An American Essay

On this CD:

1. Concerto for piano & orchestra
Composed by Nancy Van De Vate
Performed by Kosice State Philharmonic Orchestra with Makiko Hirashima
Conducted by Szymon Kawalla

2. Adagio and Rondo for violin & string orchestra
Composed by Nancy Van De Vate
Performed by Kosice State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Szymon Kawalla

3. The Pond, for SATB chorus a capella
Composed by Nancy Van De Vate

Conducted by Knud Vad

4. How Fares the Night?, for SSA chorus, solo violin & string orchestra
Composed by Nancy Van De Vate
Performed by Kosice State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Szymon Kawalla

5. An American Essay, for SATB chorus, orchestra & soprano soloist
Composed by Nancy Van De Vate
Performed by Kosice State Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Szymon Kawalla

Tracks:

All Through The Night
All The Pretty Little Horses
All Night, All Day
Armenian Lullaby
Baby's Bed's A Silver Moon
Baloo, Baleerie
Brahms' Lullaby
Brezairola
Traumerei, Op. 15, No. 1
Can Ye Sew Cushions
By'm Bye
Bye, Baby Bunting - Golden Slumbers
Dance To Your Daddy - Dance, Little Baby
Fais Dodo
Good Night To You All
Jocelyn: Berceuse
Hush, Little Baby
Kumbayah
Little Boy Blue
Suo Gan
Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John
Mozart's Lullaby
Chanson de Nuit, Op. 15, No. 1
Now The Day Is Over - Raindrops
Raisins And Almonds
Rock-A-Bye, Baby
Rocking - The Sandman
Tales Of Hoffman: O Bell Nuit - Bacarolle
Skidamarink
Sleep, Baby, Sleep
Sweet And Low
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Toora, Loora, Loora
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star: Twinkel, Twinkel, Little Star
When At Night I Go To Sleep

Amazon.com

Released as a companion piece to the award-winning book Lullabies: An Illustrated Songbook, this hour-plus of music is a wonderful mix of stately classical themes and child-friendly vocals. The selections range from "All the Pretty Little Horses" to a global spread of lullabies drawn from classical and folk traditions. The music is spare, with Kapp on piano, Julianne Baird and Kapp's daughter Madeline on vocals, and Mela Tenenbaum on violin, viola, and occasional vocals. Most of the classical selections (from Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Edmund Elgar, W.A. Mozart, et al.) get a straight-ahead, accomplished treatment. Lest you think the project stuffy, each of the melodies is in the one- to two-minute range, which effectively mandates a stronger sense of flow than most children's collections. Kapp, who managed to create a visual and poetic flow in the Lullabies book, keeps things nicely in a groove here, knowing enough to segue into silly tracks about halfway through the CD to provide a wider emotional range. This album every bit as accomplished as the book. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2007-02-14

I love this CD. It's very well-done, and the approach is different than most children's CDs - very refined, yet soothing. I don't get tired of listening to it the way I do others -- which is important when trying to get a little one to sleep! I highly recommend it and the companion book.

Simple and sweet songs.......2006-04-02

With just piano, violin and vocals, this is a simple and heartfelt album. Ms. Baird's voice conveys the full emotions that a mother feels for her new baby with clean and open singing. The first track in particular, "All Through The Night," still makes me teary. I played this in the hospital when my son was born, and we use it as part of our wind-down ritual. I do agree that some of the songs are a little upbeat for bedtime. We just skip those in the evening (using iTunes).

Marvellous cd, enchanting music.......2005-10-18

Our whole family loves this cd. I am continually charmed and refreshed by the subtlety, taste and musicianship that has gone into these arrangements of well- and lesser-known gems. Apart from the joy of the simple yet perfect chordal progressions, listen to the warm, caressing tone imparted by the low bass notes in the piano in many of the tracks. The pace is so wonderfully leisurely, there is time to savour each song or piece, and yet each lasts only two or three minutes. The three diverse yet complementary singers, each with a tender and gentle presence suiting the subject matter, give a sense of a 19th century family musical evening. Magical.

Good if you want to sing from the book but can't read music.......2004-02-10

I bought this solely because I have the book and wanted to sing the lullabies to my kids, but I can't read music. For this purpose it is fine. The songs are not in the same order as in the book but I can deal. As a stand-alone lullaby CD I wouldn't really recommend it--the songs are not sung in a soothing manner, there's lots of variety in tempo and volume, some are even sung up-beat. The voices are not pitched high enough for babies either. That being said, I am back on Amazon today to buy it for my sister who is due any day now with her 3rd kid--we both like to sing and have the book, and songs (in book or music form) are a great present that the baby won't grow out of for a long time, and helps you bond with your little one too.

