- Audio CD (6 Oct 1997)
- Number of Discs: 1
- Label: Sony Music Classical
- ASIN: B0000029XI
- Other Editions: MP3 Download
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 216,825 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
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Product details |
Track Listings
| 1. Symphonic Dances from West Side Story | |||
| 2. Symphonic Suite from the Film On The Waterfront | |||
| 3. Fancy Free Ballet | |||
| 4. Allegro molto con brio from Overture to Candide | |||
| 5. Prologue. Allegro moderato | |||
| 6. Somewhere. Adagio | |||
| 7. Scherzo. Vivace leggiero | |||
| 8. Mambo. Presto | |||
| 9. "Cha-Cha (""Maria""). Andantino con grazia" | |||
| 10. Meeting Scene. Meno mosso | |||
| 11. Cool Fugue. Allegretto | |||
| 12. Rumble. Molto allegro | |||
| 13. Finale. Adagio | |||
| 14. Andante (with dignity) ù Presto barbaro | |||
| 15. Adagio ù Allegro molto agitato ù Alla breve (Poco pi? mosso) ù Presto come prima | |||
| 16. Andante largamente ù More flowing ù Still more flowing ù Poco meno mosso ù Lento | |||
| 17. "Moving forward, with warmth ù Largamente ù a tempo ù Calmato ù Andante come prima ù sempre avanti, with intensity ù Ancora pi? mosso" | |||
| 18. "Allegro non troppo, molto marcato ù Poco pi? sostenuto ù Moving forward ù Meno mosso" | |||
| 19. A tempo | |||
| 20. I. Enter three Sailors | |||
See all 28 tracks on this disc
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Fancy Free provided Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolf Green with the inspiration for the his hit musical On the Town. The ballet describes the adventures of three sailors on 24-hour shore leave in New York City, and does so with music typically jazzy and popular in style. Coupled with the marvelous dance music from West Side Story and the suite from Bernstein's only film score, On the Waterfront, this disc should quickly become the cornerstone of any Bernstein collection. One of the problems Bernstein's music has faced both on disc and in public performance arises from the simple fact that no one played it better than he did. As you can hear for yourself, he's a tough, but perhaps not completely impossible, act to follow. --David Hurwitz
From Amazon.com
This release comes from Sony's immense backlog of famous recordings of Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic. In fact, these works trace the evolution of the New York Philharmonic into a world-class orchestra in the late 1950s under Bernstein's hand. At this remove in time, we can almost hear New York in these works. Bernstein deftly captures the shimmering glamour of his music, particularly in Overture to Candide and the astonishing Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. If you don't own this music--and these performances--you should. --Paul Cook
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This is great music. I've never heard his On the Waterfront before. Now I can't get it out of my head. It's so atmospheric - like Vaughan Williams' London Symphony.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
10 reviews
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
The definitive version
25 July 1999
Format:Audio CD
My initial encounter with the Candide overture was a result of my blundering into a recording of it on the radio one day. The performance turned out to be this one (the first of Bernstein's two readings of it), and having heard several other attempts at it since, I've always found this early '60s version to be the definitive edition. It's breathtakingly quick and the NYPO plays it with such panache and joie de vivre that every other recording (including LB's 1989 run-through with the London Symphony) comes off sounding stale and flat. This disc also contains Bernstein's only recording of the Symphonic Dances from WSS, and here, too, I feel that I have found my definitive reading. The "Mambo" is frenetic, the percusion riffs at the climax of "Cool" are phenomenal, and the last "I have a love..." movement is gorgeous. The score to "On the Waterfront" was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost; this music is still wonderful and very worthy to hear. "Fancy Free" was written by a 25-year old LB in 1944 and is the piece which established him as a composer. From the first four quick rim-shots to the final chords, it's the most endearing, energetic picture of on the go, wartime NY you can imagine. Once again it's the definitive recording: nobody has proven that they can top Lenny and the Philharmonic yet.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
An amazing Bernstein snapshot
25 Nov 2002
Format:Audio CD
If I had to choose five recordings to represent Leonard Bernstein at his absolute best, this would be one of them. Made in the mid-1960's, these recordings have been reissued a number of times, but never sounding as natural as they do here. They show off some of Bernstein's best work as a composer, as well as his inimitable conducting talent and legendary rapport with the New York Philharmonic during that time.
The disc opens with the rollicking overture to "Candide" - totally infectious - and although some other versions (including Bernstein's later one for Deutsche Grammophon) may be its equal, I can think of none that surpass this one in sheer excitement and precision. Ditto for the sizzling suite from "West Side Story," which will probably remain definitive for many years.
The sweeping music from the film "On the Waterfront" is stirringly conducted, and the addition of the sparkling ballet "Fancy Free" makes this disc a serious contender for many "Desert Island" lists. As for the recording itself, the 1960's sound is excellent and quite listenable. Obviously great care has been taken to preserve the original source material after all these years.
If you want to experience the Bernstein legend, this is probably an essential recording.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Terrific performances
26 Jan 2003
Format:Audio CD
I bought this CD a few years ago just to for the "Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront," which is one of my all-time favorite classic film scores. The NYPO's performance is very robust and energetic, and easily the best version available of the piece. Bernstein recorded this same piece again many years later with the Israel Philharmonic, but I found it lacking the same drive and passion as the earlier one. The NYPO really captures the mood of New York and the struggle of the dockworkers, as Bernstein envisioned for the film. And they also splendidly perform the love theme, too.
The rest of the album is also very good, but they're largely his standards that you've probably once too often. "On the Waterfront" is certainly a treat for any fan of film music from Hollywood's Golden Age. One can only imagine what it would have been like had Bernstein scored more films, but apparently the experience he had (music was cut or removed around in the film) made him think twice. But this CD is a winner.
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