Various Artists

4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Craft Store (picnic meadow green)

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This remarkable new 4CD/1BD box set invites listeners to hear The Sound of Music anew.  The first two discs represent the complete musical score as heard in the film, from the orchestral prelude and Julie Andrews' iconic "The Sound of Music" - yes, that word is overused, but it certainly qualifies here! - all the way to the climactic reprise of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" and the "End Cast" titles. The program closes with vintage audio interviews with Rodgers, Wise and Charmain Carr, who played the Von Trapp's eldest daughter Liesl.  The third disc presents a fresh remaster of the original 1965 soundtrack LP along with a few archival bonus tracks - most of them previously released, other than a demo of "I Have Confidence" sung by none other than Marni Nixon, who played one of the nuns and also famously served as the singing voice behind Natalie Wood in the Wise-directed 1961 adaptation of West Side Story and Audrey Hepburn in 1964's My Fair Lady (a role Andrews originated but was passed over, allowing her to secure her Oscar-winning turn in Mary Poppins.) The fourth disc, meanwhile, is chockablock with extras: alternate takes of key songs and instrumentals of the major musical numbers, nearly all previously unreleased. (The set boasts a total of 42 unreleased tracks, including some pieces of score that did not make previous reissues.) Simply put, this box is the last word on the beloved soundtrack to The Sound of Music.  The Blu-ray offers stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes.  "Highlights" editions are available on CD and LP.