Bernstein Century - Debussy: The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian

Claude Debussy (Performer), Leonard Bernstein (Performer), Virgina Babikian (Artist), Adele Addison (Artist), Marlena Kleinman (Artist), Joanna Simon (Artist), Fritz Weaver (Artist), Felicia Montealegre (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Claude Debussy, Leonard Bernstein
• Audio CD (July 14, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000009CYJ
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #295,878 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Prologue: "Gentle People, We Bid You Silence..."

2. "First Window, The Court Of Lillies"

3. "Glory! Glory to Christ The King"

4. Ecstatic Dance Of Sebastian On The Live Coals;

5. "Second Window, The Magic Chamber...

6. Song Of The Virgin Erigone: Je Fauchais L'Épi De Froment

7. "And Suddenly A New Voice Sings From Beyond the Magic Door"

8. Third Window, The Council Of False Gods...

9. "Suddenly, The Emperor Speaks!...

10. "Intone Your Hymn!"

11. "Caesar, I Refuse Your Lyre..."

12. "Who Is This Young Man So White..."

13. "Sing! Exult!"

14. "He Dies, The Archer Of Lebanon."

15. "But Gentle People...Fourth Window, The Wounded Laurel."

16. "I Feel In The Palm Of My Hand The Stigmata Burn..."

17. "From The Depths, Archers, I Call Upon Your Love!"

18. "A Pearly Radiance Spreads In The Sky...The Fifth Window, Paradise!"

19. Chorus Of Martyrs: "Gloire!"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than some critics would suggest, May 7, 2002

By 

albertatamazon (Atlanta, Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bernstein Century - Debussy: The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (Audio CD)

Bernstein's recording of Debussy's work for narrator and/or actors with orchestra has never been one of his most famous recordings; in fact, I never even knew he had made one until it was released on CD as part of the "Bernstein Century" series.

It is the only version of the "Martyrdom" narrated and acted in English, and Bernstein himself did the adaptation. (The sung portions are still done in French, which means Bernstein has wisely not tampered with any of the sung text.) Predictably, the stuffy and oh-so-traditional critics have had harsh words for the narrated and acted portions, some going so far as to call it "unlistenable", and even "homoerotic", while others maintain it is simply over the top.

While it IS more flamboyant than most of the other versions I have heard, and while the French version may stick more closely to D'Annunzio's original text, I still enjoy this version very much, and Bernstein has shown remarkable foresight in presenting his audience with a version of this work that they can easily follow. His wife, actress Felicia Montealegre, enacts the role of St. Sebastien, and while she does sound pretty frenzied much of the time, it does make sense that her portrayal of the martyr should sound as if he were experiencing a wild sense of ecstasy (hence, the accusations of sadomasochism and homoeroticism hurled at this adaptation).

Fritz Weaver is the narrator, and his part has been especially created as a sort of guide to pointing out what we should expect to hear. His narration is restrained, eloquent, and he has plenty of opportunity to display his rich speaking voice.

Bernstein conducts, and the New York Phiharmonic plays, with great sensitivity, and the recorded sound is excellent. You do, however, have to turn up the volume somewhat to hear some of the spoken text (especially Weaver's narration) clearly. This, however, should not deter you from listening to this excellent, quite unusual, but very accessible version of "The Martrydom of St. Sebastien". In many ways, this is the most accessible version of all, and it is difficult to understand the critical howls over a performance which makes the work easier to follow without sacrificing any of its integrity.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A great performance of the Bernstein fashion..., November 17, 2002

By 

Ytzan "Yannis" (Athens, GR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bernstein Century - Debussy: The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian (Audio CD)

This is a great work. Debussy's "Saint Sebastien" is for me his best work (many may disagree with me here but I really find this a great masterpiece). The performance is full of passion and the soloists are great in every respect. Bernstein's narration adds to the performance with his deep characteristic voice. All that said I find this interpretation somewhat less memorable than that of Tilson Thomas on Sony too. The narration there is in French and though I do not speak the language I think that it fits better the work than the enlgish translation of the Bernstein's CD. Also Tilson Thomas is very intense(very tough to believe that somebody is more passionate than Lenny, but it's the truth). Finally the digital recording outshines the ~ 40 year old CBS/Sony sound.