Customer Reviews

Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue / Copland: Appalachian Spring / Barber: Adagio

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

 

 

The adagio for strings is performed beautifully - very delicate, with a confidently joyful ending that's very breakable at the same time. This alone is worth the price of the CD, which is a good thing, since I have heard better performances of the two other pieces.

Both "rhapsody" and "spring" are to sterile, to classical to my taste. (And this is just a matter of taste! If you prefer clean/perfect performances, don't read on but buy this now.) Rhapsody is saved by the piano, however, played quite jazzy and with some very interresting tempi. The orchestra misses some swing, unfortunately. (Then again, I've always preferred the version for two pianos.) As for Appalachian Spring, the orchestra sounds a bit like a caged bird - the music (especially the wind sections) never jumps out to soar in freedom, rather being content to perform an image of the real thing.

America had long been in need of a great conductor to call their own and they finally found one in Leonard Bernstein. The fiery, flamboyant man who took over the American music scene was the ideal man to promote the works of his homeland, and he produced some excellent Copland with New York. This disc sees him going returning to some of the most famous American works with the Los Angeles Phil. Unfortunately, Bernstein seems to have lost his outgoing zest; he almost seems to be taming or miniaturizing the works. It seems overworked and lacking in spirit.

Opening the disc is the Rhapsody in Blue with Bernstein himself as the pianist. Bernstein was meant to be a conductor, but he plays well, with plenty of interest. I don't think he lets go enough, but the real problem isn't his playing but his conducting. Los Angeles plays with a sarcastic bite, but they seemed to be lacking vigor. To me it wasn't jazzy enough, as if Bernstein is afraid to have much fun. Gershwin should sound fresh and put a smile on your face, but Bernstein left me worn out at the end and certainly not moved.

DG has us in for a shock going straight from Rhapsody in Blue to the Barber Adagio. As one might guess, the aging maestro is better suited to this work than the other two on the disc. He takes it like a dirge, sorrowful yet so desolate that there's no room for much emotion. All the same, it's a very legitimate approach that, were the whole disc on this level, I'd be left teetering between 4 and 5 stars. Listening to this recording I couldn't get Rattle's account with the Berliners out of my head. That recording is much more fervent and soulful, and of course Los Angeles isn't on par with the world's greatest orchestra.

Owning Bernstein's recording of Copland's Appalachian Spring from the early sixties, I honestly don't see how this remake can compare to it. Perhaps Bernstein felt the need to approach the work differently given that he had already put it to disc, but to me the passive, almost timid conducting that Bernstein showcases here is pointless. I know it sounds very "un-Bernstein" to be passive, but he is here; there's nothing to suggest the open prairies of the Wild West. Bernstein's earlier account was bursting with high octane energy, but forget that here. It seems so limp, lacking everything that we associate with Bernstein at his best. Shoot me if you're inclined, but this is a boring account that I wouldn't care to hear again.

In closing, while there's something to admire about the Barber Adagio, in all the other works, Bernstein seemed lacking stamina, resulting in a disc that fails to come to life. Don't get this unless you realize that this is not the Bernstein who set the world on fire.

I try to buy all Bernstein recordings, and this one, his digital remaake of some veyr famous early recordings, is slow, inflated, and jost not anywhere near a match for the hip, Jazzy Bernstein that sprang on the scene and single-handedly revitalized classic music in America. Maybe worth owning as a legacy recording, but missalbe otherwise.

This CD is a must-have for anyone who (a) loves Leonard Bernstein, (b) loves Gershwin, Barber, or Copland, (c) just loves music in general. Bernstein does, as always, a marvelous job conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The Rhapsody in Blue, one of my favorite pieces, is perfect. It's upbeat, "swingy," and an all around a must-have rendition of a purely "American" work. The Adagio for strings is moving and solemn, as well it should be. The voices of all the strings are clearly brought out and no instrument over-powers another. Finally, Appalachian Spring, another one of my favorite pieces, and yet another "American" masterpiece. Having listened to many renditions of this piece, I have concluded that only Copland himself could have done a better job conducting. Overall, this is a gorgeous CD that anyone who loves music must buy.

Orchestra quality is amazing. Wonderful ensemble! My favorite edition of Barber's Adagio For Strings. I encourage everyone to purchase this recording!