The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

If I'm not mistaken, the new BB/SS musical, "Gift of the Magi" is supposed to be playing in San Diego, beginning later this month. Are there any site members out there who have more information? Will any of you be attending a performance? Would love to hear how things go...

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/15 ... elle-Duffy

bye

Rob

Thanks for posting that, Roberto. It's very interesting that the orchestrator, the famous Jonathan Tunick, orchestrator of choice of Stephen Sondheim, got his Broadway start working on "Promises, Promises" back in 1968, and is now coming full-circle working on this second Bacharach production that will hopefully be Broadway-bound.

http://books.google.com.br/books?id=yy_ ... 22&f=false

This seems to work. If it doesn't, search for Burt at the approiate box in that page.

Otherwise, copy and paste this, with quotation marks an all, to Google's search engine:

"A composer who knows how he wants his music to sound, and how it should sound, is something else again"

I had told you about Tunick candidly saying he was extremely impressed with Burt's knowledge. Entirely different from that of any composer he had ever worked with. They wdn't even mention the drums, while Burt had detailed instructions to all things rythmic (and everything else). Tunick said he learned a lot from Burt and that he used it a lot after that.

Burt is unreal.

I'm saying a little prayer for this:

http://www.theoldglobe.org/pressphotos/Some_Lovers.html

Go BURT!!! You're past "legendary" now.

I just hope the critics have at least one scintila of knowledge and sensibilty to appreciate how huge an event like this is.

Now, the question is: Are they going to record this score now or wait until after the Broadway premiere?

Song from Some Lovers "This Christmas"

Burt & Hal Interview!

Vincent, was that an interview regarding Gift of the Magi? It sounded like a showcase of Burt's previous music. I saw a show in NYC in the late 90s which Kathy Najimy produced, called "Back to Bacharach and David," and it was made up of his hits from 1960-70. I thought maybe that's what the interview was referring to. Has anyone seen a review of Gift of the Magi yet? I believe it was to have opened last night?

SOME LOVERS - SOME LOVERS - SOME LOVERS - SOME LOVERS - SOME LOVERS - SOME LOVERS - SOME LOVERS

1) First review I know of:

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011 ... ed-beauty/


Related to it:

2) I really wish I knew Tunick's role. Maybe someone could help clarify this? Why doesn't Burt take the credits? He's such a tremendous arranger/orchestrator who deserves to be more known as such, I think. I know there's something to it. I just don't know what it is.

Wouldn't a Tony be nice?

I'm posting again a link I provided a few weeks ago. Bacharach did everything (apparenlty worth mentioning) for Promises, Promises. Tunick said so himslef in more than one occasion. I listened to him saying it myself.

http://books.google.com.br/books?id=yy_ ... 22&f=false

3) Mentioned as memorable.



(Roberto Pinardi posted the link before. Now we know it is in the musical.)

I find it very interesting that Every Other Hour may not be memorable. Maybe not at first litening?
But isn't that precisley the reason it may last and last? This think about memorable can be very misleading!
I know it is not unanimous here, but it is one of my favorite songs EVER. It will be remembered 100 years from now and then some, especially if Burt continues to be involved in the most relevant new recordings of it -- though I think take one with Biondi and Karima, live at SanRemo, is unbeatable.

A special friend sent me this other review:

http://www.nctimes.com/entertainment/ar ... e4c48.html

Passing over the question of how these two characters of (at best) modest means can afford a room at the Plaza, I wonder how commercial a tragic, slow-motion break-up will seem. I once read a column in which a writer speculated how much more cynically apposite "Promises..." would have been had Bertolt Brecht written the lyrics. Now, it would seem, we have Thomas Hardy in the guise of Stephen Sater. This whole thing just sounds terribly sad to me. Are people going to line up to watch love turn inevitably to resentment and hurt? Now, more than ever, get this album out.

Hi Blair,
I'd love to hear all the songs from this new show...
Let's pray they release an album soon !

"blue"

http://sdgln.com/entertainment/2011/12/ ... overs-work


Would they have recognized Bess, You Is My Woman Now as memorable?

Could they at least agree on the memorable songs, if indeed that's what anyone is shooting for?

Maybe they think that Burt's output is either obvioulsly and immediately catchy or utterly irrelevant.
Perhaps as much as I bring my bias to this discussion, they bring their misconceptions.

It would be tragic if this show "bombs" and an album is never released......

"blue"