Bernstein Conducts Bernstein

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Nothing can compare with Bernstein's own accounts of his music. The best recordings are still the ones he made with the New York Philharmonic for Columbia, when scores such as Candide and West Side Story were still "new" music. Originally produced by John McClure (and remixed by him for CD), these recordings of the Candide Overture and the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story have never been bettered, not even by Bernstein. --Ted Libbey

Tracks:

Candide: Act I: Overture
Candide: Act I: Westphalia Chorale
Candide: Act I: Life Is Happiness Indeed
Candide: Act I: The Best Of All Possible Worlds
Candide: Act I: Universal Good
Candide: Act I: Oh, Happy We
Candide: Act I: It Must Be So (Candide's Meditation)
Candide: Act I: Westphalia
Candide: Act I: Battle Music
Candide: Act I: Candide's Lament
Candide: Act I: Dear Boy
Candide: Act I: Auto-da-fe (What a Day)
Candide: Act I: Candide Begins His Travels; It Must Be Me (2nd Meditation)
Candide: Act I: The Paris Waltz
Candide: Act I: Glitter And Be Gay
Candide: Act I: You Were Dead, You Know
Candide: Act I: I Am Easily Assimilated (Old Lady's Tango)
Candide: Act I: Quartet Finale

Tracks:

Candide: Act II: Universal Good
Candide: Act II: My Love
Candide: Act II: We Are Women
Candide: Act II: The Pilgrim's Procession - Alleluia
Candide: Act II: Quiet
Candide: Act II: Introduction To Eldorado
Candide: Act II: The Ballad Of Eldorado
Candide: Act II: Words, Words, Words
Candide: Act II: Bon Voyage
Candide: Act II: The Kings' Barcarolle
Candide: Act II: Money, Money, Money
Candide: Act II: What's The Use
Candide: Act II: The Venice Gavotte
Candide: Act II: Nothing More Than This
Candide: Act II: Universal Good
Candide: Act II: Make Our Garden Grow

Album Description

Additional lyrics by John LaTouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Customer Reviews:

A BERNSTEIN MUST !!!!!.......2007-01-11

I have owned this recording for some time , but really enjoy giving it as a gift to those who are not aware of the work. It conveys all passion and zeal of a live performance. Only the composer , often with tongue in cheek, could extract this performance from the soloist and orchestra. you can literally feel "Lennie" dancing on the podium and mouthing the lyrics..and who else but bernstein could capture Ludwig,Hadley and Anderson to create the stellar cast.. this recording alone should create interest in a possible broadway revival

To be candid about Candide.......2006-09-06

Has anyone else noticed that as you get older somethings need a second look and they turn out better than you remember them being when you were younger? This is one of those things. For lots of reasons! I find as I get older I appreciate a great many things I did not when I was younger. How could I have missed this? Perhaps Candide just requires too much thought for youth? But this is music you have to listen to rather than just use as background music while you work. For that I still use Harry Potter sound tracks!

In response to one reviewer's comments on this CD:
I DO just give out five stars. I have learned that those who read and vote on reviews already have been attracted enough to the item to look for it and so may vote against your review if you give less! But then, I don't recall being interested in something I wouldn't give five stars to enough to think of doing a review -- which after all turns out to be a good way to help remember things! I have had this CD set for longer than I remember but now that I have listened to it again more carefully and not just to find the piece that was so lovely on the radio -- now is when it occured to me to praise it here. But I even gave Ann Coulter's new book five stars! That review has since disappeared for some reason.

If only... this isn't the recording for me.......2005-10-20

I find the operatic voices grating and the overall effect somewhat lacking, where there should be words all there is is tremolo. My appreciation of this piece is colored by my first exposure to the excellent San Francisco Symphony and Chorus production of 2002 or so. I find Candide and the Governor particularly disappointing. In the SF Symphony performance the finale was a superbly powerful and full bodied affair, if they had been allowed to record it I wouldn't be writing this review now, by contrast the finale on this production is spoiled by the excessive tremolo. As I listen while I write this I've had to take my headphones off so I can remember the way I have heard this instead of how it's performed here.

This is not the production for me.

Elders' take on a masterpiece.......2005-08-29

This is one of Bernstein's farewell productions, performed retrospectively with many old friends. "Slowly, with Love" best describes the approach.

Of the numbers that exist in both, every one except the last ("Make our garden grow") is done with more life and equal or better quality singing in the original cast (mono) recording--a MUST purchase. Only Jerry Hadley equals his counterpart in the earliest recording. All the others, while good actors, have too much vibrato.

The trouble is the original case recording has only some of the music--fortunately, most of the best. Nevertheless, until something better comes along, I will treasure this one for what it represents in Bernstein's life history, and some of the music not in the original case recording, such as the Bach-like chorales, "The Kings' Barcarolle" and the beautiful Canteloube-like orchestration for the "Introduction to Eldorado."

