‘Sondheim Medley’ (Joe Stilgoe and the Metropole Orkest) arranged by Callum Au (score video)

No More/Not While I'm Around/Children Will Listen
From "Theatre" - Joe Stilgoe and the Metropole Orkest
Conducted by Tom Richards
Arranged by Callum Au
The second in our series of score videos, this medley of songs from Steven Sondheim's Into the Woods & Sweeney Todd was recorded back in December 2021 for Joe's magnum opus. I was thrilled to be asked to arrange this one - sadly I had to miss the recording session, because as this song was being recorded, my son was being born! Given the lyrical content of the songs this was particularly poignant, and I'm incredibly pleased with how this track came out.
This one gave me a bit of a chance to exercise my orchestral muscles. The Metropole Orkest is an incredibly versatile ensemble, equally at home in ultra modern jazz and pop as in the orchestral world. This arrangement very much falls into the latter camp. Throughout the chart I was able to draw inspiration from Sondheim's original melodies while taking advantage of the much larger forces that a full orchestra provides. The 'Rapunzel' theme from Into The Woods comes up quite a lot, initially split between divisi violins and vibraphone, and then in the whole string section (you'll have to listen to the full version to hear this bit though!)
The section at letter N is a little hat tip to a favourite piece of mine from the turn of the 20th Century. Top marks to anyone who recognises it! When the horns, celli & clarinets come in with the main melody from 'Not While I'm Around' at bar 139, the orchestration becomes much more cinematic & conventional. I love the way Ray Bruinsma (MO 1st trumpet) plays this section - it's seriously classy lead trumpet playing of a sort rarely heard in the world.
Do check out the rest of the album and give Joe a follow - he's a remarkably talented chap, a wonderful songwriter & singer and an amazing pianist too! There's some lovely writing from fellow arrangers Tom Richards, Evan Jolly, and Andrew Cottee too.
Video by @beastlystudios
Album by @westway.music
@thejoestilgoe @wakeuptom @metropoleorkest

[@KalebePinheiro]

muito bom. Parabéns