| re: Are the orchestrations in the Merrily revival the same as the Original Broadway? | |
| Last Edit: Chromolume 04:26 pm EDT 06/28/24 | |
| Posted by: Chromolume 04:10 pm EDT 06/28/24 | |
| In reply to: re: Are the orchestrations in the Merrily revival the same as the Original Broadway? - HunterHailey 03:24 pm EDT 06/28/24 | |
|
|
|
| The original had 20 players (though there are 21 names credited as the "theatre orchestra" on the OBCR). They were: 5 reeds (all doubling - everyone plays between 2 and 4 instruments), french horn, 3 trumpets, trombone, tuba, 2 percussionists, guitar, 2 keyboards, 3 cellos, bass. As I mentioned elsewhere in the thread, 6 players were added for the recording. When the revisal was created and licensed, it was reduced to 12 players, losing the cellos, french horn, tuba, guitar, and thinning out the other sections a bit. This is still the version that is licensed if you wish to perform the show. The overture, aside from losing the tuba solo (transferring the "Good Thing Going" initial melody to a piano solo) ends after Good Thing Going. The remainder of the overture (without Rich And Happy, of course) is kept in the show as exit music. (4 reeds, 3 trumpets, trombone, 1 percussionist, 2 keyboards, bass) The current orchestration is for 13 (a string quartet was added, the winds and brass reduced a bit, one keyboard instead of 2). But it's not simply a reduction; Tunick has added a lot of new touches. I also mentioned here some time ago that he restored one of my favorite moments - the xylophone in "Old Friends" (listen to the xylo with the brass on "old friends shouldn't care if you're wrong") - which was taken out of the revisal orchestration. So awesome to have it back. Putting the strings back was the other very welcome decision, especially for "Not A Day Goes By." Along with restoring almost all of the original overture (except for Rich And Happy. The original tuba solo is now on alto sax.) (3 reeds, 2 trumpets, trombone, percussion, keyboard, 2 violins, viola, cello, bass) The version done at the Huntington in Boston in 2017 (same Friedman production) used a pit of 9, I believe - there was only one keyboard and it was the only major production I've ever heard of the show where the "Franklin Shepard Inc" synth clav (i.e. clavinet) sound was put on acoustic piano instead. The original clav sound was terribly missed. (The overture was also cut WAY down, more than it's ever been, which was also jarring - it transitioned to the opening number after the ultra high trumpet solo - no Good Thing Going or anything after it.) But, some of the new "licks" heard in the current production (the jazzier additions to "Now You Know," for instance) were added by Tunick at that point. |
|
| reply | |
|
|
|
| Previous: | re: Are the orchestrations in the Merrily revival the same as the Original Broadway? - HunterHailey 03:24 pm EDT 06/28/24 |
| Next: | re: Are the orchestrations in the Merrily revival the same as the Original Broadway? - DistantDrumming 09:44 pm EDT 06/28/24 |
| Thread: |
|
Time to render: 0.017485 seconds.