Bernstein: Symphony No. 3 ("Kaddish"); Chichester Psalms

Leonard Bernstein (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), Jennie Tourel (Performer), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra), Camerata Singers (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Jennie Tourel, Camerata Singers
• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Composer: Leonard Bernstein
• Audio CD (July 14, 1998)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000009CYI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,725 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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  #24 in	Music > Classical > Featured Composers, A-Z > ( B ) > Bernstein, Leonard
  #30 in	Music > Classical > Sacred & Religious > Psalms

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Leonard Bernstein's Kaddish, Symphony No. 3, from 1963 is probably his most famous. It's dedicated to the memory of John F. Kennedy, and comprises spoken and sung texts from Jewish prayers for the dead. It's quite dramatic, very listenable, and not at all pretentious, as some critics have avowed. It ranks with Shostakovich's harrowing Symphony No. 14 and deserves more attention than it usually gets. Which is damned little. The same goes for Bernstein's Chichester Psalms (1964). It's a very engaging choral work that celebrates the practice of psalmody or choral festivals, a kind of celebratory music we don't hear much. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I am delighted that the original version is now on CD., June 30, 1999

By A Customer

Over the years I have shared the Kaddish Symphony with many friends and students. They are always impressed with and deeply moved by this work. Integral to the performance of this music is the spellbinding speaking/acting of Felicia Montealegre and the sensitive singing of Jennie Tourel. The recording of the revised version of this work with the male speaker was a total disappointment to me. I did not know until this moment that my old LP (which is now cracked!) is no longer necessary. I'm ordering this one at once. Paired with the "Psalms" this is a wonderful reissue.

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificently Performed, February 4, 2003

By	Shota Hanai (Torrance, CA) - See all my reviews

Leonard Bernstein's Kaddish Symphony is a powerful mass reflected on a Jewish background. With both the composer who is a Jewish American, and the first Cathloic president John F. Kennedy, whom Bernstein dedicated the music to after the tragic assisination, being pious believers of heritage, it's partly fit to empasize and create this "requiem" based on the pure Jewish heritage.

Bernstein's Kaddish is an incredibly powerful piece. Although it's hard to understand the Jewish words sung by the choir, the music itself shows its emotions of savagry, pain, and lament, and to top it off, the narrating voice of the music, played by Bernstin's wife, is more than enough to give importance to the "deep sense of kinship and loss that Bernstein felt" after the president had died. The words can show how remorseful Bernstein, and his wife, must have been.

Regardless of the mediocre technology of digital recording on this performance, this music is a definite buy for those who want anything about Bernstein, or wants to give into an American Tragedy. I don't care how great other performances may be; Bernstein's performance is enough for me.

On the other hand, Chichester Psalms, like the Kaddish Symphony, has no specific story, being based, this time, on Psalms 2, 23, 100, 108, 131, and 133. The first movement is joyous, the second movement is a sort of a 'hymn' sung by a male solo high as a boy would sing, and the third movement closes peacefully. I was especially moved by the third movement. The melancholy sounds of the strings in the beginning of the movement reminded me of the grim, dark lifestyles during the Jewish Halocaust, even though the subject might not have been intended in the music. I can consider the words and the sentiment in the movement to be a song of resettlement after the Nazi's attempted genocide of the Jews.

This performance with the New York Phil too, despite its recording technology, is absolutly unmatched. The only other recording I would listen is the one Bernstein performed with the Isreal Phil on Grammophon during his later years of conducting. By noticing the recognizable use of energy of Bernstein's youthful earlier performance, though, I would recommened this performance than the latter.

Generally, the two pieces are magnificently performed, showing how great Bernstein was. Unless you want really cle-e-e-an recordings, you won't be dissapointed.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking!, July 10, 1999

By	Kenneth R. French (Monterey, CA) - See all my reviews

I was not alive when President Kennedy was asassinated, but the dramatic lyrics of the Kaddish helps me to understand and appreciate the tragedy in a way I have never felt. Likewise, The Chichester Psalms are done extremely well. I would recomend this cd to anyone that can appreciate good music. It is truly pure heaven.