Leonard Bernstein
Garth Edwin Sunderland’s new chamber adaptation of this opera’s score, is, to date, the Bernstein Centennial Year’s best and most important recording.
The BLO’s production was one of the troupe’s true staging triumphs of late, transforming the Steriti Ice Rink into a 1950s-style nightclub.
Peter Oundjian and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra deliver a great album, smartly programmed and played to the hilt. Leonard Bernstein’s live Mahler was often electrifying; this performance, even with some cracked notes and hairy transitions, certainly is.
This symphony is the finest synthesis of Leonard Bernstein’s considerable theatrical instincts within a concert framework, idiosyncratic and singular.
Pražák Quartet’s Smetana is keeper, Sir Simon Rattle’s Haydn is a loser, and Lindberg’s “On the Waterfront” is a knockout.
Violinist Michael Barenboim is an exceptional young musician with a famous name who stands on his own two feet.
Leann Osterkamp’s playing is rhythmically alive and sympathetic to Leonard Bernstein’s style; Seong-Jin Cho shows that he is an important pianist to watch.
On the whole, this BSO Opening Night was a welcome overview Leonard Bernstein’s larger output and of his versatility as a composer.
If there’s an essential “Leonard Bernstein at 100” album, this one, so far, is it: excellent performances of relatively unknown music deserving to be heard.
An early highlight of the upcoming Leonard Bernstein centennial is Sony Classical’s 25-disc box set.
Classical Music Commentary: What’s Next for the Boston Symphony? — Lessons from the Past