In the Seventies, there was very much a drive to get musicals filmed and released (in those days, on VHS or sometimes laser disk). This was in the days before it was practical to sneak a video camera into the theatre (not that it didn't happen), so such releases were eagerly awaited. The majority of Stephen Sondheim's musicals were released in some form or other, and A Little Night Music was no exception. Not all of the films had such a stellar cast though

A Little Night Music is about love – love for, about, and by the young, the middle-aged, and the old. They speak of loves ago, loves they have and loves to be, in their world of Vienna at the turn of the century. The genesis of this film is the 1956 Ingmar Bergman motion picture Smiles of a Summer Night; this evolved into the musical for the Broadway stage. Using the waltz and its variations as a vehicle for telling a musical story has long held intrigue for composers, and here the Sondheim score makes mood as important and pervasive as plot.

Directed by Hal Prince, the all-star cast features Elizabeth Taylor, who sings the famous 'Send in the Clowns,' Diana Rigg, Lesley-Ann Down, Len Cariou and Hermione Gingold. This newly-remastered recording is transferred from the original stereo masters, and includes a previously unreleased instrumental cue, along with two other instrumental cues taken from the mono soundtrack of the film. The complete version of 'Every Day a Little Death' is also included from the mono soundtrack, as the carriage ride verse written for the film was not included on the stereo master.

Whilst this is a far-from perfect recording, it's significance in many collections, and the standard of performance outweighs this. As a company, the sound is glorious, as you would expect from a film soundtrack. Diana Rigg and Lesley Anne Down give sold performances - especially in 'Every Day A Little Death', one of my favourite numbers included here. Surprisingly, Taylor and Cariou also give believable performances, certainly in the comical 'You Must Meet My Wife'. 'Send In The Clowns' is by far the strongest song in the musical, and whilst I've heard a lot better performances of the song than Taylor gives here, it's more than listenable.

As I said, there are a few glitches, and its obvious where spoken word has been dubbed onto the stereo remaster, but all in all a worthwhile release, and good to be able to hear the soundtrack properly after 35 years.

8

Ian Gude