Performer: Adele Addison, Nan Merriman, Laurence Olivier, Irma Gonzales, Raoul Jobin, Nicola Moscona
Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
Number of Discs: 11
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: West Hill Radio Archive
Catalogue: WHRA6048
Release: 2013
Size: 2.55 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
CD 01
01. Diamond: Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major
02. Diamond: Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in C-Sharp Major
Schumann: Symphony No. 2 in C major, Op. 61
03. I. Sostenuto assai
04. II. Scherzo
05. III. Adagio espressivo
06. IV. Allegro molto vivace
07. Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, “Leningrad” (rehearsal)
CD 02
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7 in C Major, Op. 60, “Leningrad”
01. I. Allegretto
02. II. Moderato (poco allegretto)
03. III. Adagio
04. IV. Allegro non troppo
CD 03
01. Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C Minor, “Resurrection” (rehearsal)
02. Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 15 in B-Flat Major, K. 450 (rehearsal)
03. Messiaen: Turangalila-symphonie (rehearsal)
CD 04
Mahler: Symphony No. 2 in C minor, ‘Resurrection’
01. I. Allegro maestoso
02. II. Andante moderato
03. III. In ruhig fliessender Bewegung
04. IV. Urlicht: Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht
05. V. Finale. Im Tempo des Scherzos
CD 05
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83
01. Piano Concerto in G Major (rehearsal)
02. Copland: Preamble for a Solemn Occasion
03. Shostakovich: United Nations on the March (Arr. By J. Langendoen)
Ravel: Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83
04. I. Allegramente
05. II. Adagio assai
06. III. Presto
Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, ‘Choral’
07. IV. Finale. Presto – Allegro assai
CD 06
Bartók: Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta, Sz. 106
01. I. Andante tranquillo
02. II. Allegro
03. III. Adagio
04. IV. Allegro molto
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
05. I. Allegro con brio
06. II. Largo
07. III. Rondo. Allegro
CD 07
Bernstein: Symphony No. 2, ‘The Age of Anxiety’
01. Pt. I: The Prologue: Lento moderato –
02. Pt. I: The Seven Ages: Variation 1 – Variation 7
03. Pt. I: The Seven Stages: Variation 8 – Variation 14
04. Pt. II: The Dirge. Largo
05. Pt. II: The Masque: Extremely fast
06. Pt. II: The Epilogue. L’istesso tempo
Stravinsky: Le sacre du printemps
07. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: Introduction –
08. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: The Augurs of Spring – Dances of the Young Girls –
09. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of Abduction –
10. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds –
11. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: Ritual of the River Tribes –
12. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Sage –
13. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: The Sage –
14. Pt. I: Adoration of the Earth: Dance of the Earth
15. Pt. II: The Sacrifice: Introduction –
16. Pt. II: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls –
17. Pt. II: The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One –
18. Pt. II: The Sacrifice: Evocation of the Ancestors –
19. Pt. II. The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Ancestors –
20. Pt. II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance
CD 08
Weill: Die Dreigroschenoper (the Threepenny Opera) [arr. M. Blitzstein]
01. Overture
02. Five Point
03. The Ballad of Mack the Knife
04. Mister Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum
05. Morning Anthem
06. Now Mrs. Peachum appears
07. Instead-of Song
08. They Are quite correct
09. Army Song
10. Macheath keeps waiting
11. Wedding Song
12. The wedding in the stable
13. Love Song
14. Macheath’s interests
15. Barbara Song
16. The World Is Mean
17. Polly rushes to the honeymoon stable
18. Melodrama and Polly’s Song
19. Mrs. Peachum finds Jenny
20. Pirate Jenny
21. The scene Is now the establishment on Greene Street
22. Tango-Ballad
23. The cops stand
24. Ballad of the Easy Life
25. The capture of Mack the Knife
26. Jealousy Duet
27. Lucy Is Tiger Brown’s daughter
28. How to Survive
29. It Is just before dawn
30. Useless Song
31. Mac has been recaptured
32. Solomon Song
33. Call from the Grave
34. But It Is no use
35. O brothers who live on
36. And Macheath walks slowly up to the gallows
37. Death Message
38. As his first act in office
39. Reprieved
40. Finale
CD 09
Copland: Short Symphony, ‘Symphony No. 2’
01. I. Quarter note = 144
02. II. Half note = 44
03. III. Quarter note = 144
Harris: American Creed
04. I. Free to Dream
05. II. Free to Build
Piston: Concerto for Orchestra
06. I. Allegro moderato ma energico
07. II. Allegro vivace
08. III. Adagio-Allegro moderato
09. Fine: Serious Song
CD 10
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 47
01. Recording Session
Copland: Billy the Kid Suite
02. Recording Session
CD 11
Chavez: Symphony No. 4, ‘Sinfonia romantica’
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Molto lento
03. III. Finale. Vivo non troppo mosso
Mahler: Rückert Lieder
04. No. 4, Ich atmet’ einen linden Duft
05. No. 5, Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen
Mahler: Des Knaben Wunderhorn
06. No. 5, Das irdische Leben
Mahler: Rückert Lieder
07. No. 6, Um Mitternacht (Version for voice and orchestra)
Diamond: Symphony No. 8
08. I. Moderato – Adagio – Allegro vivo
09. II. Theme (Adagio), Variations and Double Fugue
When it was announced that Leonard Bernstein was the become the new conductor of the New York Philharmonic in November 1957, Claudia Cassidy in the Chicago Daily Tribune wrote that it was “no great surprise” but injected a note of caution: “wish him luck, because no one needs it more than the musical director of a symphony orchestra.”
It turned out to be an inspired appointment. This set demonstrates what it was in about his music making and his personality that led the New York Philharmonic’s directors to choose him. It includes extensive recorded documentation of Bernstein’s career up to the time of his nomination in New York, mostly in live performances and rehearsal segments, working on music ranging from Mozart to Messiaen.
Bernstein’s work after his appointment to the NYP is represented in this set by performances of American music given as part of his “Survey of American Music” in the 1958–9 season (Fine, Harris and Piston), along with Copland in 1957 and Diamond in 1961; the 1959 recording sessions for two of his favourite twentieth-century classics (Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony and Copland’s Billy the Kid) which show conductor and orchestra at their most efficient and effective; and hitherto unpublished live performances of music by Bartók, Beethoven, Chávez, and Mahler.
