I have every Barbra Streisand album, and while I revisit most of them often, the one album of Streisand’s I revisit more than any other is the soundtrack to Yentl.
One example of when I repeatedly revisit:
I can be a nervous flyer, so I have a tradition (maybe a superstition?) where I play the Yentl soundtrack either as a plane is taking off, or as soon as it gets in the air. Listening to Barbra sing “Where Is It Written?” as I’m looking out at the expanse of the world helps calm me and trust everything will be “OK.”
….and then, after a half hour has passed, listening to the otherworldly climax of the film soundtrack, “A Piece Of Sky,” while gazing out at as much of the sky one can see from a plane window, is a nearly indescribable, spiritual experience.
2023 is a momentous year for Barbra Streisand fans, with the imminent release of her long-awaited memoir on November 7th. It’s also the 50th Anniversary of the classic The Way We Were, and the 40th Anniversary of Yentl.
I knew something was being prepared for the anniversary of the former, but expected nothing to recognize the latter.
Streisand had already put a great deal of effort into a 25th Anniversary DVD release of Yentl in 2009, and I thought the only way they could find enough material to “expand” the original LP would be to include a second disc devoted to Michel Legrand’s lush, richly elegant musical score.
Although having access to Legrand’s isolated score is a bit of a ‘holy grail’ for me, I knew that would have more appeal to film score connoisseurs than Streisand’s broader audience.
I was very surprised when, a couple of months ago, a 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of the Yentl soundtrack was announced. CD and digital versions are now available, as well as a vinyl edition exclusive to Barnes and Noble bookstores.
The album contains unreleased material from the era and is fleshed out with the original demos for the film’s songs, otherwise known as “The Audition Tape”.
The track I was most intrigued to see listed was a version of “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” I’d read about in 1986.
The musical style of Yentl was a sharp turn from Streisand’s musical output of the previous seven years, when she was, as one person described, “the essence of pop music.”
Since the music heard in the film only utilizes instruments that existed in, or prior to, 1904 (the time period of the film), radio airplay as part of promotion for the movie was highly unlikely in 1983.
So, legendary record producer and engineer Phil Ramone, along with arranger Dave Grusin, were brought in to produce “pop style” versions of four (reportedly) songs.
Two of those pop versions close the original album. The third, a “jazzy, uptempo” version of “A Piece Of Sky” was apparently recorded and remains unreleased (if it exists). The final was a version of “Papa, Can You Hear Me?”
“Papa, Can You Hear Me?” seemed an unlikely candidate for the “pop style” treatment, which is why I was so curious to hear it. How would Ramone and Grusin approach it?
Needless to say it was the first track I listened to when I recieved my copy of the deluxe.
The arrangement is very much in the same vein as the pop version of “The Way He Makes Me Feel” (on the original LP). It doesn’t necessarily work, and may not have gone far at radio, so it’s no surprise it was shelved.
Yet, the value and surprise of the track’s inclusion goes beyond the arrangement.
Don Hahn, who was the engineer for the pop music recording sessions, said, “‘Papa, Can You Hear Me?”” was a very emotional song; the lyric meant so much to her [Streisand].”
For those who may be unaware, the entire journey of Streisand’s Yentl springs from the fact Streisand’s father passed away when she was 18 months old. She never knew him, and has said the loss left a “void that could never be filled.”
Hahn continued, “When she got to the end of the song [‘Papa, how I miss you/Kissing me goodnight’], she just started crying. She really broke up. I looked up at her and closed the mike. It was very, very emotional.”
What is unexpected is that it appears the version on this deluxe edition is the one where Streisand’s voice “breaks.” I was expecting a “cleaned up” take, but she left it in. It adds another layer to an already primally affecting piece of music.
(Side note: “eagle eared” fans might notice that, whether completely coincidental or something Streisand suggested to the keyboardist, the first four notes of this pop version are those of the main refrain Streisand composed and utilized throughout her film, The Mirror Has Two Faces, thirteen years later).
The aspect of this release I was initially rather indifferent to was the inclusion of the demos.
Yentl was a project Streisand had been trying to get made since 1968, to no avail. As years went on, she became more and more resolved to achieve this dream, but despite her status as a bankable movie star, if not the biggest movie star in the world, Streisand was turned down by nearly every major studio.
Despite some initial hesitation, by 1979, she had decided to turn Yentl into a musical. It was thought, perhaps, that might be the key to getting a green-light. It wasn’t, necessarily.
Thinking film executives might need something “extra” to get them to invest in the story of a young girl dressing as a man to study Talmud in turn of the century Europe, Streisand and her longtime friends and collaborators, Alan and Marilyn Bergman and Michel Legrand, put together “The Audition Tape.”
When Streisand would send the script to studio execs, she would include this tape. A few songs from “The Audition Tape” were featured on Streisand’s 1991 box set, Just for the record….
