Barber: Adagio for Strings/Violin Concerto/Schuman: To Thee Old Cause/In Praise Of Shahn

Samuel Barber (Composer), William Schuman (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra), Isaac Stern (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Isaac Stern
• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Composer: Samuel Barber, William Schuman
• Audio CD (October 28, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000029XL
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #238,354 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Molto Adagio~

2. Allegro

3. Andante

4. Presto in moto

5. To Thee Old Causes

6. Vigoroso~

7. Lento

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Barber's Violin Concerto not up to today's standards..., February 26, 2001

By 

"kv581" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barber: Adagio for Strings/Violin Concerto/Schuman: To Thee Old Cause/In Praise Of Shahn (Audio CD)

While it's true that this recording of Barber's Violin Concerto helped bring the work into the mainstream repertoire, several recent recordings are even better.

The first of these new recordings features Shaham accompanied by Previn and the London Symphony Orchestra. Shaham's performance is brash and VERY extrovert, bringing a sense of excitement to the music. Bell (accompanied by Zinman and the Baltimore) also plays the piece very well in his recording. Unlike Shaham, Bell's introvert performance brings out the more thoughtful and mystical qualities of the music. This approach also works well, and I actually prefer it to the Shaham. Oh, as a side note, Bell won the 1997 Gramophone Concerto Award (not the pointless Grammy, mind you) for this recording.

Finally, there is the new Hahn (accompanied by Wolff and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra) recording. Her approach is somewhere between the Shaham and the Bell. Generally, her playing is cooler and more aristocratic, which works very well in the first movement. In addition, her third movement is absolutely breathtaking. This is my favorite recording of the Barber Concerto, though others tend to prefer either the Bell or the Shaham for their more extreme interpretations.

In any case, these new recordings all surpass the old Stern recording in turns of technical prowess, lyricism, and recording quality. Buy the Stern for solely historic reasons.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Barber works are great, but Schuman's music is incredible., October 12, 1999

By 

Carol A Hoffman (Overland Park, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Barber: Adagio for Strings/Violin Concerto/Schuman: To Thee Old Cause/In Praise Of Shahn (Audio CD)

This CD is a terrific opportunity to purchase Barber's famous "Adagio" and his Violin Concerto--with the duo of Bernstein and Isaac Stern, no less. But don't stop it after the Concerto: the best music is yet to come. William Schuman's startling and glorious works follow. Schuman's flair for the unconventional holds serve in "To Thee Old Cause" from 1968 and "In Praise of Shahn" from 1969. Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic handle Schuman's long lyrical lines ("Old Cause") and unconventional rhythms ("Shahn") with jaw-dropping precision and power. It is Bernstein's great tribute to a great friend, and a must-buy for any Schuman enthusiast.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Glorious, but a bit sloppy, May 20, 1999

By 

C. Tate (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barber: Adagio for Strings/Violin Concerto/Schuman: To Thee Old Cause/In Praise Of Shahn (Audio CD)

Bernstein's interpretations here, especially of Barber's Adagio for Strings, are beautiful without being insipid, but I wish he'd had a better hand with the technique of his orchestra. The entrances are sloppy, and intonation in general is uneven; one has the impression that the orchestra was simply not paying much attention to staying TOGETHER. This is a frustrating recording for me: I love it, but I always get an urge to dress down the concert master when I listen to it....