Product Description
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In this historic release, the great lyricist of Fiddler on the
Roof, She Loves Me and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello!
shares with musical theater fans 53 of his Hidden Treasures
rarely heard songs from 17 musicals, with many songs performed by
Harnick himself and his late composer-partner Jerry Bock. Three
cuts feature Harnick as recorded just last year for this special
collection, and other archival s star three-time Tony
Award winner Audra McDonald, Brian d'Arcy James, Charlotte Rae
and more. The 2-CD set is a grand celebration of Harnick's 90th
birthday on April 30th and the 50th-anniversary year of Fiddler
on the Roof. That musicals iconic Sunrise, Sunset is being
released for the first time in its original demo by
Bock and Harnick. Harbinger Records producers Ken Bloom and Bill
Rudman worked closely with Harnick for two years on this project.
The deluxe package includes a 60-page booklet with extensive
notes by Harnick and a Foreword by famed Broadway producer Harold
Prince, who comments: This magnificent set is testimony to
Sheldon's extraordinary gifts, and to his place in the pantheon
of Broadway musical creators.
Review
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Ever wonder how songwriters come up with a musical? You get a
fantastic glimpse into the process with Sheldon Harnick: Hidden
Treasures (1949-2013) from Harbinger Records. Culled from
Harnick's personal archives, this two-disc set covers his career
from his early days when he was contributing material to Broadway
revues to his later big hits, like Fiorello! and Fiddler on the
Roof. A lot of the tracks are of songs that went unused or were
cut from musicals, such as one that Harnick wrote with his
partner Jerry Bock to open "Fiddler" (hint: It's not "Tradition")
and a beautiful ballad that the men wrote for Tenderloin, "I
Wonder What It's Like." The CDs are complemented by a substantial
booklet with notes written by Harnick himself, making it feel
like you're sitting down for a one-on-one with a great man of the
theater while you're enjoying this splendid collection.
--Broadway Direct
With a clutch of new original cast albums from this season's
Broadway musicals crowding the counter, I made the mistake of
tearing open the wrapping of "Sheldon Harnick: Hidden Treasures,
1949-2013" [Harbinger]. Looking at the content list within the
booklet, I made the further mistake of picking a track that I
needed to hear immediately. I've spent the rest of my time this
week listening to the 52 selections on two discs. All those new
cast albums will just have to wait. --Steven Suskin, June 2014
This is a significant contribution to scholarship in the history
of the American musical theater. Congratulations on a job
beautifully done! --Dwight Blocker Bowers, Curator, Smithsonian
National Museum of American History
A 55-page booklet gives detailed background on all the songs
contained here, with Harnick's own wit shining across the page in
their presentations and descriptions... But the bulk of this
collection is an enjoyable look at the Bock and Harnick songs
that didn't make the final cut from their best known
scores...only time will tell what becomes of these songs, but the
musical theater fan will be thankful for this collection.
--Steven Bergman, EDGE, July 29, 2014
Also earning our approbation is "Sheldon Harnick: Hidden
Treasures, 1949-2013" [Harbinger]. Harnick is our
longest-reigning Broadway songwriter, having arrived on 45th
Street in 1952, and one of the finest lyricists of our time; as
witty and clever as the best of them, but with heart and warmth
inbred. The folks at Harbinger combed through Harnick's archives
to find 53 items, which are crammed onto two CDs. They purposely
eschew the familiar; what we get are songwriter demos, live
s, pop s and even a recent, previously
unrecorded item sung by Audra McDonald. These are indeed hidden
treasures, many of which might set your eyes twinkling. --Steven
Suskin, Playbill, November 2014