Didn't like the voice........2002-12-11

I bought this cd to go with the book and it is very frustrating because the songs on this cd are not even in the same order as the book. The singing voice fluctuates too much, it will be really soft and then it gets really high pitch. And if you have the volume set at a lower level for some songs then you can't hear other songs. I think there are better cds to buy than this one.

Average customer rating:

A sparkling remaster
Great music and a great package
An American Classic
Best of Barber
Is there anything to add...?

Samuel Barber / Thomas Schippers

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Amazon.com

This classic disc has been the prime recommendation for Barber's short orchestral pieces since the early 1960s. Remastered onto CD for the first time, and with the addition of some other items conducted by Thomas Schippers, it sounds better than ever. All of Barber's music is blessed with the virtues of impeccable craftsmanship, tunefulness, and, above all, brevity. Although a Romantic by temperament, Barber had the gift of being able to fit a lot of emotional impact into a very small space. The famous Adagio for Strings and the Second Essay actually sound much bigger than they are, but they don't go on a second too long--which means you can play them again right away! You'll want to. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com

The most beautiful recording ever made of the Adagio for Strings is at last on CD, thoughtfully coupled with some of the other recordings the young Thomas Schippers made for Columbia Masterworks--of the music of Barber and others--between 1960 and 1965, at the start of his all-too-brief career. Although he was never on personal terms with Barber, Schippers had the ability to put Barber's music across in just the right way, with the perfect blend of energy and lyricism, toughness and warmth, and, above all, the feeling that its sentiment was real, yet ineffably contained. The performance of the New York Philharmonic (in the Adagio, as well as in the Second Essay for Orchestra, the Overture to the School for Scandal, Andromache's Farewell, and Medea's Dance of Vengeance) is aglow with inspiration, and the sound is exceptionally vivid, with a palpable sense of presence and space. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

A sparkling remaster.......2006-12-29

This disc showcases a spectrum of talent from the young Schippers before his tragic death. However, contrary to the other reviews, this is not the best version of the "Adagio" that I have ever heard. The other tracks on the disc are a nice complement and some are hard to find on CD. All in all, a decent buy.

Great music and a great package.......2006-11-10

This reissue of material conducted by Thomas Schippers shows the great style he had conducting Barber's (and Menotti's) work. This CD has been reissued again with a more mundane package as part of the RCA red seal releases. This disc presents background information and pictures that are a delight to the collector and will interest the listener new to this music. Its sound is good for its age and packages material together very well.

An American Classic.......2005-12-03

Like many of the other reviewers, I owned this recording as an LP. Listening to it again in the CD format was a wonderful experience. Barber's lyrical gift was extraordinary. "Romantic" is an inadequate word to describe his music. And it sounds peculiarly American, like Copland's. You can't imagine that a European could have written it. It has too much freedom and sparkle, too much yearning and openess. My only criticism is that this disc omits "Knoxville: Summer of 1915", which I recall was on the old LP, with Leontyne Price as the soloist. Thomas Schippers seems to have been the ideal interpreter of this composer. What a pity that he died young.

Best of Barber.......2004-09-30

The cover and Barber performances come from one of my favorite LPs - an old Odyssey release from the 70s. (Having worn one down, I was lucky to find a new one at a second-hand store - and soon after the CD was, finally, released.) Needless to say, I've listened to these performances frequently but never tire of them. Schippers, who was a close protege of Barber's (his lover?), infuses all of the Barber orchestral pieces with enormous vitality and emotion. The Adagio is one of the two or three best (if not THE best) on record, and the Medea Meditation and Dance of Vengeance is a knockout, more forceful even than Barber's own recording of the music in the Medea Suite for Mercury in the 50s. The School for Scandal Overture is a rollicking and tuneful delight, and the Second Essay is superbly done. My only objection is the CD is a rather scatter-shot collection, a massing culled from the handful of recordings Schippers made for Columbia in the early '60s. The sound is fine, but I'd sure love to hear an SACD version of this recording.

Is there anything to add...?.......2003-09-26

Is there anything to add to the string of glowing reviews of this CD? Perhaps not but I feel an obligation as it has been part of my life since I first bought it in 1967--and wore out several LP versions of it. The combination of composition, interpretation, playing, and engineering of the Barber pieces is unparalleled in my experience; each must be considered as definitive. I particularly favor the Second Essay which comes across as a major work of it era and should appear in concert more often. The contibution by Martina Arroyo is just an extra added attraction in this extended compilation. Legendary!

