Dame Judi Dench sings "Send in the Clowns" - BBC Proms 2010

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  • Опубликовано: 1 янв 2025

Комментарии • 3,2 тыс.

  • @joanhallhovey
    @joanhallhovey Год назад +636

    I've heard every version: Frankie, Barbara, Judy Collins, etc. And this one, by far, strikes the marrow of the song. It is the most moving version. It is not about who has the most impressive voice.
    She made me cry.

    • @bekindnomad7415
      @bekindnomad7415 Год назад +22

      Yes, she doesn't have the refinement of many of the other legendary artists but her expressions and the inflections of the words shows how masterful she is at her acting

    • @butchie2752
      @butchie2752 Год назад +32

      Her version reminds me of somebody washing the dishes in an empty house and seeing their reflection in the kitchen window.
      Reminiscing on life.

    • @johngouker3887
      @johngouker3887 Год назад +10

      You can feel the love & pure passion ! ❤

    • @latexspacecoyote
      @latexspacecoyote Год назад +12

      Yeah... it's a master's rendition. It is fortunate to bear witness to such master throughout a life of wisdom developed, and communicated. Thank you for sharing this Joan.

    • @kellymarieapplebee
      @kellymarieapplebee Год назад +8

      Yes Joan!!! You have hit the nail on the head, absolutely makes the words to this song hit you in the chest the way in which she performs it!

  • @mattbarneveld815
    @mattbarneveld815 4 года назад +1172

    An actor who sings! Not a "vocalist", but an actor who conveys the story with the talent required. Stunning!

    • @tristonst.romain4336
      @tristonst.romain4336 4 года назад +6

      she was a singer i think. a surgery had cost her voice though

    • @ewingshannon
      @ewingshannon 3 года назад

      Like Sinatra did.

    • @ThomasDawkins88
      @ThomasDawkins88 3 года назад +10

      @@tristonst.romain4336 She sounded much the same when she was the original London Sally Bowles. The reviewer went twice and said something like "I can confirm having seen this show for a second time that Miss Dench is not suffering from a cold; she just sounds like that." But that's the point in Cabaret, and it's the point here.

    • @shirleykurtz
      @shirleykurtz 3 года назад +5

      Glenn Close is superb at this song. I think judi and Glenn are tied for 1st place.

    • @MrCrowebobby
      @MrCrowebobby 3 года назад +6

      @@ThomasDawkins88 Christopher Isherwood, the creator of Sally Bowles, hated Liza's portrayal of her because she was too good a singer and too obviously a star. Sally was neither of these.

  • @blanchefan
    @blanchefan 3 года назад +490

    She's a great actress; she's seriously thinking, concentrating about what she's saying; she's using what actors call sense memory; and heaven knows what else. She's mesmerizing, magnetic; she's a marvel. Thank you for this, Dame Judi.

    • @ncard00
      @ncard00 10 месяцев назад +2

      Didn't know M could sing...

  • @myoldmansanonion
    @myoldmansanonion 11 лет назад +3807

    For all those who think she can't sing, she's not trying to sing it, she's performing it.

    • @maximilianraphael9853
      @maximilianraphael9853 7 лет назад +138

      She's feeling it truly.

    • @jaypeckay5898
      @jaypeckay5898 7 лет назад +8

      darling, performing........indeed, but what a shit performance......maybe in your parish hall.............?

    • @kayjay12341
      @kayjay12341 7 лет назад +174

      Jay Pecquay it's a stunning performance. Clean your ears out

    • @DocTheGuitar
      @DocTheGuitar 7 лет назад +46

      Exactly right, well said.

    • @TheKASOT
      @TheKASOT 6 лет назад +125

      You also have to listen with your soul, with your whole being, with empathy, connecting with the performer and the performance..Sad, that you are unable hear the magic, the longing, the sadness, the everything that her great talent has presented.

  • @zoolander78
    @zoolander78 9 лет назад +664

    This is a masterclass in understanding a song.

    • @CrassusCazius
      @CrassusCazius 4 года назад

      adam marshall Where are the finance bros?

    • @track9music2007
      @track9music2007 4 года назад +2

      Yes there is type Stephen Sondheim masterclass from the 80s

    • @beagle7622
      @beagle7622 3 года назад

      Cleo Laine was similar, just bought the song alive. This is just brilliant though.

    • @anonymouspeacefulperson6199
      @anonymouspeacefulperson6199 3 года назад

      Sad nobody understood her Adam Graham dude! Trying to steal her mother's jewelry then tried to take her money! Nobody Understood Vanessa Wogan Phillips English. She just wants to disappear from the abusers!

    • @fernpetit7765
      @fernpetit7765 9 месяцев назад +1

      A beautiful performance by a beautiful woman..thank you.

  • @debkosteniuk1
    @debkosteniuk1 4 года назад +776

    I still find this the most beautiful performance of Send in the Clowns ever; I don't care if she misses notes ... she has lived this song, you can tell by how she performs it. It is mesmerizing.

    • @alexdiaz4181
      @alexdiaz4181 3 года назад +8

      It's a beautiful thing I love her performance...how are you doing today?

    • @frankwilliam2070
      @frankwilliam2070 3 года назад +2

      She's indeed wonderful...how are you doing today?

    • @shelteredsparrow2736
      @shelteredsparrow2736 3 года назад +14

      In acting and singing, notes can be wrong and even add to the story. The acting must be on spot.

    • @blanchefan
      @blanchefan 3 года назад +4

      Maria Callas would approve of this performance. For Callas was a great singing actress...

    • @mkspangenberg
      @mkspangenberg 3 года назад +2

      I know right? I cried at the end.

  • @charlesmiller3268
    @charlesmiller3268 Год назад +210

    Truly the ultimate, definitive, heart wrenching performance. She knows and means every syllable of every word. No other actor has gotten to the depth of the soul of the character. Her performance literally takes the air out of your lungs.