"Martin's Laughing Song," on the other hand, does nothing for me, well performed as it is. It is too nasty, and the tune is too similar to "Show Me" from My Fair Lady.

"Candide" is a masterpiece of sorts. Great music, but difficult to stage. Perhaps a movie with plenty of special effects might do the trick some day.

Happiness Indeed....?.......2004-09-27

While it is important to have a complete "Candide" as Bernstein intended it...it's hard to believe that this is how he intended it.

This version sounds great on the stereo, but is utterly un-stageable. Most of the numbers, even the beloved overture, are conducted at a tempo that is much to slow. The operatic voices are sort of a blessing...but mostly a curse. Jerry Hadley is perfect in the title roll, but the rest of the singers are a mish-mash of thick European accents that mangle Wilbur's lyrics. Couldn't Bernstein find American, or even British, singers who could handle the lyrical requirements.

The search for the "perfect" Candide, staged and recorded, continues.....

Ode to Freedom: Bernstein Conducts Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Berlin

Average customer rating:

The Best Ever Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (in Berlin)
Who let this old fart conduct this masterpiece?
I will only listen to this work in private
The longest running commercial
A sloppy, heaartfelt performance from a great occasion

Ode to Freedom: Bernstein Conducts Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in Berlin

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

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Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

The Bernstein Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 3 'Eroica' / Bernstein, New York PO
Bernstein: The Final Concert
Beethoven - Ode to Freedom (Symphony No. 9 )/ June Anderson, Sarah Walker, Klaus Konig, Jan-Hendrik Rootering, Leonard Bernstein
Bernstein Century - Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique, etc.
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 7

ASIN: B000001GDR
Release Date: 1990-03-01

Tracks:

Symphony No. 9 in D Minor Op.125: 1. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor Op.125: 2. Molto vivace
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor Op.125: 3. Adagio molto e cantabile
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor Op.125: 4. Presto - Allegro assai

Customer Reviews:

The Best Ever Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (in Berlin).......2007-04-29

This is no doubt the best rendition of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Even though it was recorded live you can feel the crowds passion in silence as the music sores our spirits to new hights.
The depth of the acoustics and the feelings it evokes in one is outstanding.
You have not lived until you hear this live concerto at full volume.
You wont be disappointed, if your new to Classical, I reccomend this as a start to your collection.
Listen with Headphones and think of the Berlin Wall and the tragedy that surrounded it, only to be lifted by mans yearning for freedom. This is what Beethoven would of wanted to deliver this piece for.

Who let this old fart conduct this masterpiece?.......2007-02-25

I know who let him conduct it! Those greedy DG music executives, that's who, hoping to make a quick killing with the release of this sludge of a performance. The fall of the Berlin Wall was an event of great significance and to commemorate the occasion, DG gets the most famous living conductor in the world to conduct one of the greatest and most famous works of music in history, Beethoven's 9th Symphony! They even changed the word joy to the word freedom in the finale! This had the makings of something truly special but unfortunately it falls short of even the most mediocre expectations.

Herbert von Karajan died not too long before the Berlin Wall fell and if he was still alive, it would undoubtedly be Karajan conducting on this recording, not Bernstein. Karajan became an old man physically in his final years, but his musicmaking never surrendered to his age. Karajan's last decade of performances was just as vigorous and intense as in the good, old days. Bernstein on the other hand, really did become an old man, physically and musically. His tempos became messy and lethargic, everything was elongated, ponderous and many times vapid. Don't think I'm wanting in respect to Bernstein, I think he was great when he was young, never on the level of Toscanini, Furtwangler, Karajan, but great nonetheless. Even in his final years, Lenny could turn out a gem like Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra but more and more Bernstein became the hack, the slow, painful hack. Listen to the infamous Tchaikovsky 6th from the final Bernstein years, it's a joke!

Returning to this Beethoven 9th, it is just as much of a joke as that Tchaikovsky 6th. The first movement is nearly 18 minutes long, limp and slow without any of the apocalyptic climaxes that you have to deliver if you're going to take such a spacious tempo. The scherzo is better, one short repeat is skipped and the movement is palatable. The adagio is awful, 20 minutes long and without any spiritual tension at all. Furtwangler's famous wartime 9th also has a 20 minute adagio but it is phrased and sculpted so beautifully, with such inner intensity that it overwhelms you and tears are not uncommon upon hearing it's magnificence. Bernstein on the other hand puts you to sleep. It's nap time.

