Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken: The Disney Songbook - Part 2

Recorded at the D23 Expo on Saturday, August 10, 2013.
Presentation description: For one night only, two of the world's most celebrated songwriters and composers will take to the stage. Richard Sherman and Menken have won a combined 10 Academy Awards for their work with Disney, and have composed music and songs for more than three dozen Disney feature films, over two dozen Disney Park attractions, and half a dozen Disney musicals on Broadway.

[@magicemperor2420]

This was such a wonderful concert. I can't believe it's been over ten years already. Rest well, Richard Sherman.

[@lostinart]

I never cry. Never. But when they ended on small world .... well .... my eyes got sweaty with respect.... ❤️

[@ruthbarron625]

Cool piano playing.

[@anniefinch6843]

I remember this man that composed the music for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Pocohontas, Beauty and the Beast, Hercules and Tangled.

[@SethParks-f3c]

7:36 years of Disney a Alan Menken broadway performance at prince great show With Alan Menken

[@jorgegoogler3743]

ohhh my gooooooooooooooooooooooooooodddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd

[@romay2782]

Thanks so much for recording and posting this. Geniuses both.

[@a90scircuit84]

WAIT: in the Aladdin intro, he sings it different; i remember it being "come on down/stop on by/hop a carpet and fly". was the version he sang the theater version?

[@omamajohnpaul4215]

Mr Alan please do piano lessons before you get too old or "rest". I need to learn some of these magical chords.

[@musical_lolu4811]

They're not difficult chords really.

[@omamajohnpaul4215]

@@musical_lolu4811 But they're magical tho.😊

[@animalanimation5110]

@@musical_lolu4811 There are 13th chords in Friend Like Me.....

[@JohnnyNatrium]

@@musical_lolu4811 His voicings are actually very unique. The way he arranges the part harmonically as he plays it, is very subtle and not represented in any official publication, or even possible to represent just with chord denominations. Even with the most accurate chord scheme (again the officially published songbooks contain simplified forms even, but let's say you have a good ear and make your own, which is certainly possible) you won't get the constantly moving melodic and harmonic voicings that make the sound of Menken's piano accompaniments. This is especially true for his live performances, because he plays a completely different arrangement for piano with lead vocals only, because of course he makes up for the missing orchestral and other elements that are featured in the movie versions, which often have much less piano presence. Instead what you get with his live playing is a wonderful rendition that is closest to how he would have composed it in the room with Howard Ashman and his other collaborators, and basically his original song as it's demo'd and presented for subsequent orchestration which was often done by another collaborator of Menken's, who also conducted the orchestra for several of the Cast Recordings of later Broadway musical versions of the films, and embedded his own compositional/arrangers' stamp into the final sound of the songs; In order to really get these very pleasing styles from Menken's solo performances, you need a real close, clear listen at the very least, and preferably a visual demonstration to get to grips with it quicker (and for those who don't have the ear for transcribing); unfortunately these muddled live recordings are not going to cut it when it comes to that, and he still hasn't recorded a solo piano/vocal album, which I so wish he would.

[@brejnhardt]

They should put Prince Erics song into the movieversion of Little Mermaid... Its so cute.. and a great song next to Part Of Your World..

[@derekllewellyn6663]

It's looks good I love it so much it's looks like new ride Disney world and Disneyland rides on the best way magic of the year made movie

[@anniefinch6843]

I'll sing with the this person on Part of Your World, Beauty and the Beast and Colors of the Wind. I'll also sing along with both men on It's a small world. But I think Alan Menken should know that Beauty and The Beast and Aladdin are live action movies. But this year The Little Mermaid is now a live action movie on Disney plus around May of this year.