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Schumann: The 4 Symphonies -
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| Leonard Bernstein was full of surprises. A conductor often accused of hopeless self-indulgence, he responded intuitively to the classical aesthetic of Haydn, and no less to the early Romantic bravado of Schumann. In fact, these symphonies have never been better played or conducted than they are here. These are performances of high passion--they're either very fast or very slow--and extraordinary color and drama. Bernstein sticks faithfully to the composer's original, thick orchestrations but makes each symphony work through playing of unflagging clarity and chamber music-like balance. That this was all done live, in performances of such wide emotional range, is amazing. But amazing was what Bernstein did best. --David Hurwitz
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Dvorak: Symphony No9; Carnival Overture Op92 -
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| This, the first of Leonard Bernstein's two recordings of this symphony, is vastly superior to his remake on DG. It's a vital, impulsive performance, with a daringly fast tempo in the Scherzo, and a very satisfying culmination in the closing pages. It's simply another reminder of what a reliable, and above all musical, conductor Bernstein was. This mid-price series, called "Bernstein Century," is a real collectors' edition. Great stuff. --David Hurwitz
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Karajan: Symphony Edition -
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| Available only as a limited edition! The definitive 38-CD set of eight great symphonic cycles from Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. At a super-budget price, this set is a perfect gift with which to begin or complete a library.
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Brahms: The Complete Symphonies / Karajan, Berlin PO -
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| These 1977-78 recordings are Karajan's best Brahms--better than his somewhat mannered digital set. The Berlin Philharmonic, as ever, is amazingly smooth and accomplished, playing with great class without losing any power--as an example, just listen to the finale of the second symphony. DG's engineers have turned this always-good recording into something truly magnificent to hear, and, at the price, this is a sure bet. --Robert Levine
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Mahler: Symphony No. 5 -
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| Mahler's Fifth was one of the pieces Leonard Bernstein owned. This interpretation is broader than the one he recorded with the New York Philharmonic in the early 1960s, but it's little changed in feeling. It is, however, far more polished and a good deal more persuasive. The recording, like all of Bernstein's later Mahler cycle, was made live; here, he and the Vienna Philharmonic give a gripping performance full of telling nuance, intensely expressive yet thoroughly controlled. It's a reading both Dionysiac and "Bachic"--as in J. S. Bach, not Bacchus--one in which the impetuous energy of the score is transmitted to the fullest degree, but not at the expense of the extraordinary (for Mahler) contrapuntal detail. Most remarkable of all, perhaps, is Bernstein's sureness of touch, his ability to realize the many little expressive gestures that no longer merely draw attention to themselves the way they used to, but add up to something miraculous. The Philharmonic players, with him all the way, contribute many wonderful touches, especially the strings. The recording, made not in Vienna but in Frankfurt's Alte Oper, is solid and has remarkable impact. While the bass is a bit diffuse and the sound stage not the clearest, the image is reasonably detailed and well balanced, the atmosphere good. --Ted Libbey
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Tchaikovsky: The Complete Symphonies -
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| 5CD Box set. Columbia Legends series.
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The Queen Symphony -
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| Tolga Kashif is a London-based composer, and for this CD he has orchestrated some of the rock group Queen's songs into a six-section symphony. The effect is definitely more classical than popular. Kashif sometimes uses almost entire songs as the basis for a section, while at other times he takes a piece of a song here, a piece of a song there. He builds on these melodies in his own symphonic voice, which is closer to the Romanticism of the Russian composers than to anyone else. Queen relied on a certain outrageousness, and merely by doing what he's done here, Kashif is sure to continue in that tradition. It's hard to tell for whom this CD is meant: Queen fans will be either delighted or horrified by "Who wants to live forever?" without either a guitar or Freddie Mercury's seductive whine; newcomers won't care much. If lush orchestral writing (and interjections, equally lush, by a chorus) is something that fascinates you, this might just work. There's nothing of "greatness" here, but it's not a bauble to be thrown away either. --Robert Levine
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Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra -
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| Throughout his career, pianist-composer Bill Evans successfully melded Bud Powell's fiery bop-paced technique with the lyricism and harmonic language of the French impressionists Ravel and Debussy. So it was only natural that he would record a session that combines the jazz and classical traditions.Released in 1965, this date features Evans's trio with drummer Larry Bunker, who, three decades later, guest-starred on Diana Krall's When I Look in Your Eyes, and the sensitive bassist Larry Bunker. They're augmented by the azure-tinged arrangements by the famed conductor Claus Ogerman, who worked his magic with artists from Antonio Carlos Jobim to Frank Sinatra. The result of this union is a swinging and seamless interplay in which improvisation becomes spontaneous composition, and vice versa. The linearity and logic of Evans's lines erase centuries of musical distance from the works of Bach, Chopin, Granados, Fauré, and Scriabin, with the trio's trademark telepathy expressed in 4/4 and 3/4 time signatures and light Latin tinges. Evans's haunting compositions, "My Bells" and "Time Remembered," imbued by Ogerman's ethereal strings, are the jewels of this delightful recording, whose brilliance has increased with time. --Eugene Holley Jr.
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Dvorak: Symphony No. 9; "From The New World" -
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| This recording by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Marin Alsop is the first of three discs of Dvo?ák symphonies taken from live performances at Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The most popular of all Dvo?ák's works, Symphony No. 9 `From the New World' makes an immediate appeal by virtue of a seemingly inexhaustible flow of melody and sparkling orchestration. Based on a melody he had composed earlier for men's chorus, I am a fiddler, the Symphonic Variations are one of the composer's most beautifully crafted and beguiling works.
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Beethoven's Wig 4: Dance Along Symphonies -
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| Boogie with Beethoven's Wig! Move to the music while delighting in zany lyrics set to classic music pieces written especially for dance. Step into a fun foundation for classical music and timeless dances that will last a lifetime. Inspired and wildly imaginative, the Beethoven's Wig series has won 40 national awards including three Grammy Award nominations. It has been featured on NPR's Morning Edition and All Things Considered and on NBC's Today Show. The CD booklet includes lyrics, trivia questions and activities. The instrumental performance of each piece is also included without lyrics. Beethoven's Wig is the classical music sensation for the whole family!
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