Paul Gemignani: “Stephen Sondheim is a great musician, a wonderful collaborator and a friend”

The New York Philharmonic will present `SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert´ on March 15 and 16 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, a celebration of the 80th birthday of composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim. A starry cast that includes Broadway artists such as Mandy Patinkin, Bernardette Peters, Patti LuPone, Donna Murphy or Michael Cerveris, among many others, will perform songs from Sondheim musical theatre shows.

Sondheim´s longtime collaborator, Paul Gemignani, will conduct the New York Philharmonic. Gemignani is an American musical director whose career on Broadway and West End theatre spans over thirty years.

Gemignani began his career in 1971 as a replacement musical director for Stephen Sondheim´s FOLLIES. Since then, he has led over 38 Broadway and West End musicals, including A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC, SWEENEY TODD, EVITA, CRAZY FOR YOU, PASSION, PACIFIC OVERTURES, KISS ME KATE, INTO THE WOODS, ZORBA, SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE or HIGH SOCIETY.

Paul Gemignani has also recorded numerous cast albums and albums featuring musical theatre and opera singers with American Theatre Orchestra and other orchestras. He has conducted such films as `Kramer vs. Kramer´, `Reds´, and SWEENEY TODD, as well as many television specials.

In 1989, Paul Gemignani received a special Drama Desk Award for his work as a musical director and commitment to the theatre.  He also received the 2001 Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement.In 2006, he received an Emmy Award for "best musical direction" for the PBS/Great Performances presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein´s SOUTH PACIFIC IN CONCERT from Carnegie Hall. Gemignani was honored in an all-star concert, `Another Op´nin, Another Show: A Musical Tribute To Paul Gemignani´ on March 30, 2008.

Paul Gemignani tells us more details about the New York Philarmonic presentation of `SONDHEIM: The Birthday Concert´ and comments on his career as a musical director and his professional relationship with Stephen Sondheim.


TO CELEBRATE SONDHEIM’S 80TH BIRTHDAY THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC WILL PRESENT `SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT” ON MARCH 15 AND 16, WITH A CAST FULL OF BROADWAY STARS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO CONDUCT THIS GALA?
This concert is particularly thrilling because it is for the man who has been responsible for my career in the theatre. He is a great musician, a wonderful collaborator and a friend. I cherish all three of those relationship. Anytime I can bring his music to the foreground I am happy.

`SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT´ WILL INCLUDE SONDHEIM’S MOST ENDURING ORCHESTRAL MUSIC AND SONGS, IN ADDITION TO RARELY-HEARD MATERIAL. COULD YOU EXPLAIN US MORE DETAILS ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE CAN EXPECT TO HEAR ON THIS GALA?
Of course the hardest thing about doing a Sondheim concert is not what to do, but what to leave out. These are the hardest decisions because of the richness of Sondheim´s work. You want to do everything. Then you are told you have 1 hour and 55 minutes. What do you cut? I think that we have assembled a great cast with both familiar selections with many surprises thrown in.

HOW HAS BEEN MADE THE SELECTION OF THE MATERIAL? WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA THAT HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED TO SELECT THE SONGS AND THE MUSIC THAT WILL BE PERFORMED ON THESE EVENINGS?
The director and I have agonized, as I have said, over these selections. We are trying to show a retrospect of Sondheim´s work. Then trying to match the "just right" artist to perform them. It is not an easy thing to accomplish. What song to leave out? What performer to leave out? A nightmare!!!!

DO YOU KNOW IF `SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT´ WILL BE RECORDED IN ORDER TO BE RELEASED ON CD AND DVD?
It will probably be televised by `Great Performances´. Perhaps a cd also.

YOU HAVE BEEN MR. SONDHEIM’S LONGTIME COLLABORATOR. HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE HIS WORK AS A COMPOSER/LYRICIST? WHAT WOULD YOU STAND OUT FROM HIS WORK?
He is one of a kind. He is a poet of the highest order. He is the best musical dramatist since Puccini or Gershwin. He cares only about the work and the truth of that work, which makes him a great collaborator. No one  even comes close to his enormous talent. The shoes are just too big to fill. It is humbling working for and with him.

YOUR COLLABORATION WITH STEPHEN SONDHEIM BEGAN IN 1971, AS A REPLACEMENT MUSICAL DIRECTOR FOR `FOLLIES´. THROUGH ALL THESE YEARS, HOW HAS EVOLVED YOUR PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP?
He gave a young musician a chance. Over the years  I just hope I have never let him down. With the material he gave me to work with, it would be very hard not to end up looking good. The relationship continues to grow daily.

DO YOU KEEP SPECIAL GOOD MEMORIES OF ANY OF THE SONDHEIM SHOWS YOU HAVE BEEN IN? IS THERE ANY OF HIS WORKS THAT WAS SPECIALLY CHALLENGING FOR YOU? OR ANY OF HIS SHOWS YOU SPECIALLY ENJOYED WORKING ON IT?
All of his shows and projects are thrilling to work on. SWEENEY TODD is the most difficult. That being said, all of his work takes great concentration because of the care and concentration he puts into writting them. The orchestra and the music in a Sondheim show is always another well developed character. You and the orchestra are the "unseen" actor on the work. This makes it absolutely thrilling and exhausting to perform.

YOU WERE RECIPIENT OF A 1989 DRAMA DESK SPECIAL AWARD AND A 2001 TONY AWARD FOR SPECIAL LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT, AMONG OTHER AWARDS. YOU WERE ALSO HONORED IN THE  ALL-STAR CONCERT `ANOTHER OP´NIN, ANOTHER SHOW: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO PAUL GEMIGNANI´ ON 2008. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU THESE RECOGNITIONS TO YOUR WORK?
Happy, thankful................and old!

YOU HAVE BEEN CONDUCTOR/MUSICAL DIRECTOR FOR SEVERAL FILMS SUCH AS `KRAMER VS. KRAMER´, `REDS´ OR `SWEENEY TODD´. IS IT VERY DIFFERENT CONDUCTING THE MUSIC FOR A FILM THAN DOING IT FOR A THEATRE SHOW?
It is wonderful to have the right size orchestra serving the score for a change. So many times in the theatre the orchestra is paired down for economic reasons. I love working on film, but it is totaly different than the theatre. Like live concerts vs recordings. One is from the heart and technical and the other is live and from the heart. Which one would you rather do??????

BESIDES “SONDHEIM: THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT”, COULD YOU COMMENT ON ANY OTHER OF YOUR CURRENT PROJECTS?
Well, two more Sondheim concerts. One for the Roundabout Theatre Company on his birthday, and one more at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago with the CSO. also doing a concert version of ANNIE GET YOUR GUN at Ravinia with the CSO. Two concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in April of ABBA piece KRISTINA to kick off the cd recorded at Carnegie Hall in 2009. A concert with Brian Stokes Mitchell with the Milwaukee Symphony in June plus I am working on three new projects for Broadway. One is a musical version of `Lend Me A Tenor´ and the other two are a piece called LAUGHING MATTERS and a musical version of the film `Weeds´ that about it. The rest of the time I spend with my lovely wife and my standard poodle.

Paul Gemignani in the Brian Stokes Mitchell soloist debut concert at Carnegie Hall