Average customer rating:

A chance to boycott.
Nicely done all around, but the Knoxville isn't deeply felt
The Naxos series of Barber recordings continues virtuously
A Recording Which Gives Barber His Due
A Wonderful Disc

Barber: Knoxville, Summer of 1915

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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American Classics: Barber: COMPLETE PUBLISHED SOLO PIANO MUSIC

ASIN: B0001N9ZF2
Release Date: 2004-05-18

Tracks:

Knoxville: Summer Of 1915, Op.24 - Karina Gauvin
Second Essay For Orchestra, Op.17
Third Essay For Orchestra, Op.47
Toccata Festiva, Op.36 - Thomas Trotter

Album Description

This fifth installment in Naxos's Barber series is conducted by 2003 Gramophone Artist of the Year Marin Alsop. This disc features the richly romantic Knoxville: Summer of 1915, a `lyric rhapsody' for soprano and orchestra, sung by Karina Gauvin, who has rapidly established a reputation for excellence internationally. Her charismatic performances fuse a brilliant voice, with an elegant style, and masterful interpretation. The Second Essay for Orchestra is widely regarded as the tightest, most incisive of the three compositions bearing this title; some even consider it a single movement symphony more than an essay—it is densely packed, and more happens in its scant ten minutes than in some works which sprawl for half an hour. The rarely-recorded Toccata Festiva for organ and orchestra which, with its fast, furious opening fanfare and virtuosic cadenza, is a veritable tour deforce for the soloist.

Customer Reviews:

A chance to boycott........2006-11-08

Why do you take the opportunity to boycott products and/or companies that advertise on right wing web sites. Laura Ingraham's web site led me here and now I can write a review for the product she is pushing.

Nicely done all around, but the Knoxville isn't deeply felt.......2006-06-30

It's daunting to record Barber's vocal masterpiece, 'Knoxville: Summer of 1915,' which has been superbly sung by no less than Eleasnor Steber, Leontyne Price, and Dawn Upsahw, all at the peak of their powers. Just below that peak we have redings by Sylvia McNair and Roberta Alexander. Knoxville is a work I cherish. It requires much: a luminous soprano voice, floating high notes that must appear effortless, and a deep feeling for James Agee's heartbreaking poetry, which fuses nostalgia and mysticism. In this case, Karina Gauvin has the right voice, but she tiptoes around the notes and is almost neutral in the text. Her best moments are inward, and there are quite a few of those, but she doesn't take us very far emotionally.

Marin Alsop is sympathetic to Barber's idiom, and his flowing lyricism seems well suited to a feminine perspective. Alsop is unusually soft and gentle in Knoxville. When she gets to the Second Essay, her small-scaled reading begins to lapse a bit rhythmically. The playing is lovely, but I don't hear a strong enough point of view. She is meticulous and cautious in the Third Essay. The performance that has real guts is the Toccata, one of Barber's least played pieces--orchestras don't seem to feature organ soloists anymore. But Poulenc had shown the way in modern organ concertos, and here Barber alternates his lush singing style--one of the themes even echos Knoxville--with free-form organ obligattos that Thomas Trotter plays thrillingly on an excelent instrument.

In the end, I wound up enjoying the least familiar work the most. Naxos provides wonderful sonics, and everyone is to be commended for doing Barber the service of letting us hear all his major works.

The Naxos series of Barber recordings continues virtuously.......2004-12-06

The idea of virtue, connoting an active quality of goodness, might seem oblique in connection with a music recording; but something very like virtue gathers as this regular, 16-bit CD spins merrily in my upsampled player.

Kudos to Ms. Galvin, a Canadian soprano of some reputation. I am sorry to say that I found her earlier recordings very fine, but less than consistent. One track seemed compelling to me, followed by a track or two that seemed competent and not much more. In this case of Barber's Knoxville, all hesitations and doubts must simply dissolve in the face of her superb vocalism, matched effortlessly to Barber's rather mystical setting of the famous Agee text. While the words tell us of a long-faded American tapestry of extended family, timeless childhood being, and the passing parade of changing civilization in the early twentieth century; Barber's genius is that he has the music make clear to us that this snapshot captures its time and place as variants of a universal human condition. I am reminded of the character's return to life's moments after having first settled into the empty grave's chairs playwright Thornton Wilder puts on one side of the stage, across from passing life as we typically live through it. It's all happening too fast, the character exclaims, bringing home to us the ineffable poignancy of our having lived so much that we cannot capture the first time around, nor recapture in memory or nostalgia or recollection. This music is dangerous repertoire, insofar as it asks us as audience members to remember that we do not live so long, nor so fully on this earth, regardless of how many years we do live. In less than expert hands, this piece can turn pale and maudlin, rather than - as here sung by Ms. Gauvin - poised and elegant and wise with melancholy acceptance.
Based on this CD, it is safe to conclude that Ms. Gauvin has matured into consistency of being in command of her considerable resources.

