverse range of 14 tracks by a roll call of contemporary composers from the worlds of classical, jazz, film, indie, pop and musical theatre, including Jon Batiste, Stephen Hough, Meredith Monk, Max Richter, Conrad Tao, with the soloist himself contributing the title track “All Things Bright and Beautiful”.

Launched in 2015 (on ECM Records) with an acclaimed three-volume set – “a revelation … De Mare’s playing superb throughout, a combination of lyrical reflection and extroverted pyrotechnics” (San Francisco Chronicle) – Liaisons II extends the ambitious endeavour that brings together the world’s leading composers to re-imagine the legendary musical theatre composer’s songs for solo piano. Sondheim, the ever-eloquent wordsmith, proclaimed he was “thrilled” with the music: “I think the new pieces are terrific,’ he wrote in October of 2021, simultaneously praising de Mare: “I also like how they show off your piano-playing chops.”

Timed to coincide with the 95th anniversary of Sondheim’s birth, Liaisons II: All Things Bright and Beautiful stands as a celebration of the life and enduring legacy of the exceptional musical theatre giant.

TRACKLIST

1. Anthony de Mare - Nice is Different Than Good (after “I Know Things Now”) (Arr. for Piano by Timo Andres)
2. Anthony de Mare - Everybody Says Don’t (Arr. for Piano by Mark Bennett)
3. Anthony de Mare - Pretty Lady: Gymnopédie (Arr. for Piano by Stephen Hough)
4. Anthony de Mare - The Gun Song / The Ballad of Booth (Arr. for Piano by Jon Batiste)
5. Anthony de Mare - Another National Anthem (Arr. for Piano by Ted Hearne)
6. Anthony de Mare - Move On (Arr. for Piano by Conrad Tao)
7. Anthony de Mare - Kiss Me (Arr. for Piano by Christopher Cerrone)
8. Anthony de Mare - Rhapsody in Red (after “Goodbye for Now”) (Arr. for Piano by Marc Schubring)
9. Anthony de Mare - Dialogue (after “Poems”) (Arr. for Piano by Meredith Monk)
10. Anthony de Mare - Always (after “I Wish I Could Forget You”) (Arr. for Piano by Paola Prestini)
11. Anthony de Mare - Not a Day Goes By (Arr. for Piano by Jeff Beal)
12. Anthony de Mare - Anyone Can Whistle (Arr. for Piano by Max Richter)
13. Anthony de Mare - Being Alive (Arr. for Piano by Kevin Puts)
14. Anthony de Mare - All Things Bright and Beautiful (Arr. for Piano by Anthony de Mare)



Thanks to the Original customer.