Sunday in the Park with George:The only thing we leave behind that matters, children and art. And in how many ways are they the same thing? And "Move On" is so full of so much that I need to hear so often. Sondheim is good at expressing complex aspects of life through complex music, and making it seem so simple and obvious.
Hello Dolly:"Before the Parade passes by" - At least twice this has been a call to arms for me. Hello self, get moving, time waits for no one. Such a motivating concept. There is a song that was not included in the score until Ethel Merman played Dolly 17 years into the run that I love as well, "World, take me back"
Carousel:"Soliloquy" - there's some real emotional gems among the heaps of O&H out there. I love how the Soliloquy in Carousel reveals all the sorrow and vulnerability of so many grown men. It's good to be reminded that they have tender feelings, even if they end up expressing them in just the wrong way.
Man of La Mancha:Oh how I love the very concept of Don Quixote, as used here. The book itself allows him some foolishness, but in the musical Quixote (more or less) simply has the gift of seeing the soul of things. Seeing things as they truly are. "The Impossible Dream" makes me all misty every time.
Big River:The soul of this musical runs right into the core of you, really quickly. (It helps that Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest social commentaries ever) "Worlds Apart" repeats itself over and over, and means something new every time.
Honorable Mentions:
Oodles of Sondheim: Send in the Clowns, Not while I'm around, Being Alive...
Ragtime: Back to Before
Showboat: all the deep and brooding parts are best, Old Man River and Can't help lovin' that man
What's touched your mind or heart in a epiphanous way?
3 comments:
I'm Singin' in the Rain's: I'm Singin' in the Rain.
I have no abstract explanation of why I love this song, it's just a good song for when time's are a bit bad. I sing it EVERY time there's rain.
Sondheim is amazing. I recently watched Into the Woods and the music really spoke to me.
I also like "Hold On" from The Secret Garden. It reminds me I can do it - whatever it is.
Oh, I love love Big River! I didn't know anyone else knew of it! "Free at Last" makes me tear up every time!
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