Rhapsody in Blue / Grand Canyon Suite

Gershwin (Artist), Grofe (Artist), Bernstein (Artist), New York Phil. (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000026FG
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #347,243 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rhapsody in Blue, for piano & orchestra (orchestrated by F. Grofé)

2. An American in Paris, tone poem for orchestra

3. Grand Canyon Suite, for orchestra: Sunrise

4. Grand Canyon Suite, for orchestra: Painted Desert

5. Grand Canyon Suite, for orchestra: On The Trail

6. Grand Canyon Suite, for orchestra: Sunset

7. Grand Canyon Suite, for orchestra: Cloudburst

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

This is a disc for the ages: here is American music, performed with mid-century flair, a moment never to be recaptured. Bernstein had an unparalleled feel for Rhapsody in Blue, and in this recording he brought it all home, doing full justice to the still-fresh, racy, moody, spontaneous, evocative score. His performance of the solo has a smoky, sultry jazziness to it, along with a brash exuberance; there is touching tenderness in the lullaby, a riveting dynamism in the fast pages. As constituted for this recording, the Columbia Symphony consisted of some superb pickup players. An American in Paris gets a wonderfully energetic and bracing performance, one that strikes a deft balance between intimacy and grandeur. The old New York Philharmonic incandescence comes through in every bar. The account of Grofé's Grand Canyon Suite is still the finest in the catalog. The sound has excellent presence and impact, although in the recording of the Rhapsody the violins lack bite, there is breakup in the extreme high range, and one get the sensation of "hole in the center" stereo. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An underrated pianist captured in recording to be treasured, September 2, 2002

By 

Robert L. Edwards (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rhapsody in Blue / Grand Canyon Suite (Audio CD)

Bernstein was a vastly underrated pianist. Here, the subtlety of his handling of the smallest semi-quavers is arresting. There are so many moments that catch the ear because of the directness and honesty of the playing. This is no standard bravura performance. Bernstein has no need to pound the cross-hand octaves or over-exaggerate the jazzy rhythms: they are rendered with character and a unique, personal insight. There is a freshness here forever captured by the great producer John McClure.

The Columbia pickup orchestra was often mostly the NY Philharmonic by another name. You will be hard-pressed to hear a difference with the sharp stylistic playing. This is no ordinary pickup ensemble. In the tone poem, the NY Philharmonic is outstanding. This ensemble, which within ten years from the time of this recording would deliver regular jaded live performances in Philharmonic Hall, was always incomparable in the recording studio. This is one hot orchestra - Lenny's band at its best. You will not find better performances of either the Rhapsody or "American In Paris."

On the negative side. This recording from the late 1950s was one of the first stereo efforts of Columbia Records and it suffers slightly with exaggerated, gimmicky stereo separation. Sadly, the editing is crude. There is an embarrassing insert at 6 minutes in with a radically different acoustical environment/mic placement and loud, distracting extraneous noises that seem to indicate the passage was taken either from a live performance or a warm-up mic test. Several entrances are cut late and jump in.

But overall, this recording is not to be missed - it is an historical document of an outstanding pianist and an American orchestra that could, when it wanted to, play better than any ensemble in the world. In spite of its flaws, this disc is a treasure to me.

I always hesitate to tell someone that any recording is a must have - but this one is firmly placed on my shortlist. Buy, Buy Buy. And enjoy!

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Uneven interpretation by Bernstein, March 24, 2000

By 

Jmark2001 (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rhapsody in Blue / Grand Canyon Suite (Audio CD)

Bernstein delivers an uneven interpretation of some American classics on this album. The grand middle theme of "Rhapsody in Blue" has never sounded more magnificent than it does here. The piano solo, however, is so stylized (including a bizarre pause after some descending notes which draws some awkward attention to the performer rather than to the composer) that it takes away from the piece and ruins the pacing. "An American in Paris" starts out jaunty but Bernstein can't resist overdoing some of the later themes with too much volume and force. "Grand Canyon Suite" is one of the less effective versions that I have heard. If you are looking for wonderful performances at a value price, see "The Complete Gershwin". You get two cd's for less than 15$ and the music there is superior.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique Conductor, April 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rhapsody in Blue / Grand Canyon Suite (Audio CD)

I appreciate Bernstein's allowing those beautiful violins to soar over the other instruments in the the final expression of the main melody so well presented by the piano. No other orchestra has been able to permit the violins to be so expressive in the Rhapsody led by the piano.