  • @skygerspacher6891
    @skygerspacher6891 4 года назад +237

    Sometime when I am writing, sitting on the couch in the evening, I notice, out of the corner of my eye, that my husband is staring at me . Because I am now comfortably into my 60's and secretly insecure, maybe because I have unconsciously bought into Hollywoods portrayal of Older women. I wonder if he stares because there is a booger on my nose , or because of the way my skin now hangs just a bit below my chin, or because my eyes are not quite as round and fresh my body not as lean and quick. But then when I look over at him I realize it is for the same reason it has always been. Age gives and takes, and what it gives is far more lovely than what it might take. Judi Dench is such a perfect example of that. How one becomes more beautiful as you rub elbows with time. Such a graceful, lovely woman.

    • @e.conboy4286
      @e.conboy4286 3 года назад +5

      Sweet! When my husband looks that way, he wants a 🍺 !

    • @suzawilo
      @suzawilo 3 года назад +12

      What a lovely comment❤️
      Bless you and your husband🙏🏽

    • @MontanaMomma1
      @MontanaMomma1 3 года назад +8

      Beautifully put! He’s a lucky fellow 🥰

    • @benswindlehurst1857
      @benswindlehurst1857 3 года назад

      Maybe he’s staring at how many times you’re hitting that space button.

    • @skygerspacher6891
      @skygerspacher6891 3 года назад +8

      @@benswindlehurst1857 ahhhh, I'll steer clear of you. My typing and grammar skills would not stand up to your eagle eyed critical scrutiny. (oops, did I forget a comma?) You will probably see that I often times forget my socks and miss button holes too. Next time I'll put in a purposeful misspelling, just to brighten your day. :)

  • @badabing8884
    @badabing8884 3 года назад +180

    RIP Stephen Sondheim. Thanks for writing this classic.

  • @scattysafari7742
    @scattysafari7742 5 лет назад +616

    I never 'got' the song until I saw this performance. I was in tears. I will never understand how she makes emotion look so natural, real & effortless.Amazing.

    • @levimacdonald5188
      @levimacdonald5188 4 года назад +10

      Dame Judi dench is Britain's greatest actress🎭.. ❤

    • @prrr446
      @prrr446 4 года назад +2

      It is all fake. She is an actress.

    • @ShadyKray
      @ShadyKray 4 года назад +18

      @@prrr446 It's Dame Judi a national treasure. She can do what ever she bloody well likes. Show some respect.

    • @prrr446
      @prrr446 4 года назад +2

      @@ShadyKray I don't like her.

    • @michaelshanks6932
      @michaelshanks6932 4 года назад +6

      @@prrr446 It's all a matter of taste. Some of us have it, some don't; simple as that.

  • @andriancurshen3586
    @andriancurshen3586 8 лет назад +616

    Oh the aching sadness in her face. I cried before she sang a word. Surely no one felt the sorrow in the song more.

    • @DocTheGuitar
      @DocTheGuitar 7 лет назад +11

      Beautifully and perfectly put Andrian.

    • @Rainmaker65
      @Rainmaker65 7 лет назад +16

      I'll politely disagree, as I began tearing up as soon as I saw this selection in my side-bar. This song has seemingly waited for Dame Judy to come along since being written. Now that the performance is over, the song can now bask in the warm glow of success. In any event, all I needed to see was the title to start tearing up, and I knew this was going to be a VERY worthwhile performance.

    • @AlanHope2013
      @AlanHope2013 6 лет назад +19

      With respect, the song is made for actors, not singers, as another commenter has pointed out. You can't do this song justice at age 20; you have to by Glynis Johns or another of the many mature actresses who have tried their hand. This is a perfect performance because she understands the lyrics and relates to them. Forget the big blasting voices of The Voice, a song like this is a story, and someone who has lived the story is in the best place to tell the story. Imagine as a woman of her age and skill in the theatre, how many times she's thought to herself, "Send in the clowns, don't bother, they're here".

    • @dw070
      @dw070 6 лет назад +1

      you must have been feeling some type of way before you started this video 😂

    • @jeremygaiser4407
      @jeremygaiser4407 6 лет назад +3

      @@Rainmaker65 I'm going to disagree with you...i started crying when I woke up knowing I would go on RUclips looking for instructions on how to fix my dishwasher, but somewhere in the back of my mind, knowing I would see forlorn face of Judi Dench.

  • @ER-uy7ct
    @ER-uy7ct Год назад +33

    I never understood this song, until now that is. Listening to Dame Judi Dench's version is....for lacknof a better phrase, transformative. I felt every word, every syllable.
    I know she will never read this, but thank you ma'am. This version brought me to tears. You were perfectly imperfect, and I was spellbound. I've listened to your version about 10 plus times now. And I will continue to listen to it.
    Thank you.

  • @errolflynn4984
    @errolflynn4984 7 лет назад +288

    I Believe THAT is how that song was meant to be sung. With feeling. With pause. So much more elegant.

    • @JohnTaylorMusicClips53
      @JohnTaylorMusicClips53 4 года назад +2

      Easy for you to say, being as famous as her

    • @adlegacy56
      @adlegacy56 4 года назад +3

      Completely agree! Sondheim wrote A Little Night Music with Glynis Johns in mind to play Desiree, he was a huge fan of hers. Glynis Johns was a brilliant Actress, not a singer, but Sondheim knew she could carry a tune and perform the song, so he composed Send in the Clowns knowing what Glynis Johns was capable of doing with the song. I cringe every time I hear a well trained singer perform Send in the Clowns, it wasn't composed for trained singers.

  • @MarkLuyk
    @MarkLuyk 8 лет назад +1299

    And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you tell a story!

    • @tompouceful
      @tompouceful 8 лет назад +20

      Right, that's the way how you do that.

    • @KenHowardLCSWGayTherapyLA
      @KenHowardLCSWGayTherapyLA 8 лет назад +13

      Amen!