The remainder of the CD only makes inescapably clear how well the entire series is being steered and helmed by Marin Alsop. Typically, she has been offered the Bournemouth Symphony in England, by an orchestra administration who surely know a gifted conductor when they hear one, even if she is a woman. Thank you, Antonia Brico. (First woman to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, among other things, in 1930's.) The late Walter Legge is supposed to have said that he knew he was hearing a great conductor when somebody could take a sixth rate orchestra and get them to play like a second rate band.

So far, none of the orchestras that have been privileged to play under Marin Alsop have been in the world's famous top ten; but when you hear these performances, you find yourself thinking that maybe a whole lot of very fine music is going on the world, aside from marketing cache or brand-name recognition. The Scottish RNO has been a good orchestra for some time now; so the Barber series has been continuing at a very high level, indeed, especially when you consider that Naxos is a budget label by design. Here we have absolutely nothing of the old 101 strings; or the east European radio orchestra scratch.

One is grateful to the series, if for nothing else than so eloquently demonstrating to us that there is more to the music of Samuel Barber than his reputation as a slightly dotty old-uncle of a past American master allows. To classify him as an American romantic composer is fine, so long as you know the difference between sappy-fizzy romantic bar drinks with parasols from Taiwan on top; and something else in American music which seems to be aging into a liquored-up strong finish with a rich, complex bouquet. Barber's harmonic and narrative directness capture something that we have come to recognize as a definitive dimension of our national identity in music. But the lyricism and the harmony are not sugar-intensive, in these performances. (Just right, this disc.)

Marin Alsop and the RNSO reminds us in the second and third essays for orchestra that Barber could and often did say more in ten or fifteen minutes, than some blustery composers seem to say in thirty or forty-five. There is an almost late-Sibelius concision of evolution at work here, with a surprising sense that tonality is not the placid glass surface that many who don't listen too closely might assume it to be.

Finally, we get the little-played Toccata for organ and orchestra, written to show off the Philadephia Orchestra's new organ, a gift of philanthropic Mary Zimbalist. If you like the organ mix with orchestra, this will tickly your fancy. It is played deftly and with musical imagination by Thomas Trotter in the lofts.

If you don't know Barber, this is a rewarding place to start. If you have been collecting the Barber Naxos series previously, then take heart, this one is another keeper. Five stars, not that distantly shining, almost right above us on a very, very clear night.

A Recording Which Gives Barber His Due.......2004-07-14

For about two months now, this recording of Barber's works has appeared every time I log on to Amazon.com suggesting I purchase it, so I decided to take a chance. As is so often the case with Naxos recordings, it was worth the gamble.

Most people who purchase the recording are more than likely purchasing it for the collections best known piece KNOXVILLE: SUMMER OF 1915. The work was commissioned by the soprano Eleanor Steber in the late 1940's, composed by one of the great contemporary composers of the time with words from the poem by James Agee, and premiered by the Boston Symphony Orchestra by the great Serge Koussevitzky. With such a background, could the work be anything but destined for greatness? As other reviewers have noted, the work is a favorite of sopranos such as Steber and Leontyne Price and there are other wonderful recordings of the work. While I agree that sopranos such as Price and Steber have masterfully performed and recorded the work, Karina Gauvin's performance is also worth noting. Perhaps because her voice is not as powerful as many of her predecessors, she is able to give the work a simpler rendition which would be in keeping with Knoxville, Tennessee in the early part of the last century. It is difficult to understand what she is singing at times, but the recording ahs the words in the liner notes, and the diction problems seem to fade with familiarity.

The SECOND ESSAY FOR ORCHESTRA, the THIRD ESSAY FOR ORCHESTRA, and the TOCCATA FESTIVA are lesser known Barber works but demonstrate his tremendous musical gifts. The SECOND ESSAY is a more traditionally composed piece, the THIRD is somewhat experimental. Thomas Trotter does a masterful job conducting the Royal Scottish Orchestra. The TOCCATA FESTIVA is a bold and exciting piece that would require a skilled orchestra and an organ virtuoso, and this recording contains both.

While nearly all Naxos recordings can be characterized by quality and price, this collection deserves a special place in its catalog.