The finale, can Bernstein pull it off? Did he ever? This might come as a shock to some but as great a conductor as Bernstein was, he never recorded a great version of the 9th Symphony. I repeat, never! Not with the NYPO, not in Vienna and certainly not here in Berlin with this hastily put together concoction of musicians from various orchestras. Bernstein could succeed with the initial three movements, back in NY and in Vienna with the VPO, but the finale always eluded him. He schmaltzed it up every up, he made it disjointed, episodic and nearly incoherent as on this "Ode to Freedom" CD. It becomes not joy, not freedom but instead, a hapless, lethargic mess. The whole thing seems like a funeral and proceeds for nearly 29 minutes! Karl Bohm's final digital version on DG was also that slow but felt somewhat more alive what with the great orchestra and chorus. Bernstein doesn't even have that.

Please, whatever you do, don't listen to this nightmare and conclude that this is Beethoven's 9th. It's not. If you want to hear the 9th, there is Furtwangler, Karajan, Toscanini, Solti, Wand, whomever, but not this Bernstein, it's possibly the worst ever! I'm not exaggerating, it's just as egregious as Roger Norrington's infamous London Classical Players recording, except for totally different reasons. Norrington is the worst of the period-instrument, fast paced, clipped readings and this Bernstein is the worst of the traditional, big orchestra versions.

If you just love Bernstein and want to hear him in Beethoven's 9th Symphony, go buy his earlier versions, one from the late 1970's with the Vienna Philharmonic and one with the New York Philharmonic from the 1960's. Those versions are average but even average is far superior to this epic mess called "Ode to Freedom". Please free yourself from this recording, it's only good as a bad joke!

I will only listen to this work in private.......2006-08-18

For years, when I listened to the 9th, I would play the 1st and 2nd movements
and then skip to the finale. I enjoy crisp, energetic and powerful music and
the 9th has it in unsurpassed measure. And this rendition provides just that.
I haven't listened to all the great performances of the 9th, but I've listened
to quite a few, and this is my favorite. This is the version I compare all the
subsequent ones I've listened to. I've heard better 4th mvts., but this one is
very near to the best. The first two movts. are done competantly and do not
disappoint. If the skills of the orchestra and recording quality were to be the
same....the time alotted the conductor, that he has to rehearse a work with
his players, determines it's ultimate success. I believe that Bernstein had a
good amount of time to communicate his interpretation to this orchestra.
And Lord knows there was high motivation by all concerned in the project.
Bernstein's interpretation of Beethoven's 3rd movt., the adagio molto e
cantabile, is by far the finest I've ever experienced. The emotional
groundwork is laid and the peak and resolution are sublime.
I know I'm going to fight back the tears, if I'm allowed to
listen this 3rd movt without distraction. If you ever get the opportunity
to purchase the video tape of this concert, do by all means buy it.
Oddly, the audio recording, alone, does not contain the full emotional
impact of the performance. However the audio CD is a "must have".
But, the full effect of the live performance in the video tape with
both audio and visual is truly magnificant. I'm not going
to attempt to describe it here. Why it's not reprinted for more to
experience is a sad business. People don't know what they're missing.
I allow myself to view my copy but seldom. I dare not watch it too
many times.

The longest running commercial.......2005-10-09

But one would rather watch the Milk commerical, at least it markets some real stuff and doesn't take 70+ labored minutes. The coalition of the willing was undoubtedly doing a heck of a job in fending off the competition from various common village bands, and the commander-in-chief barely held its members together. Despite all the Freiheit, it is a freudlos performance.

A sloppy, heaartfelt performance from a great occasion.......2005-09-18

This best-selling Beethoven Ninth, with new lyrics for the Schiller poem in the finale, has sold by the millions, I'm sure. The fall of the Berlin wall called for such a grand coming together of musicians form all over Europe, but in musical terms this isn't good Beeethoven. Bernstein wrenches every note to grab as much drama as possible out of it, and there is nothing left of real, unvarnished Beethoven. I owuld only buy this CD as a histroical memento at this late date.

Leonard Bernstein Conducts Barber & Schuman

Average customer rating:

Classic Bernstein recordings of American music, in best sound
Same as "Bernstein Century" Title

Leonard Bernstein Conducts Barber & Schuman

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Alban Berg: Violin Concerto "To the Memory of an Angel" (1935) / Wolfgang Rihm: "Time Chant" Music for Violin & Orchestra (1991-92) - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Schuman: Symphony No8; Symphony No3
Hilary Hahn - Barber & Meyer: Violin Concertos
Mahler: Symphony No. 5 [Hybrid SACD]
Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 2

ASIN: B0000CD5GJ
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Tracks:

Adagio For Strings - Leonard Bernstein
I. Allegro - Isaac Stern
II. Andante - Isaac Stern
III. Presto In Moto - Isaac Stern
To Thee Old Cause - Harold Gomberg
Vigoroso - Leonard Bernstein
Lento (Bar 185) - Leonard Bernstein
The Unanswered Question - William Vacchiano
Molto Deliberato - Leonard Bernstein

Customer Reviews:

Classic Bernstein recordings of American music, in best sound.......2006-06-16

Sony's reissue machine tries to entice us to buy some classic Bernstein performances by giving us mid-price, excellent sound, and a jam-packed CD. As Mr. Richman notes below, the main part of this disc appeared in the Bernstein Century series, but two items have been added, Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man and Ives' Unanswered Question, both performed with all of Bernstein's infectious energy and insight.

