Customer Reviews

Copland: Symphony No. 3; Quiet City

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was one of Leonard Bernstein's last recordings, and turns out to be one of his most memorable ones as well. Copland's Third Symphony uses his "Fanfare for the Common Man" as its climax, and Bernstein mines every bit of emotion you might expect. I'm not completely convinced that the symphony is necessarily one of the composer's tightest works, but Bernstein makes every minute sound essential, and the New York Philharmonic plays with terrific nobility and panache.

"Quiet City" is also beautifully done, with Bernstein capturing its plaintive, idyllic qualities perfectly. The orchestra has an excellent brass section, and some gorgeous work here just confirms it. The sound quality is excellent, not the least in the gleaming, closing pages of the Third Symphony that may have you cheering. A great document of Bernstein's electricity, a quality that was still present right up until the very end.

This is an excellent CD in all respects: musicianship, conducting, recording quality, etc. The string sound at the opening is serene and beautiful and the brass and percussion are strong but never out of balance. The opening of the second movement on this CD is one of the finest brass orchestral passages that I've heard.

This is also Leonard Bernstein in outstanding form. He made a number of excellent recordings later in his life with DG, including this and his Mahler Symphony cycle, and I have yet to hear a bad CD from the lot. Bernstein recorded an earlier Copland Third that is (I believe) presently out as part of the Bernstein Century series on Sony. Both are excellent readings, but if you have to pick one, the later DG wins out.

The addition of Phil Smith, who is in the top handful of trumpeters in the world, playing Copland's beautiful and reflective "Quiet City" makes this hard to turn down. If you are a Copland enthusiast, interested in American music, or simply in search of a beautiful CD, this will not disappoint.

This represents, to me, one of Leonard Bernstein's best efforts. Copland's Third Symphony is one of the best symphonies ever written. It has never received the type of recognition it deserves. This is the best recording of it. The New York Philharmonic gives Leonard Bernstein some of their best playing and they play wonderfully. As a trumpet student I have enviably seen and looked at Quiet City. It is one of the harder pieces in the trumpet repertoire. Philip Smith is one of the best trumpet players in the World, next to Adolph Herseth, he the best symphonic trumpet player in the United States. In Quiet City he shows off his tone and precision, and the it comes off nicely! This CD is very recommended!

I ordered this cd with high hopes; Bernstein is the premier interpreter of Copland, in my experience. Although he and the NY Phil do a decent job, the tempos in the various movements tend to be slow and ponderous, a fault of which other conductors also are guilty in this piece. Copland himself tended to slower tempi, but, like Stravinsky, wasn't necessarily the best at representing his own music. The Quiet City band is good, worth a hearing. In my opinion, the old, 1953 recording of the Third Symphony by Dorati and the Minneapolis (now Minnesota) orchestra is still far and away the best. It is a mystery why it was never re-released on cd. The sheer excitement and excellent playing of that recording is a marvel.

If you want Copland, but who also collects only Grammophon CDs, you're lucky, because there are plenty of Copland CDs performed by Leonard Bernstein. I guarantee you that if you want Copland, you best buy the recordings of the composer himself, or Lenny. Lenny had been friends with Copland, and he was able to perform Copland's music into the Grammophon world of music, after recording with Sony. If you love Copland's music, you will love Copland's third symphony, including the famous Fanfare to the Common Man. For peace-lovers on music, Quiet City is an excellent piece to listen to.

So far, I listened to both Sony's and Grammophon's third symphony by Copland, performed by Lenny with the New York Phil. Both CDs are truly excellent, and shows the powerful aspect of Lenny, but I love the DG's recording better. The Sony one does sound brilliant, but the DG one sounds even better, and bit more triumphant and moving in the finale.

Copland met a sad end as the result of Alzheimer's, which set in fairly early (when he was about 70, I believe) but was carefully hidden from the public. Bernstein had been his lifelong champion, of course, and here he gives an elegaic, almost melancholy reading of the Third Symphony that is about a minute slower in each movement than his earlier, excellent version from 1966 with the same NY Phil.

There's no comparison betwen the two, given how much more detailed and expressive the 1985 DG version is, and how much better it is recorded. The Third just misses being a great work. It is in Copland's most populist idiom, the same as one hears in Appalachian Spring, but the material is thinner, less organized, ultimately not all that compelling despite many beautiful moments. Bernstein makes the very best of what's there, and his reading of Quiet City is incomparable--it brings tears to one's eyes. This recording stands as a wonderful, if somewhat sad, memorial to a great musical partnership.

this is copland at his loudest, brassiest, most longwinded and hymnally whitmanesque. bernstein shapes the performance with an appropriate sense of drama, but free of bombast; the ny philharmonic plays everything beautifully -- the brass and violins in particular. i bought this cd because i'd just heard the work performed by mtt and the sf symphony, and this recording is quite as impressive as that impressive live concert.

Copland's 3rd Symphony contains some of the most beautiful music he ever wrote, but the sum of the work is not equal to its parts. The best movement is the first, particularly the breathtaking introduction. Here, Copland is in full 'Appalachian Spring' mode, writing in a style that now seems so quintessentially American that it is easy to forget that he virtually invented it. But after this movement, I don't feel as if I'm listening to a symphony any more and the growing lack of cohesion between the ideas isn't helped by the intrusion of the 'Fanfare for the Common Man' in the finale.

But despite it's qualified success as a symphony, this is still a very rewarding work and the other piece, 'Quiet City', is hauntingly beautiful.

This recording dates of Dec 1985 . It is a live recording from Avery Fisher Hall and it constitutes a true musical document . Bernstein , conducting the N.Y.P made a penetrating version of this fundamental symphony of this notable composer. The wonderful and expansive presence of the strings , metals and woods are demanded requisites if you want to win with this work.

Solemnity ; grace and fevered passion characterize this idiomatic performance .

The last movement, the well know Fanfare for a common man is played with such dignity level that it will let you amazed .

In spite of his fervent wisdom and noblesse , though it lacks the ardour of the version of the sixties but you can not always what you want . This performing is by far unbeatable if you dare to compare with anyone you choice .

Memorable portrait and distinguished recording.

I agree with virtually everything people have said so far about this recording, and add the following: Bernstein really milks this music for all it's worth, but his interpretation is never over-the-top, never quite histrionic. In the end, it is extraordinarily moving, especially in the sweeping first movement of the symphony.