A Wonderful Disc.......2004-06-17

Once again, Naxos has come up with a superb disc in their Samuel Barber series. I have heard several recordings of Knoxville: Summer of 1915 and this new one succeeds perfectly in capturing the lyricism and mood of the music. The soprano, Karina Gauvin, sings with great feeling, capturing every nuance of James Agee's words. Her voice reminds me of Eleanor Steber, who commissioned this piece, and with the beautiful singing and orchestral playing, this recording of Knoxville is one of the best available. For me, however, the very best Knoxville remains the Leontyne Price recording with Thomas Schippers. There is a hard-to-define quality in Ms. Price's voice that conveys the feeling that she has lived what she is singing about.

This CD also holds the Second and Third Essay for Orchestra, and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra beautifully plays both. The Second Essay was commissioned by Bruno Walter in 1942 and is, like his First Symphony, a compact work with enough musical ideas for a longer work. It is good to see the Third Essay, the least recorded of this form, coupled with the Second. The Third Essay, from 1976, is dominated by the opening theme imaginatively scored for percussion instruments. Like the earlier Essays, the third has an abundance of musical ides and moments of beautiful lyricism with an underlying melancholia. An even rarer work of Barber's in the Toccata Festiva for orchestra and organ, written when Mary Zimbalist, a wealthy patron of music, offered to buy a new pipe organ for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Barber was offered a commission by Eugene Ormandy for the Toccata. The work is a miniature concerto for organ with virtuoso playing required from the soloist. The orchestra has a magnificent accompanying role with music written not as a backdrop for the organ but with beautiful long passages that make it a partner in the performance.

This is a very rewarding disc wonderfully conducted by Marin Alsop, who has become the leading Barber proponent with this 5th disc of his music.

Bernstein: Serenade, Facsimile, Divertimento
Average customer rating:

Outstanding Bernstein

Spotlight on Three Exhilarating Bernstein Works Impeccably Performed

Bernstein: Serenade, Facsimile, Divertimento

Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Dybbuk; Fancy Free (complete ballets)

ASIN: B000BK53HY
Release Date: 2005-11-15

Tracks:

I. Phaedrus: Pausanias (Lento: Allegro)
II. Aristophanes (Allegretto)
III. Erixymachos (Presto)
IV. Agathon (Adagio)
V. Socretes: Alcibiades (Molto Tenuto: Allegro Molto Vivace)
Facsimile: Choreographic Essay For Orchestra
I. Sennets And Tuckets (Allegro Non Troppo, Ma Con Brio)
II. Waltz (Allegretto, Con Grazia)
III. Mazurka (Mesto)
IV. Samba (Allegro Giusto)
V. Turkey Trot (Allegretto, Ben Misurato)
VI. Sphinxes (Adagio Lugubre)
VII. Blues (Slow Blues Tempo)
VII. In Memoriam: March; 'The BSO Forever'

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Bernstein.......2006-04-22

This is a fabulous disc of Leonard Bernstein's music conducted by his prot?g? Marin Alsop. The opening work is the Serenade inspired by Plato's Symposium, with the solo violin nicely played by Philippe Quint. The Serenade, composed in 1954, was a favorite work of the composer and it is filled with some of his most beautiful music. The melody from the Phaedrus (first) movement was reworked as the Marie theme in West Side Story. Each movement of the Serenade captures the mood of the dialogue of Plato as each member of the dinner party speaks on the subject of love. The most innovative of the movements is the last where Socrates is speaking and is interrupted by the boisterous Alcibiates, when the serious mood is exploded with jazz rhythms.

The Divertimento was among Bernstein's final works and was written for the centennial of the Boston Symphony. It is cast in 8 short movements (Sennets and Tuckets, Waltz, Mazurka, Samba, Turkey Trot, Sphinxes, Blues, In Memoriam: March; "The BSO Forever") and contains many musical puns and illusions to the music of other composers and is a light-hearted tribute to the orchestra with whom Bernstein had his longest association. Sennets and Tuckets is a series of fanfares and music from Fancy Free and West Side Story occurs in the Samba and Turkey Trot. The Sphinxes movement is an illusion to 12-tone music, the nose-thumbing music from Strauss' Till Eulenspiegel can be heard and the concluding march is a parody of Sousa's Stars and Stripes Forever. The music is a lighthearted and amusing tribute to a great orchestra.

Facsimile was written for Jerome Robbins and has as its theme the search for meaning in the spiritual wasteland following World War Two world, a common there in Leonard Bernstein's music. The ballet follows three characters, a woman and two men, as the men vie for the attention of the woman ending in frustration for all. The scenario aside, the music beings quietly and slowly builds becoming more dramatic and making use of some colorful melodies. I find some of the music reminiscent of the ballet music from West Side Story. The performances recorded here by the Bournemouth Symphony are fabulous. If you have an interest in the music of Leonard Bernstein this disc should be in your collection.

