'Wicked' composer Stephen Schwartz breaks down his iconic 'Defying Gravity' | Classic FM

Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz breaks down the most Popular (no, not that one!) piece from his smash-hit musical, 'Wicked'. Watch the full video for a secret 'Easter egg' contained in the movie version of Wicked's 'Defying Gravity'.

#wicked #soundtrack #broadway

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[anthonys.]

This dude is a living legend. His work on Prince of Egypt and Hunchback of Norte Dame alone puts him in that category

[mage]

I need Steven Schwartz to release a two hour video breaking down every single theme and how it works into the score. Ive been listening to Wicked since it came out and i need to know the genius of it all

[Ferry]

He truly is holding space for defying gravity, love that for him

[bamboozleberry]

I love how he referenced Beethoven; the respect and knowledge he has of classical music definitely translates into his own genius!

[aldreelroy]

That "unlimited" part is so mind-blowing!! 😩🙌🏼

[shadyjoanneboots]

I never knew about the Somewhere Over The Rainbow thing with Unlimited, that's

[acepokemontrainer]

Some major works of amazing composer Stephen Schwartz:
Godspell (1971) - music & lyrics
Pippin (1972) - music & lyrics
Disney's Pocahontas (1995) - lyrics
Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) - lyrics
The Prince of Egypt (1998) - music & lyrics
Wicked (2003) - music & lyrics
Disney's Enchanted (2007) - lyrics

He's been awarded Academy Awards (Pocahontas, Prince of Egypt), Grammy Awards (Prince of Egypt, Wicked), Drama Desk Award (Wicked), and Kennedy Center Honors (2015).

[leocelestial]

This definitely feels like an adaptation that took advantage of its new medium. Now they can match the visuals to the spectacle being sung about. I had high expectations on Defying Gravity and that moment in the movie blew me away.

[jeremygordon]

I had some contact w Stephen working in the musical of the Prince of Egypt.
Just before COVID hit.
I reached out to see if he might zoom into my sons music class where they were studying Gravity for GCSE. He was absolutely charming, deeply engaged with a bunch of 16 year olds and massively inspiring.
A real mentsch and ... what a composer / writer.

[ohgraciej]

I am SO grateful the team adding in that "unlimited" part at the end of Defying Gravity and let us sit with our feelings for a bit after the final vocal notes. That literal space between the song and credits was so great to bask in the glory of this incredible masterpiece

[Soap_box]

I absolutely love hearing Wicked with a full orchestra, I love a pit orchestra as much as the next person but hearing it with no restraints and with AS MUCH LOW BRASS as possible. Absolutely fantastic

[AlexanderSasanowitsch]

I was lucky enough to attend one of his talks about how he developed the songs for Wicked. He performed some early iterations of "The Wizard and I" as an example, and seeing how much and often he changed the whole song, basically, made me appreciate his work even more. He always tries to find a way to make each song the best it could be. Nothing but admiration for this man's work ethic.

[burburchacha]

fun fact, he didn't write the iconic riff at the end "oh oh it was 100% Idina's idea

[mynameisalicek]

I'm crying. And dying from this. Can you please do this for EVERY SINGLE SONG, Stephen!?!? My gosh I didn't know I needed this.

[aishadoesthings]

I adore composer commentary videos like these. He articulates his music to us so invitingly too. You just wanna hang out with him all day to talk about his music! Thank you for doing this 😊

[davidwalker]

I don't study music, but I felt every note of what this man was putting across in this song. A truly wonderful piece of musical story telling that absolutely everyone can appreciate.

[ojxolape]

As someone who grew up with a pianist as a dad (who has now passed away), I loved watching this so much 🥹

[maicon.]

this is literally the best song, the best musical, and now the best movie... watching that ending on the movie theater was unforgetable... I got chills just by remembering it... this man is a genius!

[louisnemzer]

"since folks here, to an absurd degree / seem fixated on my verdigris"
Give this man all the Tonys

[LexyCohen-pctx]

I literally have not been able to stop thinking about this movie since I saw it 2 days ago. “What Is This Feeling” will probably be living rent-free in my head indefinitely, and the only reason “Defying Gravity” won’t be is because it already lived rent-free in my head for over a month before the movie came out. Am I obsessed? I think I might be obsessed. 😅