Collector's Edition

Benny Goodman (Performer), Bela Bartok (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Composer), Aaron Copland (Composer), Morton Gould (Composer), Igor Stravinsky (Composer), Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Béla Bartók (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Benny Goodman, Béla Bartók
• Orchestra: Columbia Symphony Orchestra
• Composer: Bela Bartok, Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Morton Gould, Igor Stravinsky
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000026F3
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #18,266 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #3 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( G ) > Gould, Morton
  #11 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( B ) > Bartók, Béla
  #11 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( C ) > Copland, Aaron

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Cup of Tea, May 21, 2002

By	T. Beers (Arlington, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Goodman's performances of all the music on this disc are superb. He (along with violinist Joseph Szigeti) commissioned the Bartok score and, notwithstanding its age (mono/1940) there has never been a better recording than this one. The other performances are first-rate stereo recordings that appeared on a 1966 CBS/Columbia Lp titled "Meeting at the Summit." Morton Gould's music often sounds like watered-down Copland to my ears, but "Derivations" is a really strong piece and quite memorable. The Stravinsky is a true masterpiece that has never sounded better, and the same goes for Bernstein's powerfully imagined, joyous "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs." Having the composers conduct was an inspired idea (in the case of the Bartok, the composer accompanies at the piano); not at all gimmicky. It's amazing how well Goodman still played in the middle '60s. Although he gave solid performances well into the '70s, he was still at or near his peak when these recordings were made and the dead-on intonation and range of color in his playing is simply breathtaking. The other reviewer mostly likes the Copland score. It's nice, but the real show-stopper here is the Bernstein: 7 1/2 minutes of sheer big-band bravado. Not to be missed!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Get it for the Copland, October 9, 2001

By	A. G. Bailey "Dadge" (Birmingham, - United Kingdom) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Aaron Copland's Clarinet Concerto is one of the most magical pieces of music ever to come out of North America, and for me, this is *the* recording. Fifty years old, but as is so often the case, the original is the best - Mr Goodman's finest twenty minutes. Great value, too! The other pieces (by Bernstein, Stravinsky and Bartok) I can take or leave, but who knows, they might be your cup of tea.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Real Stuff, March 24, 2007

By	King Schoenfeld "." (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This disk collects Benny Goodman performances with the composers conducting, so it is historic and probably authoritative as to performance, but great to have Copland, Stravinsky, etc. themselves and Goodman in your collection. Nice performances, although sound varies with these vintage sessions.