Spotlight on Three Exhilarating Bernstein Works Impeccably Performed.......2006-01-04

The stunning drama of Leonard Bernstein's music comes to full light under his protege Marin Alsop's direction in superlative interpretations of three of his lesser known works. The first, "Serenade (after Plato's "Symposium") for Solo Violin, Strings, Harp and Percussion", is an unequivocal masterwork composed in 1954 and perhaps Bernstein's best classical work. In five movements over thirty-one minutes, the music purportedly depicts a dialogue between Socrates and his followers concerning the nature of love in all its dimensions - comic, ethereal, purely scientific, rapturous and all-powerful. Conducting the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Alsop captures all these feelings with flair and precision, in particular, the pastoral quality of the first and fourth movements, "Aristophanes (Allegretto)" and "Agathon (Adagio)" and the majesty he builds with furious texture on the last movement, "Socrates- Alcibiades (Molto tenuto: Allegro molto vivace)". The dexterous violin soloist, Phillippe Quint, acts as the musical speaker of the unspoken prose, and he skillfully maneuvers through the challenging work with sinuous power and unobtrusive subtlety.

The 1946 centerpiece, "Facsimile (Choreographic Essay for Orchestra)", overcomes its pretentious title by fluently expressing the melodrama around the ennui felt by post-WWII men and women looking for spiritual fulfillment. Echoes of the far more famous "Fancy Free" ballet can be heard throughout this eighteen-minute work, especially in the unexpected piano solo in the middle portion. The net effect is lovely though a touch erratic in the diverse rhythms presented in the piece. Bernstein wrote the last piece, "Divertimento", late in his career in 1980, and it is a vivid reminder of his virtuosity even though the eight brief movements move by almost too quickly with each displaying individual rhythmic patterns that seem to sum up all the styles he has developed over his career. You can also hear his influences throughout, for example, Mahler in the third movement and Copland in the fifth. It ends humorously with a flourish of Sousa-style bandstand music. Clearly Bernstein's compositional output has been wildly variable with his most famous works like "On the Town" and "West Side Story" receiving the most attention (and consequently the most recordings), but I'm happy Naxos has made these three works available to a new generation of listeners at their typical bargain price.

Bernstein Century - Bernstein: Trouble In Tahiti, Facsimile / Bernstein, New York Philharmonic

Average customer rating:

A great find for anyone who loves Bernstein's musicals
Wow! That's good!
A fantastic recording of an unfortunately overlooked piece

Bernstein Century - Bernstein: Trouble In Tahiti, Facsimile / Bernstein, New York Philharmonic
Nancy Williams
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Trouble in Tahiti
American Masters: Harris, Thompson, Diamond

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Release Date: 1999-03-16

Tracks:

Trouble In Tahiti: Prelude
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene I (Breakfast In The Little White Dream-House) - 'How Could You Say'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene II (Sam's Office) - 'Yes? Oh, Mister Patridge'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene III (Psychiatrist's Office) - Ila (Sam's Office) - 'I Was Standing In A Garden'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene Illa (Psychiatrist's Office) - 'Then Desire Took Hold Inside Me'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene IV (Meeting In The Street) - 'Well, Of All People' 'I'm On My Way'
Trouble In Tahiti: Interlude - 'Skid A Lit Day'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene V (The Gymnasium) - 'There's A Low'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene VI (The Hat Shop) - 'What A Movie'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene Vla (Coming Home) - 'There's A Law'
Trouble In Tahiti: Scene VII (After Dinner) 'Evenin' Shadows'
Facsimile: Part I: Motlo Adagio - Piu Andante - Moderate Waltz - Tempo - Sostenuto assai - accelerando - a tempo
Facsimile: Part II: Allegretto - Subito Allegro - Piu mosso - Andante - Meno mosso - rallentando - Adagio - Molto - Et Al

