“Sound of Music” fans prepare: “Something Good” is coming your way.
A new version of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” soundtrack, featuring more than 40 previously unreleased tracks and unheard vocals by Christopher Plummer, will debut on Dec. 1. Released by Craft Recordings, this Super Deluxe Edition — one of many remixed and remastered issues — has 11 alternate takes from the film that audiences have never heard before.
The iconic 1965 musical stars Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer as a spunky governess and a strict father of seven who fall in love in Austria against the backdrop of the start of World War II. While Plummer did record songs for the film, his vocals were ultimately dubbed over by Bill Lee. Now, almost 60 years later, Plummer’s versions will be available for fans to hear. He died in February 2021 at the age of 91 after a decades-long career in acting.
Previously unheard songs include “The Little Dears,” which combines “I Have Confidence” and “My Favorite Things,” as well as “New Governess,” which was never featured in the film. All of the musical moments in the film will be featured on the Super Deluxe Edition, including “Favorite Things,” “Do-Re-Mi,” “Edelweiss,” “Sixteen Going on Seventeen” and “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.” An unheard rendition of “Prelude/The Sound of Music,” sung by Andrews, is already available to stream.
Film historian and preservationist Mike Matessino, an associate of director Robert Wise, remixed and remastered the album and included liner notes in the boxed set.
“You will hear what you’ve heard before, famous songs with the mellifluous tones of Dame Julie Andrews leading the way,” Matessino wrote. “But the experience has been transformed beyond what the 1965 soundtrack album offered — with extensions to the songs, a brilliantly arranged underscore, and even some segments not used in the completed version of the film.”
The Super Deluxe Edition is not the only new version of the album releasing on Dec. 1. There is also a Deluxe edition consisting of two CDs and a three-LP vinyl collection, which includes a “Picnic Meadow Green” colored vinyl, of which only 500 copies will be available worldwide.
Finally, the standard edition will be refurbished with the original 16 tracks available in standard digital, HD digital and in a Dolby Atmos mix. This version will also have recordings in Spanish, German, French and Italian.
The new versions of the soundtrack are available for pre-order now.