    • @charlesdavis7087
      @charlesdavis7087 7 лет назад +5

      Dear Mark, yes, that's how you tell a story. Bless you and all you love. CVD

    • @jaypeckay5898
      @jaypeckay5898 7 лет назад +1

      you poor fool........with a surname like yours sweetheart you will never be a gentleman............x

    • @1plus1b2
      @1plus1b2 6 лет назад +4

      Mark Luyk , you are right

  • @auntbee1959
    @auntbee1959 6 месяцев назад +40

    Most people don’t know this. Before she went on, she was backstage saying “why do they want me to do this”.
    I can’t sing. She was so nervous. She didn’t think she could do the song justice.
    Well, she did.❤️🙏

  • @sarachivers5464
    @sarachivers5464 6 лет назад +125

    The emotions in the way she sings it is off the scale. This is what musical theatre is all about. It is not about hitting every note perfectly, but telling a story and this is just perfection

    • @carolinemitchell5241
      @carolinemitchell5241 3 года назад +3

      though she does hit the notes perfectly in tune as well as the brilliant performance :)

    • @treesny
      @treesny 4 месяца назад +1

      For a "non-singer" Dench has done some pretty memorable work in musicals! Her Sally Bowles in "Cabaret" is probably the best ever, and she later recorded the other female lead, Fr. Schneider -- written for another great "non-singer," Lotte Lenya. Remember too that she was originally cast as Grizabella in "Cats," but had to bow out due to an injury; imagine what she might have donbe with "Memory."

  • @headings50
    @headings50 5 лет назад +56

    People say Leonard Cohen couldn't sing either, but either you get it or you don't, this is a heart felt wonderful performance of a great song .

  • @coastalseasider4634
    @coastalseasider4634 2 года назад +75

    Dear Dame Judi Dench, adding *ANOTHER* reason as to why she is so highly regarded & so downright lovable. Her emotions ran quite deep doing this. I felt her husband, Michael Williams had a role in her thoughts during this as well. Brava! 🇬🇧 Beautifully done.

    • @dennisdougherty7538
      @dennisdougherty7538 Год назад

      Sung with style but...who is the idiot that asked her to do this?!?!

  • @n40tom
    @n40tom 6 лет назад +186

    Perfect . This song was written for an actress not a pure singer, hence the emotion. Just beautiful.

    • @jamessim1858
      @jamessim1858 4 года назад

      Your easily pleased dude she murdered the song

    • @bennyrobertson
      @bennyrobertson 4 года назад +18

      @@jamessim1858 You have no idea what you are talking about. It's not a pretty ballad as sung by Judy Collins or Frank Sinatra, it is an integral part of "A Little Night music" by Stephen Sondheim. Dench played the lead female role in the London premiere. As the previous poster noted, the song was written for Glynis Johns, an excellent actress who was not an especially good singer, hence the short phrases, necessary because she could not sustain notes. Dench perfectly captures the meaning of the song, which is a reflects on the ironies and disappointments of the character's life.

    • @freethrice
      @freethrice 4 года назад

      An actress Not acting!

    • @zaimokoya
      @zaimokoya 3 года назад

      Well, it was written to fill in a crucial moment in the drama but Sondheim saw that it could also be sung as a pure melody.

    • @babawali3021
      @babawali3021 2 года назад +1

      @@freethrice Yes, this version is refreshing, different and very moving.

  • @misfittoys5873
    @misfittoys5873 5 лет назад +656

    The way she snaps "Don't bother" with so much anger and then her voice just breaks at "they're here". It's brilliant and deeply tragic

    • @Magekind
      @Magekind 5 лет назад +16

      I originally thought the anger in that line was a bit too much, but in retrospect, it's exactly right. There's a little bit of reprimand coupled with self-deprecation there. So yes. Absolutely brilliant delivery.

    • @NYCRhythm
      @NYCRhythm 4 года назад +13

      I truly think she’s merely referring to herself; what a fool I’ve been and what a buffoon I am now. Angry at her own poor judgement, her poor choices. You agree?

    • @cannibalisticrequiem
      @cannibalisticrequiem 4 года назад +10

      @@NYCRhythm I definitely agree! She's angry and frustrated with herself, and the choices she made in life. She chose to focus on her career, and while that brought her fame and accolades, it ultimately didn't make her happy. She lost out on a meaningful relationship with Fredrick-- twice, and she barely knows her own daughter as Mme. Armsfeldt is raising Fredricka, so they're practically strangers. At best, they're penpals, but they don't really have a Mother/Daughter relationship. And while we know that she gets her happy ending, Desiree is unaware of that during this moment, and it's in this song that she realizes how truly alone she is. It's rather heartbreaking.

    • @michaelshanks6932
      @michaelshanks6932 4 года назад +2

      @@NYCRhythm Well, hers and his too; and it's all beautifully summed up in one line.

    • @mckavitt13
      @mckavitt13 4 года назад +1

      Darby Turnbull Yes, it’s Judi Dench.

  • @leecoiltman2554
    @leecoiltman2554 Год назад +64

    I am not a fan of non-singer interpretations of great songs...and coming here after Sinatra's seminal, eternal reading. But...Judi Dench proves the exception. And here I am left in tears. A brilliant performance. Her glances, expressions, and voice tell a story of tragedy, mistiming, farce, and aging. Beautiful.

    • @Kixcomments
      @Kixcomments Год назад +6

      And how subtly she did everything. The little glances spoke volumes! I love her

    • @lpburrows
      @lpburrows Год назад +3

      The song was originally written for Glynis Johns, who was a non-singer, too. This is precisely what the song should sound like.

    • @meesamagill1193
      @meesamagill1193 7 месяцев назад

      A non singer is more authentic

    • @treesny
      @treesny 4 месяца назад

      @@lpburrows I saw the original production with Glynis Johns (pre-Broadway) and you are absolutely right.

  • @amartinblueplanet
    @amartinblueplanet 10 лет назад +1121

    This is such a perfect performance. This beautiful lament was made for the more mature voice whose life experience could truly witness the regret that this song portrays. Great face, great voice, great memories in her twinkling eyes. For those who don't get it, I think as the years roll on it will come to you. Just magnificent.