Amazon.com

An abiding ambition of Leonard Bernstein as composer was to write the Great American Opera. Indeed his own recordings of West Side Story and Candide in the last decade of his life, with their rosters of high-caliber singers, were intended in part to display the larger, quasi-operatic scope of these works. And right from the start, Bernstein's savvy instinct was to create a musical language that would integrate lively vernacular American idioms, as his early one-act opera Trouble in Tahiti (1952) demonstrates. This biting satire--to the composer's own libretto--of a marriage falling to pieces against the backdrop of the vacuous suburban life promulgated by '50s advertisements is little more than a series of vignettes. But the compact score is exuberantly inventive and wide ranging, from its parody of AM radio jingles-cum-Greek chorus to its wistfully lyrical depiction of a faded love. In this reissue of a recording made in 1973, Bernstein emphasizes the jazzy, rhythmic swing of the former--with its fascinating anticipations of West Side Story--as well as the poignant oasis of yearning melody in Dinah's scene at the psychiatrist's office, which would serve as the kernel for his later full-length opera on the same characters, A Quiet Place. Nancy Williams brings to life a convincingly vulnerable Dinah, and Julian Patrick's bass-baritone booms with just the right attitude of defensive machismo in Sam's gym scene "There's a law." The disc also includes the short 1946 "choreographic essay" Facsimile. This is the composer in his "age of anxiety" mode; its hauntingly scored depiction of loneliness at the core makes an excellent companion piece. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews:

A great find for anyone who loves Bernstein's musicals.......2005-10-17

By 1952 Leonard Bernstein had already finished a triumphant decade. His Sym. #1 had won the Pulitzer Prize, he had made a spectcular debut with the NY Phil., his ballet Fancy Free and the spin-off musical derived form it, On the Town, were smash hits. So the amazon reviewer isn't on the mark to call Trouble in Tahiti an early piece, nor is he right to say that Bernstein had a lifelong ambition to write the great American opera.

Trouble in Tahiti is jazzy and colloquial, its melodies and rhythms familiar to anyone who knows Bernstein's musc from the Forties, or the musical Wonderful Town that would follow it the next year. The work is operatic only in the sense that the voices of the two leads are more operatic than Broadway, but not by much. The trio that serves as Greek chorus sings in a parodistic pop style, half Andrews Sisters, half Manhattan Transfer.

The libretto is a bit embarrassing in its soap-opera simplicity, but in this case "dated" is a synonym for nostalgic--the score is full of tunes that evoke the immediate post-war period. The jazzy ballet filler, Facsimile, is just as winning. There was a classic performance in mono with Beverly Wolff in the lead that collectors prize, but this later stereo remake is almost as good. I've loved this minor work since I saw a college production in 1965 and return to it whenever I want to rekindle fond memories.

Wow! That's good!.......2000-05-08

The title should speak for itself. I don't just give out 4s and 5s to most any CD. I expect much and I got much from this CD. This is one of the most passionate and moving pieces of music I have ever allowed to try the test of my ear and emotions. The vocalists are wonderful. The climax is a work of art. The finale to the first half of this work is tear jerking. The opera deals with a married couple who are in the pits of their marriage. And unlike many people today, this couple wants to fix the marriage. It was very clever how Bernstein had them go through the entire opera with just the two of them as characters. The jazz trio adds a lot to the mood, beginning, and 'intermission'. The opera was so great I spent so long on the internet trying to find the sequel, Quiet Place, which is on here but is sold out. I wrote the internet address of the company who has it in my review of the CD here since I just know you will love this music. I'm so attached to Trouble in Tahiti I have not even really listened to the other work on the CD.

A fantastic recording of an unfortunately overlooked piece.......2000-01-27

Leonard Bernstein was far more prolific than most people know; many think of him only in connection with West Side Story and On the Waterfront. Trouble in Tahiti, one of his earliest works, deserves a place among his better-known work. Although an opera, it never leans on recitative or pretentious bellowing. There is an amazing diversity in the score; one number is a swingy, scat-filled trio, another an aria of haunting beauty, another a hilarious evocation of escapist cinema. The liner notes excellently compare it with a Mahler symphony in the way it juxtaposes such different moods to such great effect. The libretto may seem to some a bit naive, but it is amazing to see the way Bernstein destroyed 1950's cliches of happy family life before they were even cliches! The cast is perfect: Julian Parick has the perfect resonant voice and arrogance; Nancy Williams switches from anger to wistful despair to high comedy with remarkable facility; and the trio is wonderful, especially the ethereal-voiced Antonia Butler. Facsimile, a "choreographic essay" on virtually the same subject (isolation and broken relationships) is truly an excellent companion. A great CD.