I also give Sony the benefit of the doubt that their current DSD (Direct Stream Digital) technology is a step ahead of the last improvement, 20-bit SBM (Super Bit Mapping) technology. Who knows for sure?

Anyway, Bernstein and Stern have never been bettered in their 1964 reading of the Barber Violin Concerto. Their secret is twofold: the superb orchestral playing by the NY Phil. at its height (Harold Gomberg's oboe solo that opens the slow movement couldn't be more tender), and Bernstein's unqiue ability to conduct American rhythms. He was both a jazz baby and a swing kid, and it shows even when he is handling the delicate tracery of the concerto's first movement. Stern keeps his tone relatively dry, which is also a good idea when the melody is this luscious.

Gomberg is back center stage for William Schuman's evocative 'To the Old Cause,' a combination of oboe concerto and brooding elegy for the deaths of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. A cultural era was ending, and Schuman gives dark, painful testimony to it. The same is true for the even darker, jagged 'In Praise of Ben Shahn,' with its rough-hewn brass interjections and turbulent unease. Schuman's idiom dates from the Forties and here is getting its last stand in a moving way.

Once you throw in the Copland and Ives fillers, the net result is a terrific 74 min. memento of Bernstein at his very best and a high-water mark in Aerican music.

Same as "Bernstein Century" Title.......2003-10-02

This recent Sony reissue of the music of American composers Samuel Barber and William Schuman is exactly the same as a CD featured in the "Bernstein Century" series. Included here are Leonard Bernstein and the NYPO's 1971 account of the "Adagio for Strings," 1964 recording of Barber's Violin Concerto, 1968 performance of Schuman's "To Thee Old Cause," and "In Praise of Shahn" from 1970. The music is terrific, but my reason for rewarding only four stars (other than being annoyed at Sony for investing so much energy in a straight reissue with new packaging when so many other classic recordings remain unissued) is this release is obviously aimed at casual fans looking for a good performance of the "Adagio." And boy will they be surprised by the dissonance of the Schuman pieces! This is another Sony reissue that leaves me scratching my head.

True Grit: Elmer Bernstein Conducts His Classic Scores For The Films Of John Wayne

Average customer rating:

Homage to Elmer Bernstein
Some of Bernstein's greats...
Pleasently Surprised
Elmer Bernstein Rides Again!

True Grit: Elmer Bernstein Conducts His Classic Scores For The Films Of John Wayne
Elmer Bernstein
Manufacturer: Varese Sarabande
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Movie Scores | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

Movie Soundtracks | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

True Grit: Music From The Classic Films Of John Wayne (Film Score Anthology)
The Essential Elmer Bernstein Film Music Collection
The Magnificent Westerns
The Wild West: The Essential Western Film Music Collection
Tiomkin: Red River

ASIN: B000EPFD8K
Release Date: 2006-04-04

Tracks:

Main Title
Escort
McBaine And The Prairie
Jake Surveys The Camp
Pursuit
Mexican Dance
Indian Attack
Finale
Main Title*
Rooster And Runaway
Bald Mountain
Pony Mine And Papas Things
The Dying Moon
Big Trail
Sad Departure / The Pace That Kills
Warm Wrap-Up
Main Title
Ride
In The Fire
Epilogue
Necktie Party
Nocturne
Riders
Reunion
All Jake
Buzzards
Going Home Finale

Customer Reviews:

