He and JRB played a two-piano accompaniment for Katrina Lenk's singing of "Not While I'm Around."
As discussed elsewhere, Sondheim was given a melody in advance of the concert by JRB, for which Sondheim wrote harmonies. During the concert, JRB played his version ("It's Hard to Speak My Heart" from Parade, and then Sondheim played his, which was very different. After hearing JRB's version, Sondheim said something like: "If I knew that was what it sounded like, I wouldn't have written mine." They both talked about how, of the three components of music - melody, harmony, and rhythm - it's the harmony that often distinguishes one composer from another. |