One of those songs, “The Moon and I,” was replaced in the film by “No Matter What Happens,” and had never been heard by the public, at the time. Another unused piece, “Several Sins A Day,” was included with storyboards as part of the Yentl 25th Anniversary DVD.
Unheard songs and unused material are almost always compelling on some level. I didn’t think the demos of the songs I already knew would be all that interesting.
I could not have been more wrong!
Hearing the entirety of the song score at an early stage “landed” differently. I found myself shocked that her vocal performances are just as impassioned as those on the final soundtrack, especially since she’s not in a studio, but in a living room singing full out with nothing but a piano!
My awareness of how much this project meant to Barbra Streisand was already as high as it can be, but the demos make that fact even more palpable. I didn’t think that was possible!
That she knew exactly what the final product would look and sound like is all here. One can hear choices that she retained for the final film (especially “No Wonder”), and this is two or three years before shooting!
She was not half-assing anything.
I must have had some crazy notion she’d just be “lightly crooning” with the piano. What was I thinking?! This was her life’s artistic passion project — of course she wasn’t going to just “lightly croon!!”
Her vocal gift has always been singular and unique, with an ability to do certain things other singers only dream of, but given the different rhythmic choices she makes, and the tempos being a hair faster, I have no clue how she made it through without breathing in certain spots.
I’m fascinated by the earlier, different lyrics.
My personal favorite of the demos is the one for “Will Someone Ever Look At Me That Way?” with composer Legrand filling in for the counter-melody within the song-structure. The emotional timbre of Legrand’s voice blends with Streisand’s so beautifully, and it’s amazing to hear him “laying the groundwork” for how he would orchestrate the final version for the film.
Astonishing.
The aforementioned “Several Sins A Day” was notable for how dark and disturbing the lyrics were in comparison to the rest of the score.
The crux of the song was Yentl’s fear of damnation, and judgment from her father beyond the grave, for the secret she’s keeping. The storyboards on the DVD give an idea of just how tense the accompanying imagery might have been in the final film.
So, the real surprise of this set is the fact that “Several Sins A Day” did go beyond the “demo stage” to an orchestrated version! One can hear the progression the song took; the darker lyrical content is severely toned down from the demo, and it’s less “tongue twisty.”
It is one of the most “baroque” pieces of music Streisand has ever entertained.
I was expecting the version of “Where Is It Written” with a rabbinical choir to be the version heard in the film. Another surprise — it is the rabbinical choir isolated from the orchestra, features different lyrics, and at one point Streisand vocalizes along with the rabbinical chanting.
(Side note two: Mandy Patinkin is likely among the voices in the rabbinical choir, which may slyly account for his appearance in the cover art. It’s long been “controversial” that Mandy doesn’t sing, solo anyway, in Yentl).
I additionally thought the reprise of “This Is One Of Those Moments” was going to be what’s heard in the film, as Yentl and Avigdor go their separate ways. Instead, it is a legitimate reprise with the same lyrics as earlier in the film.
The vocal variations are lovely, but I — and my “expanded playlist” — wish the verse from the film was here too.
I don’t know that the “single version” of “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” (not to be confused with the “pop” version) needed to be included. The only thing that separates it from the album version is the shortened orchestral opening and deletion of Yentl’s prayer; the main vocal is identical.
I presume, if the “pop version” of “A Piece of Sky” does actually exist, it’s been held back for another entry in Streisand’s Release Me series.
If I’m disappointed by any aspect of this set, it’s that the only piece of Michel Legrand’s score included is the end title medley.
Many may find it incredulous that I’m about to write this, but Legrand’s music in Yentl is so beautiful, so extraordinary, that I wish I could hear all of it, including the songs without Streisand’s vocals! (No offense intended whatsoever. I just want it both ways!)
Having said that, I’m aware of the news that the recording session tapes may have been lost in a fire, and so, a release of the score as a “limited edition” licensed to a film score specialty label (example: LaLaLand Records), may be impossible.
That the end title medley sounds as if it has been pulled directly from the film master as opposed to the recording session tapes lends validity to the fire rumor.
I can’t whine too much though. I’m grateful to have the medley to add to my playlist. Legrand’s other concert arrangements don’t have quite the same grandeur, and don’t make me cry.
Beyond that are just some nitpicks, like not exactly understanding the cover art choice (I wish the Amsel art on the inside of the packaging had been used, making this release more of a “close cousin” to the original), and that the font for Streisand’s name on the vinyl and CD labels don’t match the original fonts.
At this point, I didn’t think my appreciation for Yentl could possibly take on new layers and levels, but this release has done it.
I realize this is written from the perspective of an unabashed Streisand admirer, but more “casual” Streisand fans considering skipping this release should reconsider, and fans of musical theater or musical filmmaking overall should jump at this.
Hearing how the project started to what it ultimately became is revelatory.