Homage to Elmer Bernstein.......2007-01-20

Film music is today a genre just as important as other previous types of music such as baroque, classical, romantic, jazz... and Elmer Bernstein is a truly great composer. His works are both rich and complete and while intricately detailed they are also, paradoxically, beautifully simple. Nowadays, however, it appears difficult for the younger generation to appreciate the full extent of his talent. Melodies are no longer fashionable and young people no longer have the same listening potential. Today's modern music is somewhat limited to rather ordinary orchestral harmonisation (if any), thudding electronic sounds and a general lack of musical culture. This is, no doubt, resulting directly from the monotonous banging sounds played on radio and TV as a result of purely economic interests involved in the production of easy, basic music which is so popular today. Just listen to some of today's contemporary music and you become aware of the exaggerated loud bass, the absence of any memorable melodies (if by chance there are any lyrics, they are elementary and often badly performed) and an almost total absence of harmonisation, all of this swamped by a deafening percussion beating at an extremely boring regular tempo ! Nowadays anyone can do anything in the name of music. What happens when such music is transposed onto the screen ? It by no means enriches the images we see, it simply overshadows them. This is, in fact, just the opposite of what film music is intended for. Moreover, most of the sounds in such music are electronic or electric, often resulting in deformed sounds which young people hear eventually making them unable to appreciating the true quality of simple acoustic sounds or of a four note chord, and let's not talk about digital recordings making such interpretations sound so empty. What is better than listening to the natural sound of an analogical recording : it takes us closer to rhythm, movement, nature and people ! This is, no doubt, why Elmer Bernstein's music is so different - it is but the opposite of most of today's dull and boring music. It is so much alive, created thanks to his gift in music, his love of music and his search for perfection. He composed it not only so that it merged with the film it was written for but mostly to add to the emotions it evokes. Better still, Elmer Bernstein's compositions become even richer when heard with the actual film. It shows the lively interaction that exist between both of them : the music is essential to the film which in turn is essential to the music. The composer brings together technical and complex elements to create orchestrations with ultimate grace and lightness which are characteristics of both his professionalism and his originality. He is a Master of the art of musical composition. For a lot of different reasons his works are true models for the future generations of listeners, composers and instrumentalists to follow. In my own opinion, the essential characteristics of his work are in the wonderful harmony of the strings, the wind instruments and the percussion and the exchanges between the melodies, counterpoints and rhythm sections, all done so naturally, so smoothly and so harmoniously. Elmer Bernstein has definitely established his own « school » of music, creating an example which was followed by many film music composers all around the world : the perfect and seventh chords, the atypical rhythm, the violin E-string played in unison, the rapid and staccato in the brass section, the superb richness of the sound (made by using the timbre and other characteristics of the instruments which merge perfectly together), the changes in key as unexpected as spontaneous, the rhythm breaks, the incredible accentuations, the rare instruments and inspired interpretations. When hearing the performance the listener is immediately transported into the « Bernstein sound », the « Bernstein style », the « Bernstein music ». The original sound of Elmer Bernstein will last forever and should be taught in schools and universities specialising in the music from the 20th and 21st centuries. To show our appreciation of his inventive genius, his works and his talent, which are as impressive and as vast as those of other great erudite music composers, Elmer Bernstein's name should appear on the list of the great Masters. If Mozart was alive today, I'm sure he would write film music. No doubt he too would love this great art to which Elmer Bernstein gave so many compositions and so much nobility. Should Mozart have been reincarnated perhaps his name would have been "Bernstein". I personally have been teaching music theory for fifteen years to students of all ages at a music school in France. The theory I teach and which I thought would lead to the ability to reading written music and to the understanding of what music really is, both technically and emotionally, was based mainly on Elmer Bernstein's compositions. These compositions provided me with true examples of melodic structures which are rich both in harmony and rhythm. Music should not be labelled nor appreciated according to the school in which it is categorised - classical, jazz, old or new... The concept of different musics doesn't exist, it's just Music, something merging vibrations together. Music should be felt by the instrumentalist and the listener; it should convey strong emotions. That is why I encouraged instrumentalists to play the works of Elmer Bernstein. In 1986, at the UNESCO Centre in Paris, this resulted in an orchestra consisting of young musicians, which I conducted, giving an excellent performance during the finale of a National Orchestral Competition for young French musicians. I'm sure that the music of Big Jake, True Grit, Katie Elder or many others are still alive in the memories of the young people who are now grown-ups. Elmer Bernstein's compositions, so lively and affirmative and bursting with energy and emotion, give us a true "joie de vivre" and take us sometimes into deep thoughts and meditation, and other times into sadness and nostalgia, but they always convey, and always will, an immense feeling of happiness to the listeners. American cinema, so popular world-wide for a large numbre of very sound reasons, owes much of its success to its excellent film-music composers (Bill Conti, Lalo Schifrin, Henry Mancini, John Barry, Georges Delerue, to name but a few). Elmer Bernstein has contributed to the fame and appreciation of some of the best things in American culture: talent, work, intelligence, imagination, creation, devotion, self-sacrifice, hope, sharing, generosity... love! Elmer Bernstein's music is not simply added to the film, it makes the film, it is the film! By successfully merging together so many musical influences and thanks to his immense and varied musical abilities, Elmer Bernstein's compositions reflect his true qualities and should be used as an example for everyone, whether musicians or not. By this I mean the qualities which lead to the making of great men, great musicians, and which bring out the best in us.
Many, many thanks Mr Elmer Bernstein, you will always be remembered as a true, unique example to follow.