    • @nessiediamond
      @nessiediamond 10 лет назад +12

      Absolutely right amartinblueplanet!! :-)

    • @gucciboy1952
      @gucciboy1952 9 лет назад +17

      yes absolutely Extraordinaire

    • @12magus
      @12magus 9 лет назад +38

      amartinblueplanet
      It's clear that Dame Judi is not a professional singer but this is one song that is ruined when it is sung perfectly beautifully. Dame Judi won't sell many records, but she sings/talks through this as one would when the feelings she portrays are real, immediate, enough to close off half the throat. IF sung beautifully, the feelings the words elucidate are lost When half talked, half sung, those feelings are as realistic as a heart break. Well done, Judi.

    • @mylesgarcia4625
      @mylesgarcia4625 7 лет назад +18

      Uhmmm, Dench played the original London Sally Bowles when CABARET played in the West End in 1967. I saw her as a very young thing back then in 1968 in that role. She IS a professional singer -- but she has that cracking voice. It's a matter of taste.

    • @lohphat
      @lohphat 7 лет назад +20

      Couldn't have said it better.
      This performance demonstrates what the theater is for...telling the human story.

  • @lindseymurrayevje1534
    @lindseymurrayevje1534 5 лет назад +42

    Sondheim writes music for actors who can sing. Not singers who can 'act'. What an astonishing woman. Happy Birthday Dame Judi! xx

  • @claudiaengberg3520
    @claudiaengberg3520 3 года назад +209

    She is magnificent!! Her timing, her facial expressions, her beautiful voice. There was not a sound coming from the audience during her performance. No one wanted to miss one moment of the story she was telling. I've seen this song "sung" before, but she acted it out, and it was perfection!!!!

    • @ReneeVanasse
      @ReneeVanasse Год назад +1

      Incredible. Every note she sang was pitch perfect. No one has ever given such a moving performance. The perfect blend of notes, story telling, emotion. Brava Brava Brava

  • @MrAkashvj96
    @MrAkashvj96 9 лет назад +356

    I don't know why I'm even surprised. She's far & away the greatest theatre actress who has ever graced the stage.

    • @austinpearce5442
      @austinpearce5442 8 лет назад +18

      And the best M.

    • @alansbinnie1446
      @alansbinnie1446 6 лет назад +1

      Tell that to Ellen Terry.

    • @sharongower5848
      @sharongower5848 5 лет назад +2

      Such a fantastic actor no matter what the subject, my hero

    • @jackgandolfo1328
      @jackgandolfo1328 5 лет назад

      @@sharongower5848 All well and good that she's your "hero" (should be "heroine", actually) but the point is that "Send In The Clowns" is a SONG, and it is supposed to be SUNG... by a SINGER, not an "ACTOR". Regardless of your "girl crush" it would be nice if you could bring just a bit of objectivity to the subject... which is singing, not acting (fantastic or not).

    • @sharongower5848
      @sharongower5848 5 лет назад +4

      Grow up too many nasty people in this world already. Also we don't differentiate between gender anymore.

  • @Pocahontas-jh1cq
    @Pocahontas-jh1cq 5 лет назад +117

    I love how she mentally prepares for this performance and gets into character before she sings one note.

  • @CountofBeretania
    @CountofBeretania 5 месяцев назад +19

    She doesn’t just sing or recites this song, Dame Judi feels every lyric, thus moving the soul and ears of those who hear this version.

  • @robjustaguy
    @robjustaguy 2 года назад +48

    Have you ever heard a song, and thought - that, is just what I’m feeling right now.
    Just heard this performance for the first time and that is exactly what DJD does. She doesn’t “Sing” it as the title says, she feels it.
    Most of us, would sound exactly like this if we were truly expressing our feelings, raw, emotional, heartfelt, angry, sad, disappointed, depressed and failing.
    This is not a song. This isn’t sung…
    This is a soul expressing its deepest feelings, and it is one of the MOST BEAUTIFUL things I’ve ever heard in my life. I feel blessed to have heard it, seen it, felt it, lived it.
    Open your hearts, not your ears.
    That silence as she shows her soul, is exactly what you should be. Silent. Embracing this wondrous emotion.
    Not a sound amongst the thousands there.
    Simply open to what was her bearing her soul.
    Beautiful
    Thank you so much Dame Judi Dench. Thank you so much ❤

    • @coastalseasider4634
      @coastalseasider4634 2 года назад +1

      Your words are *_PERFECT_* , Rob. 💞

    • @robjustaguy
      @robjustaguy 2 года назад +1

      @@coastalseasider4634 thank you.
      It is truly a remarkable thing to hear this “performance”
      X

    • @estelleevert6734
      @estelleevert6734 Год назад +2

      My favorite version of this song. Judo Dench also originated the role of Sally Bowles on Cabernet. Puts Liza to shame. See it on RUclips.

    • @coastalseasider4634
      @coastalseasider4634 Год назад

      @@estelleevert6734 ~ Thanks for this. Had never seen nor heard of this before. Have thoroughly enjoyed her since her delightful series, As Time Goes By, through PBS stateside. Have found other series & delightful movies, Lavender Ladies, Tea With Mussolini + so much, I have quite a collection. Talented & just comes across as a delightful person. Oh, & love her on The Graham Norton show. (Apologies for all the babble.)

  • @colincarvell9269
    @colincarvell9269 5 месяцев назад +25

    That was emotional, superb. What an actress, what great talent!!

  • @lorenzonotarianni1667
    @lorenzonotarianni1667 3 года назад +47

    54 year ol d male here. The very last part of the song, with Judy Denches intense stare towards her inner thoughts, got me into tears. So stunningly beautiful and moving.
    Greetings from Italy.

