{"id":7633,"date":"2021-12-03T13:01:20","date_gmt":"2021-12-03T12:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=161157"},"modified":"2021-12-03T13:19:19","modified_gmt":"2021-12-03T12:19:19","slug":"the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns\/","title":{"rendered":"The best performances of Sondheim\u2019s \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By BBC Music Magazine\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 03 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Amassing millions of hits on YouTube, \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019 is one of Sondheim\u2019s most recognisable tunes, but few people know where it comes from, because it has developed a life outside the musical it comes from. The song appears in the second act of Sondheim\u2019s 1973 musical A Little Night Music<\/em>, in which the character Desir\u00e9e reflects on the disappointments of her life.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sondheim\u2019s \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019 from\u00a0A Little Night Music<\/em>: the best performances<\/h2>\n
Judi Dench<\/h3>\n
Judi Dench first performed the role of Desir\u00e9e in the London revival of A Little Night Music\u00a0<\/em>in 1995 at the National Theatre, for which she received the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical. But it was actually her revival of the role at the 2010 BBC Proms that people associate with the song, thanks to its proliferation around the internet. The performance was part of a concert celebrating Sondheim\u2019s 80th birthday, featuring songs from his much-loved musicals. The BBC Concert Orchestra accompanied Dench in her touching rendition of the song. Despite having performed a long run on the West End in\u00a0Cabaret\u00a0<\/em>in the late 1960s, Dench is still best known as an actor \u2013 and she utilises all those acting skills in this deeply moving performance.<\/p>\n\n<iframe title=\""Judi\" dench=\"\" the=\"\" definitive=\"\" in=\"\" clowns=\"\" south=\"\" bank=\"\" show=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/04E8Y8nDfRQ?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Bernadette Peters<\/h3>\n<p>Bernadette Peters is considered to be one of the leading interpreters of Sondheim\u2019s work, having appeared in many of his Broadway shows over the years \u2013 including a Broadway revival of <em>A Little Night Music\u00a0<\/em>in 2010. Sondheim himself referred to her as \u2018flawless\u2019, praising her ability to act through song like no other. It\u2019s certainly clear here, in this clip of Peters singing \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019 with Sondheim himself on the piano. A truly iconic duo.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Bernadette\" peters=\"\" stephen=\"\" sondheim=\"\" in=\"\" the=\"\" clowns=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KOZhmsp6iBQ?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Frank Sinatra<\/h3>\n<p>Frank Sinatra recorded his version of \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019 in 1973, the same year as Sondheim\u2019s <em>A Little Night Music<\/em> itself was premiered, and immediately put his own inimitable stamp on it. If, in the musical, Desiree sings with restrained ruefulness and resentment, Sinatra brings a deliciously sardonic edge to it \u2013 every time you hear the word \u2018clowns\u2019, you can imagine him rolling those famous eyes \u2013 and also a certain world-weariness. And just as importantly, the pace and shape of the music suits that richly coloured, slightly rough-edged, voice to a tee.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Send\" in=\"\" the=\"\" clowns=\"\" frank=\"\" sinatra=\"\" concert=\"\" collection=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1UJtMG7Eexk?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3\/>\n<h3>Barbra Streisand<\/h3>\n<p>Barbra Streisand\u2019s gorgeous, pathos-packed recording of 1986 is a real treat. Having sung it on her 1985 album of Broadway tunes, she knew the nuances of the song inside out and was able to play around with vibrato and speech patterns. This creates a real sense of urgency and desperation in her tragic portrayal of the character of Desir\u00e9e. Weep-tastic.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Barbra\" streisand=\"\" send=\"\" in=\"\" the=\"\" clowns=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SdR28iKgE6o?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<h3>Glynis Johns<\/h3>\n<p>Though more an actress than a singer, it was for Glynis Johns that Sondheim first wrote the song and indeed the role of Desir\u00e9e. In this clip where Johns reprises the song in a 1982 TV special, it\u2019s wonderful to hear such a multi-dimensional and emotionally honest performance: you can hear Desir\u00e9e\u2019s bitter anger and self-reproach as well as the regret in Johns\u2019s delivery.<\/p>\n<iframe title=\""Glynis\" johns=\"\" send=\"\" in=\"\" the=\"\" clowns=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OAl-EawVobY?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By BBC Music Magazine Published: Friday, 03 December 2021 at 12:00 am Amassing millions of hits on YouTube, \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019 is one of Sondheim\u2019s most recognisable tunes, but few people know where it comes from, because it has developed a life outside the musical it comes from. The song appears in the second […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7634,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-scaled.jpg",2560,1838,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-300x215.jpg",300,215,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-768x551.jpg",768,551,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-1024x735.jpg",800,574,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-1536x1103.jpg",1536,1103,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/the-best-performances-of-sondheims-send-in-the-clowns-2048x1470.jpg",2048,1470,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By BBC Music Magazine Published: Friday, 03 December 2021 at 12:00 am Amassing millions of hits on YouTube, \u2018Send in the Clowns\u2019 is one of Sondheim\u2019s most recognisable tunes, but few people know where it comes from, because it has developed a life outside the musical it comes from. The song appears in the second…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/7633"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}