Average customer rating:

Sousa for Orchestra

Manufacturer: Essay
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000082T
Release Date: 1993-09-17

Tracks:

The Dwellers In The Western World: The Red Man
The Dwellers In The Western World: The White Man
The Dwellers In The Western World: The Black Man
Three Quotations: The King Of France
Three Quotations: I, Too, Was Born In Arcadia
Three Quotations: In Darkest Africa
'Teddy And Alice'-Songs From The Musical: Make This A House - Gordon Stanley/Members Of The Taghkanic Chorale/Dennis Keene
'Teddy And Alice'-Songs From The Musical: But Not Right Now - Meg Bussert
'Teddy And Alice'-Songs From The Musical: Can I Let Her Go - Gordon Stanley
'Teddy And Alice'-Songs From The Musical: Fourth Of July - Meg Bussert
'Teddy And Alice'-Songs From The Musical: Nothing To Lose But Me - Meg Bussert/Ron Raines
'Teddy And Alice'-Songs From The Musical: Wave The Flag - Gordon Stanley/Members Of The Taghkanic Chorale/Dennis Keene

Average customer rating:

Greatest Hits for String Quartet

Manufacturer: Essay
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quintets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000083L
Release Date: 1994-01-28

Tracks:

Str Qt in F, Op.3, No.5: Andante Cantabile
Str Qt in D, Op.76, No.5: Finale - Presto
Str Qt in E, Op.13, No.5: Minuetto (Con Un Poco Di Moto)
Cl Qnt in A, K.581: Larghetto
Gtr Qnt in D, G.448: Fandango
Str Qt No.13 in a, Op.29, D.804: Andante
Str Qt No.3 in D, Op.44, No.1: Andante Espressivo Ma Con Moto
Str Qt No.2 in D: Nocturne - Andante
Str Qt No.1 in D, Op.11: Andante Cantabile
Str Qt No.12 in F, Op.96, 'American': Finale - Vivace Ma Non Troppo
Str Qt No.9 in E Flat, Op.117: Allegretto

Art of Eugene Ormandy - Orchestral works including: Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 21 in F sharp minor, Op. 51 / R. Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica / Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E flat major - Part 1 (2 CDs)

Average customer rating:

Art of Eugene Ormandy - Orchestral works including: Myaskovsky: Symphony No. 21 in F sharp minor, Op. 51 / R. Strauss: Sinfonia Domestica / Mahler: Symphony No. 8 in E flat major - Part 1 (2 CDs)

Manufacturer: Biddulph Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00003XAV6
Release Date: 2000-01-25

Tracks:

Le Coq D'or: Hymn To The Sun - Eugene Ormandy/William Axt
Sadko: Song Of India - Eugene Ormandy/William Axt
Mlle. Modiste: Kiss Me Again - Eugene Ormandy/William Axt
Souvenir - Eugene Ormandy/Stephanie Goldner
Humoresque - Eugene Ormandy/Stephanie Goldner
Hungarian Dance No.2 in d - Eugene Ormandy And His Salon Orch
Southern Rhap - Eugene Ormandy And His Salon Orch
Was It A Dream? - Smith Ballew/Hal Kemp/Nye Mayhew/Saxy Dowell/Skinny Ennis
Chor And Fugue in d, Op.4 - Eugene Ormandy/Minneapolis SO
Hungarian Caprice - Ray Fitch
The Pleasure Dome Of Kubla Khan, Op.8 - Eugene Ormandy/Minneapolis SO
When Johnny Comes Marching Home (An American Ov) - Eugene Ormandy/Minneapolis SO
Essay No.1 For Orch, Op.12 - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Amelia Goes To The Ball: Ov - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch

Tracks:

Sym No.21 in f#, Op.51 - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Sinf Domestica, Op.53: I. Bewegt - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Sinf Domestica, Op.53: II. Scherzo - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Sinf Domestica, Op.53: III. Wiegenlied - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Sinf Domestica, Op.53: IV. Adagio - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Sinf Domestica, Op.53: V. Finale - Eugene Ormandy/Philadelphia Orch
Sym No.8, Part I (Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus): Veni, Creator Spiritus - Greater Los Angeles Chor/Hugo Strelitzer
Sym No.8, Part I (Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus): Imple Superna Gratia - Frances Yeend/Charles Kullman/Olive Mae Beech/Eula Beal/Suzanne Coray/Mack Harrell/George London...
Sym No.8, Part I (Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus): Infirma Nostri Corporis - Greater Los Angeles Chor/Hugo Strelitzer/Frances Yeend/Olive Mae Beech/Eula Beal/Suzanne Coray...
Sym No.8, Part I (Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus): Accende Lumen Sensibus - Frances Yeend/Olive Mae Beech/Eula Beal/Suzanne Coray/Charles Kullman/Mack Harrell/George London...
Sym No.8, Part I (Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus): (Veni, Creator Spiritus) - Olive Mae Beech/Eula Beal/Suzanne Coray/Charles Kullman/Mack Harrell/George London/Boys Chor...
Sym No.8, Part I (Hymnus: Veni, Creator Spiritus): Gloria Patri Domino - Boys Chor/Roger Wagner/Frances Yeend/Olive Mae Beech/Eula Beal/Suzanne Coray/Charles Kullman...