P.S. I've never had the chance nor the opportunity to meet Mr Bernstein, but through his compositions, I feel like I have always known him.

Some of Bernstein's greats..........2006-08-24

It is good to see this music being re-released. Many years ago I purchase the 1985 Varese Sarabande out of print album, with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, that only included the music from 'True Grit' and 'The Comancheros'...the first sixteen tracks on this CD. This recording is a straight combining of those Bernstein conducted sessions, with the Orchestra, adding three more John Wayne Western movie scores..basically putting two albums on one CD. My album, of the True Grit/Comancheros tracks, has very sharp and clear orchestral sound..very good miking. It carries the grand sweeping strings and horns that never seem to get tiresome. With this being a direct recording, the True Grit/The Comancheros tracks alone make this CD a must buy. It allows film score lovers a chance to appreciated the great work that Elmer Bernstein did in the movies..especially the Western. The True Grit tracks on this album, unlike the new Tadlow Music release of the True Grit score, come very close..quite possibly indistinguishable..to being original soundtracks. It's nice to know that this great music is still available for format updating or replacing.

Pleasently Surprised.......2006-04-19

I have watched a lot of John Wayne movies and enjoyed the music in them.I took a chance and bought this CD not knowing what to expect.I was pleasently surprised that the music on this CD is very good and the quality of sound on this CD sounds very good.

Elmer Bernstein Rides Again!.......2006-04-09

In the 1980s, Mr. Bernstein conducted two spectacular digitally recorded albums with the Utah Symphony Orchestra featuring his distinctive sound for John Wayne films. Long out of print in the U.S., Varese Sarabande has at long last released both 35 minute albums on a single cd. For fans of his landmark score for "The Magnificent Seven" (also recently reissued on VS) these scores have the welcome familiarity of an old friend. Bernstein's music energized many film genres, from science fiction (Spacehunter and Heavy Metal) to drama (To Kill A Mockingbird, Age Of Innocence, Far From Heaven) to action-adventure (The Great Escape) to epics (The Ten Commandments) and comedy (Ghostbusters, Stripes, Animal House), but his most memorable scores have captured the excitement and violence of the Old West. Many of these re-recordings stand as the definitive performances of these scores. If you're looking for a introduction to the work of one of film music best composers or simply a collection of classic Western music, you'll find it all here.

Leonard Bernstein Conducts Brahms (Collectors Edition)

Average customer rating:

Great Performances, Okay Sound, Great Selections!
Bernstein's Riveting Brahms Symphonies and more with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Leonard Bernstein Conducts Brahms (Collectors Edition)

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Beethoven: The 9 Symphonies (Collectors Edition)
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ASIN: B0001WGDXA
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Customer Reviews:

Great Performances, Okay Sound, Great Selections!.......2006-07-28

Brahms has always been one of my favourite composers and Bernstein and the Vienna PO have done an excellent interpretation of all his Symphonies and especially of the Violin and Double Concerti. The sound quality for a live recording is also quite okay and this is especially so of the last disc which contains the Concerti.

The packaging of a cardboard box which holds the paper sleeves which house the 5 discs is also nice to behold. You also get a nice 16-page booklet with an essay on Brahms written by Bernstein himself.

I was amused to also discover that when it comes to Brahms' symphonies, it appears the 3rd movements are charms when it comes to "borrowing" the melodies for pop/rock tunes too. The progressive rock band, Yes, have openly used the 3rd movement of the 4th one as one of the tracks on their wildly successful album, "Fragile" while if you listen closely to the one from the 3rd Symphony, you'll realise that Santana totally ripped off the melody for the second track on his "Supernatural" album, "Love of My Life" with Dave Matthews. At least Yes had the decency to give the credit to Brahms when they did it though.

This box set though comes highly recommended.

Bernstein's Riveting Brahms Symphonies and more with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.......2005-09-09

Leonard Bernstein has been praised and condemned by musical critics who have examined his unique, distinctive style of conducting. Along with Herbert von Karajan, Bernstein was probably among the two finest music directors of his generation; critics have thoroughly compared and contrasted Bernstein's emotional approach with Karajan's stern, almost business-like approach to conducting. Regardless of whether or not you may love Bernstein's style of conducting, he is still revered and loved by his harshest critics, the musicians who enjoyed playing for him as members of some of the world's greatest symphony orchestras. For example, I had the pleasure of meeting one of the Vienna Philharmonic's concertmasters last March here in New York City, hearing his lavish praise of Bernstein as both a musician and person. He still regarded Bernstein as one of his favorite conductors, viewing their concerts as among the highlights in his own noteworthy career as solo violinist and concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