  • @margueritatime
    @margueritatime Год назад +30

    i can’t help but cry at just how beautiful this rendition is. the emotion is so powerful and it really brings the story to the forefront, rather than a performer favouring vocals over anything else. stunning

  • @Amon9575
    @Amon9575 2 года назад +55

    As some one who is in music education this has to be one of the most charged literature based performances I have seen so far… such love and innocence in the sound is just 😘😘👌👌

    • @hermannsteinpilz4581
      @hermannsteinpilz4581 2 года назад

      I pity your students.

    • @Amon9575
      @Amon9575 2 года назад +6

      @@hermannsteinpilz4581 I respect your humble opinion but their is far more here than what is given credit for. Anyone can say yeah you sound good, but not many can understand what is being done

  • @DD-ft7zi
    @DD-ft7zi Год назад +20

    She’s on of God’s most talented creatures. We have been graced by her genius. Brava!

  • @brucecolemancfo5087
    @brucecolemancfo5087 6 лет назад +61

    I'm in tears. It's her face, so expressive, so sad.

  • @sydismine
    @sydismine 5 лет назад +154

    Brava to the audience in this theater that GETS it. Dench is sublime. Period.

    • @fraserkatie
      @fraserkatie 4 года назад +2

      Its the Royal Albert Hall in London, England. Ive sat in there such a lovely place

    • @e.conboy4286
      @e.conboy4286 3 года назад +2

      Yes! Thank God they refrained from yelling ‘ In the hole!’ or other stupid comments. So many performances are rudely applauded waaaaaaaay too soon and the magical spell is broken. It must annoy the artists and musicians who enjoyed creating the wonderful sounds so beautifully.

  • @monikamylonopoyloy6223
    @monikamylonopoyloy6223 3 года назад +53

    GLORIOUS is the only word for it. Her performance is so powerful it can break your bones.

    • @frankwilliam2070
      @frankwilliam2070 3 года назад

      Yes good performance...Hello friend..How are you doing today?

  • @curaeus007
    @curaeus007 5 лет назад +66

    She isn't just singing this-she's living every word! Utterly magnificent.

  • @mikem1966
    @mikem1966 9 лет назад +324

    Simply stunning and awesome, one voice holding the whole of the audience in the palms of her hands. You don't blink or look away from that performance for one single second.

  • @falutak
    @falutak Месяц назад +1

    This is the best voice for this song. Someone of age, and experienced how it felt like yesterday. This is a song from someone who has experienced the wisdom of the passing of years. Reminiscing of what could've been.

  • @kevk9894
    @kevk9894 Год назад +28

    This never gets old, even after 13 years it was gorgeously performed by the Great Dame herself. 🥹🥲
    She commands the stage with her presence and with the sensuous sound of the orchestra serenading along with her only then this pin drop silent in the hall can be achieved ❤ Thank You again for this remarkable performance.
    I need tissue please 🥲🥲

  • @cmarq817
    @cmarq817 Год назад +24

    The writer of the song made it for somebody that wasn’t a singer.
    I prefer it this, when actors perform it than when singers sing it ❤

  • @pennyceline15
    @pennyceline15 4 года назад +42

    She has the gift of story telling and only a few actors or singers have that gift.

  • @PickedPlum1
    @PickedPlum1 9 лет назад +62

    This is one of the saddest songs. So beautifully performed with all the regret and irony

  • @adamcharlottelotan4558
    @adamcharlottelotan4558 2 года назад +13

    ...and our tears never stop running...

  • @michellekeeling3392
    @michellekeeling3392 8 месяцев назад +10

    Perfection, pure perfection. Watching this great lady is such a privilege. 🥰

  • @patricke2088
    @patricke2088 10 лет назад +36

    I love how she smiles for the initial applause and then right before your eyes becomes the character

  • @noopieflace
    @noopieflace 10 лет назад +179

    My God....one could hear a pin drop while she sang. She had them after her first sentence! Sondheim was and is never concerned with one's voice. He once said "save the vocal beauty for other singers on their CD's. All I want is the audiences attention and appreciation.....regardless of the vocal brilliance from the singers." " I want the audience to walk out of the theater saying they loved EVERYTHING THEY JUST SAW AND HEARD.....not just any particular performer. PERFORMANCE...YES---PERFORMER ...NO."

    • @anniehart3021
      @anniehart3021 6 лет назад

      Absolutely and he said of Glynis Jones that she had a silvery voice that couldnt hold long notes which is why it was written for her

    • @judithhand4987
      @judithhand4987 5 лет назад

      Thanks for that input and quote; she did Sondheim proud then, didn't she? I thought it was beautiful...

    • @karenlewis6711
      @karenlewis6711 5 лет назад

      I was thinking the same..WHAT A PERFORMANCE x

  • @ginarubinoseymour1936
    @ginarubinoseymour1936 3 года назад +27

    An article honoring Sondheim mentioned to check this performance out and so glad I did. Lovely and now sobbing. Gosh I love that song and her perform was spot on.

  • @mgoskay
    @mgoskay 9 лет назад +827

    well this is what singing a musical theatre song supposed to be. not hitting the notes perfectly or as they are written. saying the words however you feel. bravo

    • @pingpong4811
      @pingpong4811 9 лет назад +1

      .

    • @mgoskay
      @mgoskay 9 лет назад +24

      Obviously that's not what i meant but anyway. I think being uptight about art is stupid and just stands in front of creativity of especially singers. Songs are not belong to the composers but to the singer once they are being performed. I strongly believe that's what makes opera feel ancient rather than classical most of the times. Blindfold commitment to the standardized execusions.

    • @track9music2007
      @track9music2007 9 лет назад +2

      Most agreed!

    • @sarahm5936
      @sarahm5936 9 лет назад +27

      muge oskay I would rather have emotion than perfect musicianship any day.

    • @pingpong4811
      @pingpong4811 9 лет назад

      ,

  • @chrismiccolupi2506
    @chrismiccolupi2506 9 лет назад +94

    This was my Grandpa's favorite song we played it at his funeral. I think why he like this song so much because he was a clown himself miss you grandpa!!!

