Downsizing, and then downsizing some more. For decades, that was the name of the game where Broadway pit orchestras were concerned. The rise of synthesizers and other electronics around the turn of the 21st century accelerated the trend exponentially.
Well, forget all that for a moment. From June 27 to 29, Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall will resound with Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music as you’ve never heard it before. Instead of a 27-piece ensemble, like the one that introduced the score on Broadway in 1973, there will be the 53-piece Orchestra of St. Luke’s premiering an all-new arrangement by Stephen Sondheim’s lifelong orchestrator, Jonathan Tunick, who also doubles as conductor for the occasion. While the numbers still fall far short of those you’ll hear many nights at the neighboring Metropolitan Opera House (think 70 players or so for Verdi, up to 100 or more for big Wagner), such an ensemble would absolutely suffice for Handel, Gluck, and Mozart. We recently called on the master himself for greater insight into the unsung craft of the Broadway orchestrator.
