Into The Woods (Act I Opening) - Part I: SATB Choral Octavo

Mark Brymer's arrangement respects Sondheim's sophisticated harmonic vocabulary while making the opening chorus accessible to SATB ensembles. The mysterious, folkloric atmosphere of this entrance piece gives choirs a theatrical moment that feels substantial without oversimplifying the composer's intent.

Stepping into a darkening forest where ordinary rules no longer apply. The music is intimate yet ominous, intimate yet somehow vast, drawing listeners into a world where fairy tales collide with human consequence.

Advanced high school and college choirs with singers who can sustain Sondheim's chromatic language and theatrical storytelling. Directors programming Broadway repertoire at a serious level will find this octavo an ideal introduction to his work.

• Anchor the piece's unsettling quality by keeping vowels absolutely unified across the four parts, especially on the sustained passages. Sondheim's harmony creates tension; precise articulation ensures the audience feels it.
• Balance the narrative voice embedded in the soprano line against the harmonic foundation below. The melody must sing through, but never at the expense of blend.
• Treat the tempo as flexible rather than metronomic. This is a theatrical entrance, not a march. Allow the music to breathe as the woods come into view.

Open a Broadway or contemporary song concert with this Act I entrance to establish tone before lighter numbers follow. The piece's orchestral imagination also works beautifully on a concert pairing Sondheim with other composers exploring dark theatrical material.

• Reading complex harmonic structures with frequent chromatic movement
• Sustaining unified vowel production across dissonant chord changes
• Blending four independent lines while maintaining individual clarity
• Interpreting text as character motivation rather than decoration
• Navigating theatrical phrasing within through-composed song structure