    • @silverfeigner
      @silverfeigner 7 лет назад

      Chris Miccolupi sorry for your loss. This song means a lot to me too because it was sung at my mom's funeral. When she was alive, this was the song she would do for karaoke.

  • @sheilaconolly8087
    @sheilaconolly8087 3 года назад +13

    This gave me goose bumps !!!!! If only all singers would interpret their lyrics with such passion, conviction and honesty ...... thank you for this !!!

  • @jjh2456
    @jjh2456 10 лет назад +264

    This is how the song is supposed to be sung. It's a haunting lyric and the voice is supposed to hoarse as if the singer is crying at reminiscing about the past.

    • @jackgandolfo1328
      @jackgandolfo1328 5 лет назад +3

      Oh, please. How pathetic.

    • @ElaAusDemTal
      @ElaAusDemTal 4 месяца назад

      ​@@jackgandolfo1328right back at ya... you obviously never heard of musical theatre? Like Brecht's Threepenny Opera, for example. It's not about perfect singing like Ariana Grande but carrying deep emotions in a way that the audience is spellbound.

  • @jerrera45
    @jerrera45 4 года назад +14

    Just when I thought I have heard enough versions of this song, I come upon this gem. It literately brought tears to my eyes.

    • @peterd788
      @peterd788 2 года назад +2

      Sondheim said that he had never been more moved by the song than when he experienced Judi Dench's interpretation of it. When he first heard her he said he thought he had never heard it before.

  • @ursafan40
    @ursafan40 3 года назад +12

    No matter who is singing, this is one of the most beautiful, sad, deeply moving songs ever written.

  • @mikezinn7212
    @mikezinn7212 2 года назад +16

    The absolute silence of the audience says it all. Stunning performance!

  • @modernpoet3997
    @modernpoet3997 2 года назад +25

    I come back to this every few months and each time I'm still in awe. The quintessential performer of this song, understanding what Sondheim intended.

  • @marisadellapasqua2756
    @marisadellapasqua2756 2 дня назад

    She is not looking for an effect, she does not want to impress, she simply lives the song. Pure poetry. A great lesson. Great Dame Judi Dench.

  • @BeatGoat
    @BeatGoat 10 лет назад +45

    What a beautiful performance.
    Some of the people commenting here should realize that singing is not always about hitting all the right notes, or vocal acrobatics, or belting. Dame Judy was absolutely on point with this performance. She wasn't off-key, and she conveyed emotions through her voice perfectly.

    • @bubbles6853
      @bubbles6853 6 лет назад +2

      This is exactly what is said about someone who can't sing. Apparently everything else matters all of a sudden.

    • @dMGraymusic
      @dMGraymusic Год назад

      @@bubbles6853 When a song is genuinely sad, you want to hear the singer cracking. You've heard of blue notes too, right?

    • @bubbles6853
      @bubbles6853 Год назад

      after 5 years i don't care about this topic@@dMGraymusic

  • @nacki612
    @nacki612 10 лет назад +132

    whoa! Wow!
    now, i don't understand how people can say, "she can't sing". her interpretation, the character of her voice and her face made this musical performance just unbelievably beautiful.

  • @Smokingbarn1
    @Smokingbarn1 10 месяцев назад +2

    Dame Judi is amazingly beautiful and we are all so lucky to have this to enjoy. She should be cherished ❤

  • @caleb-benji
    @caleb-benji Год назад +13

    This song always breaks me but this rendition is absolutely beautiful and so genuine. She’s a Dame for a good damn reason!

  • @henryshade1969
    @henryshade1969 7 лет назад +162

    I have had people ask me "What do you think you re going to miss most when you are gone'? Obviously the answer to this question is "Am I going to be aware of time, space and my past experiences when my time has past"? Who Knows? But I do know this, Judi Dench and her contemporaries gave me the gift of love while I was here. She made me understand that you simply don't love people for what they are, but, for what you are when you are with them and for the part of you that they brought out. So, I may be an old man, my face shows an abundance of wrinkles but hidden in my past and known only to me is the love others have shown me and the love I have given in response and the joy I have every night when my head finds my pillow and every morning when the light of day alerts me that a new day is beckoning. Thanks Judi Dench and I thank all those others who overlooked all the foolish weak things in my life and drew out into the light all the beautiful parts of me that others had not looked quite far enough to find.

    • @carylannevredenburg444
      @carylannevredenburg444 5 лет назад +3

      I believe you will. What does a ghost who haunts a particular location and the person who dies and comes back to say they saw loved ones have in common? Our lives are energy, once created does not dissipate only changes form. Our purpose is to create memories because they are the one thing we take with us...

    • @telefc
      @telefc 5 лет назад +12

      Henry - that's beautiful man. Words that stand alongside this performance. Bravo Sir.

    • @maureenedonovan9935
      @maureenedonovan9935 5 лет назад +1

      A life well lived? A life well sorted? Maybe a life understood... finally... understood.

    • @mvlaco8196
      @mvlaco8196 5 лет назад +5

      I think Henry just about summed up the essence of life. I wanna be like u when I grow up. 😍

    • @rael1999
      @rael1999 5 лет назад +5

      What beautiful words Henry....thank you.

  • @TicklishBellyscales
    @TicklishBellyscales 3 года назад +16

    She can wring so much emotion with each word, with each pause. So empathetic and human. So much talent. So many feels. I love this.

  • @oliverbonney9632
    @oliverbonney9632 9 лет назад +26

    WOW, what a perfect performance of this number.
    She had the audience enthralled.
    What a talent.
    BRAVA indeed.

  • @janemoore3143
    @janemoore3143 4 месяца назад +4

    14 years and this still has the power to bring so much emotion. Thank you Dame Judy! You are a precious jewel!

  • @Jason-kg7cw
    @Jason-kg7cw Год назад +9

    I watched Judi Dench perform this song at the National theatre in London in the mid 1990’s during the run of Sondheim’s ‘A Little Night Music’. I will never forget her performance, which was outstanding. I wrote her a letter of appreciation afterwards, and she kindly responded. I will always keep this letter. If you get the chance to see Judi Dench on stage, get yourself a ticket at all costs!