The enthusiasm and admiration which the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra had for its favorite American conductor is present in this splendid Deutsche Grammophon collection which has been compiled recently from the original digital recordings made during live concerts held in the early 1980s. Among these are one of my favorite recordings of the Brahms 2nd Symphony, which is a lush, lovely reading of Brahms' most pastoral symphony, and a valid interpretation inspite of Bernstein's tendency for slower tempi. Similarly, the other three symphony recordings are splendid in their own right, with the brooding 1st Symphony a mesmerizing, exciting performance. I strongly recomend this CD collection as a fine example of Bernstein still conducting at the height of his artistic powers, demonstrating the excellent collaboration between the conductor and his favorite European orchestra. Without question, this remains one of the best Brahms symphony cycles available to discerning collectors and novices of classical music alike.

Leonard Bernstein Conducts Sibelius (Collectors Edition)

Average customer rating:

Decent Alternative Sibelius
Not Great To Very Good Sibelius From Leonard Bernstein
A Great Sibelius 2nd
Self indulgence controversy
A great bargain if you know what you're in for

Leonard Bernstein Conducts Sibelius (Collectors Edition)

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0001WGDXK
Release Date: 2004-05-11

Customer Reviews:

Decent Alternative Sibelius.......2007-07-08

Leonard Bernstein's series of "Indian Summer" recordings for DG included the beginnings of a second go-round with the symphonies of Jean Sibelius -- the First, Second, Fifth, and Seventh. They're all marked by often exaggeratedly expansive tempos, rubatos, and other indulgences; especially the popular Second, a bloated, belching affair I found hard to digest on first listen. However, Lenny makes a beautiful case for the First, probably the most Tchaikovskian of the lot in most performances, but here given a unique treatment which makes it sound distinctly Sibelian. Still, it's difficult to recommend these recordings for a novice listener.

Not Great To Very Good Sibelius From Leonard Bernstein.......2007-06-21

Deutsche Grammophon has selected wisely from its vaults in re-issuing classic recordings in its special Collectors Edition series. Whether these recordings made by Leonard Bernstein, primarily with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Wiener Philharmoniker), truly qualify is an interesting observation which I will leave to others. However, I will note that for my own personal tastes, I have enjoyed more Sibelius symphony recordings from Karajan, and especially, Colin Davis. Here Bernstein merely reaffirms for some what an intriguing, idiosyncratic conductor that he had become by the close of his life, with "mannered" performances, of which the Sibelius 2nd Symphony is the most egregious example. And yet I can still rate this box set highly for the very fine performances of Sibelius's 1st and 5th symphonies, and for the poignant performance of Britten's "Sea Interludes" recorded live at Tanglewood in 1990 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in what would be his last concert performance ever. Devoted fans of Leonard Bernstein's celebrated career as a conductor will find much of interest to hear and enjoy in this box set.

A Great Sibelius 2nd.......2007-03-24

Bernstein was an interpretive conductor. This is a performance which makes an event out of the 2nd symphony. The Breitkopf and Hartel score includes a duration of 45 minutes under the scoring page. Bernstein's performance is not far off. As personal as his intrepretation is (including a few changes in dynamics), most of Sibelius' tempo markings are meticulously followed. Molto largamente, Andante sostenuto, Poco allegro, Allegro, are tempo markings which appear in the 2nd movement - all are followed. Bernstein rigorously applies the 'Tempo Andante, ma rubato' to the eight-note (3/8), not the quarter. As a result, the 2nd movement is taken at a slower pace. But the pacing is entirely logical within that context. Careful listeners will also notice that one measure of the 3rd movement Vivacissimo (taken in 1 - one of the fastest on record) equals exactly one quarter note of the tempo in the finale. These correspondences (and there are many) give cohesiveness to the structure of the work.

The 2nd movement, one of the great tragic symphonic utterances, and the finale, one of the most uplifting in the repertoire, are perfectly realized in this great performance. Absolutely not to be missed.

Self indulgence controversy.......2006-06-26

Some reviewers, especially British ones, promotioning Northern values of controlling your passion and never wearing your "heart on the sleeve" etc, have criticized heavily Bernstein's No 2 as being "self-indulgent".
I feel the discussion is meaningless. Are there not enough standard performances available on CD, full of "poise", "dignity", self-restraint, and moderation ? Presumably, one more bland run-of-the-mill recording is more attractive than something extraordinary and personal.
Try to open yourself to the excitement of interpreting Chopin as if he were Beethoven, Ravel as if he were Bach. You will discover new areas of emotional and intellectual stimulus.
I heartily recommend Bernstein's DG Indian Summer self-indulgent recordings, of Sibelius, Mahler, and Tchaikovsky.
The slow movement of Sibelius' Second from Bernstein may be "tasteless" but a hell of a listening experience. Like yin and yang, we humans need romantic passion as well as classical intellect.

