Send in the Clowns, arr. Wadsworth

Almost 200 years later, American composer Stephen Sondheim (b. 1930) created a Broadway show titled A Little Night Music inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night. The plot centers on the complex amorous relations of various characters, including Desire Armfeldt, a once-successful actress now vainly living on past glories. Her emotions come forth in the production’s most acclaimed number, “Send in the Clowns.” Sondheim’s song became a hallmark of the Broadway repertory and has been covered by Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, and dozens of others. Tonight this famous song is revitalized in a world premiere arrangement by Zachary Wadsworth, who teaches composition at Sondheim’s alma mater, Williams College.

(c) Jason Stell