  • @soonerboy9831
    @soonerboy9831 11 лет назад +25

    Love Judi and her infinite character. She gives such expression to this sensitive song.

  • @Disneyfan82
    @Disneyfan82 9 лет назад +104

    I didn't know Judi Dench ever sang a song before. She may not have the best singing voice in the world, but she was fantastic enough to remind me of what I seen in a classic musical.

    • @berrie23
      @berrie23 9 лет назад +6

      +Disneyfan82: She played Sally Bowles in the London production of "Cabaret"
      That role was supposed to be an aspiring singer with not a great deal of vocal talent but a lot of heart. Judi was perfect for this interpretation.

    • @RussTube59
      @RussTube59 8 лет назад +4

      +Disneyfan82 She played the part of Sally Bowles in 'Cabaret' before Liza Minnelli.

    • @NickE361
      @NickE361 8 лет назад +5

      She also played Desiree in the 1995 West End version of A Little Night Music (where she sang this originally)

    • @sdsures
      @sdsures 8 лет назад +6

      I like how she doesn't try to force her voice to sing. Have you seen the 1996 movie of Evita? Jonathan Pryce, as Peron, made a conscious decision to not sing, but instead to sing-talk, and it REALLY works in "She is a Diamond" because his character is wracked with grief. /watch?v=JlEofxOm1j8

    • @jaypeckay5898
      @jaypeckay5898 7 лет назад +2

      sweetheart you need to get out more...........poor you

  • @johnhoward563
    @johnhoward563 3 года назад +27

    The clowns that think she’s making a bad effort at this piece,she one of the very best actors in the world.
    That’s what she’s doing utter class. Watch her a lady Macbeth with Ian mckellen. Pure genius. Regards. John h

  • @bmills9535
    @bmills9535 5 лет назад +5

    a nine year old video, but the woman does now and always has taken my breath away. She is what the performing arts is all about. I think she is one of the greatest actresses of our time.

  • @ScialomRoland
    @ScialomRoland 9 лет назад +16

    Wow! Before watching this performance, I was already a great fan of Judi Dench. Now, my passion increased even more.

    • @HeySlowPokes
      @HeySlowPokes 9 лет назад

      +Roland Scialom ... Yes, she's got some balls, doing that !

  • @charitobasa
    @charitobasa 4 года назад +11

    She's magic! I have no words.... Long live, Dame Judi Dench!

  • @araurafinch1747
    @araurafinch1747 5 месяцев назад +5

    I first heard this version of the song. And it just hit me differently than any other version out there. The emotion she sings the words with. You can see she feels every word. Love, love, love this woman.

  • @cak400
    @cak400 2 года назад +7

    I saw her perform this when she was on stage at the National and it was as mesmerising as it is here. She is note perfect and emotionally spot on too.

  • @johngouker3887
    @johngouker3887 5 месяцев назад +6

    Thank you for entertaining us, Judy!

  • @michaelkrupar9808
    @michaelkrupar9808 3 года назад +8

    My favorite version of one of my favorite Sondheim songs. Thank you, Dame Judy.

  • @mandybarnett3647
    @mandybarnett3647 2 года назад +10

    A beautiful story teller..she can emote more than most singers…no movement..just those engaged eyes..focused on the unseen…and a voice built to take people on journeys! The break of her voice in that last word…divinity!

  • @bradcarlsson1135
    @bradcarlsson1135 9 месяцев назад +1

    Class and poise. An emotionally intelligent performance. I loved it. 🇦🇺

  • @tfer1977
    @tfer1977 Год назад +6

    Magnificent Dame Judi Dench. That is a statement of fact! Her performance here, as usual, is amazing. This is the way Sondheim meant it to be conveyed.

  • @maquifrikis
    @maquifrikis 8 лет назад +335

    Love her as an actress, but she does the same singing, gorgeous!

    • @vima8680
      @vima8680 7 лет назад +3

      yes and listen also to Sara Vaughan

    • @PL73LC1
      @PL73LC1 6 лет назад

      Potigirls I

    • @kimberlysmith8299
      @kimberlysmith8299 6 лет назад +16

      Matra Simca This isn't suppose to be a " singing"performance per se but a persons interpetive prespective of the song.And it is beautifully done.Captures the meaning of the song to perfection.Dame Judi Dench's version is Shakespearean.Cuts like a knife....

    • @kimberlysmith8299
      @kimberlysmith8299 6 лет назад +8

      Matra Simca Oh, you're so funny.NOT.First, no I'm not British...second maybe you should do some research on the song written by Sondheim.The original artist was Glynis Johns , he wrote the song for her for a play "A Little Night Music"..clearly you don't have the slightest comprehension of theater, or art and all your taste is in your vulgar big mouth.You probably think the song is about a circus...duh.

    • @kimberlysmith8299
      @kimberlysmith8299 6 лет назад +9

      Matra Simca...what a phony ....You are wrong he wrote the song in 2 days for Glynis Johns.I'm not going to get into an argument and dog Collins ...hers is a beautiful "SINGING VERSION" of the song.Listen to Johns, Elizabeth Taylor, J.Dench...they are "ACTING" the song.Give it a rest, you're getting to be a BORING pest now.Funny how people fill theatres to see this play and how many positive comments there are.But of course with your superior knowledge of all things I guess we're suppose to kiss your ass and say you're ABSOLUTELY right, an be grateful for sharing your expert opinion so eloquently and with such class.Be careful when it rains, cos' your nose is so high up in the air....you may drown.Really? Dream on.

  • @rjn1124
    @rjn1124 5 месяцев назад +1

    OMG. This is one of my favorite Sondheim songs. So many have made this song about them not really paying attention to the lyrics but rather trying to showcase their virtuosity at the expense of the pathos of this wonderful piece. Dame Judy Dench has made this about what Sondheim intended with every expression and nuance. This is a truly remarkable performance. There is none other like it.

