Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture; Marche Slav; Romeo & Juliet Overture

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

 

 

What makes this generous (80 min.) CD welcome is that Bernstein, far from going over the top, proves himself a genuinely expressive Tchaikovsky conductor. There are no choirs or cannons in the 1812 Over.(church bells are overlaid in the finale, though), no saccharine underlining of melodies, and no faking the emotion to reach the grandstands. Bernstein was to the manner born in romantic music, so his Romeo and Juliet is exciting and heartfelt. The 1812 will feel a bit low-key to anyone who expects a circus act, but it's musically sound, in case that matters.

I'm not arguing that this CD contains any revelations, but these chestnuts are all very winning in Bernstein's hands. His Capriccio italien deserves better sound--it's a bit thin and tinny--but it dances and sings. My attraction was to the problematic tone poem, Hamlet, which Bernstein believed in eough to record a second time for DG with the Israel Phil. The classic Stokowski recording on Everest tops every critic's list, but Bernstein's sounds more natural in the lyrical sections and brings quite a few thrills in the bombastic rum-tum of this uneven work.

...and the church bells are nicely done and moving. The highlight is the brass in the last round of God Save the Tsar (I think). Quality of digital download is fine.

I have a limited budget, and this was a good purchase for me because it contains five great Tchaikovsky pieces for a good price and without overlapping with other purchases I might want. I also picked up the Ballet Suites (Rostropovich, $9/49 download).

I bought this CD because I would get two delights in one: Leonard Bernstein conducting almost anything and The 1812 Overture - as conducted by Leonard Bernstein. After listening to the whole CD, I am quite pleased with my purchase. Here's the bargain part - along with the music that I was planning on hearing, I got four additional compositions by Tchaikovsky that I could appreciate whenever I tired of cannon fire. Now, I play the entire 1812 on the way to work and the entire Romeo & Juliet Overture on the way home. 1812 on the way to work the next day and another Tchaikovsky piece on the way home. It's a nice way to begin and end the workday.

Leonard Bernstein fue uno de los principales directores de orquesta sinfónica a nivel mundial. Su manera de dirigir imprime mucha personalidad y sentimientos a las obras musicales que dirige y Tchaikovsky es un compositor con mucha carga emocional.
El audio del CD es muy bueno y más tomando en cuenta que las grabaciones originales son de finales de la década del 50 y mediados del 60.
La ejecución, el sonido y la expresión en la interpretación de los temas del CD (Overtura 1.812, Marcha Eslava, Capricho Italiano, etc) es simplemente excelente, exuberante, sin palabras.
Evidentemente, la filarmónica de New York en manos de Bernstein se transforma en una de las mejores del mundo.

While the clarity of the CD was fine, the order in which the music/scenes was presented appeared to be out of sync with how the actual ballet flows. There was too much "extra" music which I had never before heard and made the ballet seem disjointed. I am not pleased with this CD but do not want to spend more money on another version.