A great bargain if you know what you're in for.......2006-03-18

Fifteen years after his death, DG has decided to give us ultra-bargain box sets of Bernstein's late recordings. As is well known, he could be eccentric in this period, often too slow and self-indulgent. Those flaws are at their worst here in the Sibelius Sym. #2 form Vienna and the Elgar from London. But the other Sibelius, particularly Sym. #7, shows real depth of feeling and justifies Bernstein's expressive indulgences. The Four Sea Interludes are moving for being part of the last public concert he gave in Tanglewood with the BSO, and the orchestra plays wonderfully for him. The rest of the performances fall somewhere in between these extremes. They will all remain controversial, I imagine, but there's a great deal of enjoyment to be had here if you know what you are in for.

Average customer rating:

Fair performance, lousy remaster SACD sound
Adding my five stars
Bernstein Blazes
Great performance, mediocre sound
Great performance, mediocre sound

Bernstein Conducts Bernstein [SACD]

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00004L8FB
Release Date: 2000-02-08

Customer Reviews:

Fair performance, lousy remaster SACD sound.......2006-05-28

These performances, dating from the early '60s, are Bernstein being Bernstein - emotional and flashy. While it's good to have the master conducting his own works for posterity, some of the performances are, truthfully, far from his best. The "Candide" Overture is far more satisfying on the original cast album - here it seems forced, rushed and fussy. The "Waterfront" music has always struck me as bombastic and treachly - I guess Lenny thought he needed to hit moviegoers over the head (this was his sole effort as a film composer), and as lovely as passages of the dance music from "West Side Story" are in this suite, the whole business seems an after-thought to a great show. That leaves "Fancy Free," and there are far better recordings, including the one (probably out of print) Lenny did a few years after the premiere in 1943. That version, with the original recorded vocal prologue by Billie Holiday, was far livelier and rang with the big-band sensiblities of the era. Also better are the old Ballet Theater Orchestra recordings of the score. As for the sound on SACD, it's pretty miserable: Columbia was doing a lot of multiple miking by the early '60s but these recordings (all from different sessions with different producers and engineers) sound weirdly distance and unfocused, as though the mikes were in the upper balcony of a vast, empty opera house. I'd suggest you skip this and get the Royal Edition Sony CD which has the same recordings of "Fancy Free" and "Waterfront" and a big bonus - a short suite of Lenny's dance music for "On The Town."

Adding my five stars.......2005-09-11

Seeing that the reviewer who inexplicably gave these great performances three stars got posted twice, I thought I'd add another five-star review to balance that error. Unbeatable recordings, and the sound is excellent for its era--big, broad, brassy stereo from the sixties.

Bernstein Blazes.......2001-12-23

Bernstein leads these performances with snap, drama and excitement. The SACD remastering improves the original sound considerably.
There may be others, but no one does it like Lenny.

Great performance, mediocre sound.......2001-11-01

This SACD is a wonderful compilation of Bernstein's works conducted by himself. The drawback of this album is the sound quality. As it is a compilation taken from various recording sessions, the sound is varied due to different microphone placement and the approach of each session's concept. Keep in mind Columbia recordings are not always up to the audiophile standard like ones from RCA or Mercury Records in the same period. Nevertheless, the DSD transfer of this SACD is superb and it allows you to hear clearly the difference of the tonal character from different recording sessions. Buy it if you're Bernstein's fan but if it's for sonic alone, you won't be satisfied with this album.

Great performance, mediocre sound.......2001-11-01

Leonard Bernstein conducts Ravel - Bolero / Daphnis Et Chloe Suite 2

Average customer rating:

Leonard Bernstein conducts Ravel - Bolero / Daphnis Et Chloe Suite 2

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000025JD
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Average customer rating:

Bernstein Conducts Gershwin

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Bernstein Century - Beethoven: Symphony no 3 'Eroica' / Bernstein, New York PO

ASIN: B0000CD5GP
Release Date: 2003-09-30

Tracks:

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An American In Paris - Leonard Bernstein
I. Sunrise
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Bernstein Conducts Gershwin, Bernstein, Barber

Average customer rating:

Bernstein Conducts Gershwin, Bernstein, Barber

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000001GBG
Release Date: 1990-03-29

Tracks:

Rhapsody In Blue
On The Town: I The Great Lover
On The Town: II Lonely Town: Pas de deux
On The Town: Times Square: 1944
Adagio For Strings
Overture to 'Candide'
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Prologue
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: 'Somewhere'
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Scherzo
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Mambo
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Cha-Cha
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Meeting Scene
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: 'Cool', Fugue
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Rumble
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: Finale
'West Side Story': Symphonic Dances: America

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