  • @patriciarodger6619
    @patriciarodger6619 2 года назад +13

    Stunning performance from Dame Judy..

  • @boebie100
    @boebie100 Год назад +5

    The first time I saw her lerform this song, she was sitting on the edge of a two people bed. Alone. With that special voice of hers. I broke down and cried. She is such a fantastic actress! The depth she gives to this, already great song, gives me goosebumps, everytime I hear it.

  • @jonathanbryant1550
    @jonathanbryant1550 Месяц назад

    I’m going through a seventeen year separation and this song speaks straight to my heart. It’s tough, merciless, vulnerable and honest. Thank you SS for putting these awful emotions into words and music. Somehow the sharing makes the enormous anguish feel a little lighter

  • @thomasquiroz384
    @thomasquiroz384 Год назад +5

    I love her. She's so amazing. She should perform more often thank you Dame Judy. You are a treasure for the years

  • @DenSanAZ
    @DenSanAZ 8 лет назад +274

    After listening to Barbra Streisand sing this (wasn't aware she'd done a copy), then the one I'm familiar with by Judy Colllins, I saw this with Dame Judi Dench. I know she's not a singer - but I absolutely loved it. Babs is technical perfection, Judy Collins is, of course, who one thinks of with this, but for some reason Judi Dench made me cry with her version. One doesn't have to be a spot on singer to make something good and emotional. Brava.

    • @wildhartmike
      @wildhartmike 6 лет назад +11

      Dennis Sanderson I for one never have and never will forgive judy Collins for singing this. I heard Angela landsbury sing it and it is glorious, but Dame Judi is the ultimate. People forget Sondheim is a lyricist. The words and how they are expressed are far more important than any glorious voice. (And I have one) but I have coached and had to tell a glorious voice to back off and he succeeded. And coached someone for Desiree who was not get the part,but gave the audition of her life. None of us could hold a candle to this.

    • @dehoedisc7247
      @dehoedisc7247 6 лет назад +7

      I'm no expert on singing performances, however I was touched deeply by Dame Judi Dench's marvelous rendition of a song that I heretofore connected with Judy Collins. And I was close to tears, yes.

    • @whill2890
      @whill2890 6 лет назад +10

      A consummate actor, Dame Dench was in character the entire time, including to the end, when she was not even singing, the look on her face brought me to tears. She was really feeling it and so was I.

    • @psychomusicanana
      @psychomusicanana 6 лет назад +4

      I associate the song not with Judy Collins, but with Glynis Johns for whom it was written in the original Broadway production of A Little Night Music. Johns wasn't a singer either. It wasn't meant to be sung by a singer. Dench is fabulous; but to my mind, Johns was better because she didn't make mistakes in the melody, which are very hard for me to overlook, and she didn't make interpretive errors because her performance was coached by Sondheim.
      That said, Dench is overall a better actor than Johns and had she the benefit of an understanding of Sondheim this would have been the best performance I've ever heard and seen.

    • @ironcarvel
      @ironcarvel 6 лет назад +2

      The rendition is special because she is not a singer.

  • @MICHELLEBOOBOO1
    @MICHELLEBOOBOO1 10 месяцев назад +1

    This song captures my mood exactly today.. 😢 a beautiful moving and heart felt version of this heart wrenching song 💔

  • @christopherhogan-np3xb
    @christopherhogan-np3xb 6 месяцев назад +4

    Absolutely gorgeous..Heart wrenching music and words..My favorite actress!!

  • @annebenham-clarke4139
    @annebenham-clarke4139 3 года назад +11

    Moves me to tears every time I watch it... she is the best.

  • @timtwotone3561
    @timtwotone3561 4 месяца назад +2

    My goodness, I have always been smitten with Dame Judy. Love her to bits!

  • @christopherlundgren3499
    @christopherlundgren3499 6 лет назад +14

    The controlled emotions, the simple theatricality, beautiful, simply beautiful.

  • @dawnhanwell2032
    @dawnhanwell2032 Год назад +7

    Her version was beautiful she's so soft and gentle I cried she's beautiful

  • @patriciapavlich739
    @patriciapavlich739 3 месяца назад +1

    I just finished her marvelous book. This is the topping to a wonderful story only Dame Judi can tell with her acting gift.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  • @CQuinnLady
    @CQuinnLady 5 лет назад +8

    Perfectly performed, a song that brings a tear to my eye everytime, but Dame Judy made me want to reach thru the screen and hug her.

  • @christineannemarsden
    @christineannemarsden 8 лет назад +39

    How can anybody dislike this? It is fabulous communication?

    • @anjsanas
      @anjsanas 8 лет назад +2

      I remember a couple years ago my choir teacher called this bad! I completely disagree

    • @RichelleBremner
      @RichelleBremner 5 лет назад

      They just don’t appreciate it like us.

    • @seansilence2697
      @seansilence2697 4 года назад +1

      Some people can't tell the difference between a pretty voice and a good performance

    • @frankwilliam2070
      @frankwilliam2070 3 года назад

      Good performance...Hello friend..How are you doing today?

  • @Dogtagnan
    @Dogtagnan 5 месяцев назад +1

    A masterclass in performing a song. We are privileged to be around to witness it, and thank goodness it's recorded for posterity.

  • @HighTen_Melanie
    @HighTen_Melanie Год назад +3

    Sung with so much passion and conviction. Such incredible talent. You can really see, hear and feel the emotion. . Thank you Dame Judy Dench.

  • @TheRickie41
    @TheRickie41 3 года назад +6

    Great acting. Who needs more for a magic moment. The way she transports the song is sheer bliss.

  • @gregamour7377
    @gregamour7377 2 года назад +5

    One of my favorite actresses. Classy, beautiful, and full of so much talent.

  • @STOCKLAND78
    @STOCKLAND78 6 лет назад +30

    Oh my..this is how to interpret a song ..wonderful judi dench