The City of New York will honour one of its most famous sons, the composer Stephen Sondheim, with the award of the Handel Medallion on 1 November. Previous winners include the composer of his libretto to 'West Side Story', Leonard Bernstein. Sondheim's many successful stage works include the musical 'Sweeney Todd', which most recently was transformed into a film, and 'A Little Night Music', which was based on one (Ingmar Bergman's film 'Smiles of a Summer Night').