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Well, hang on just one second: there's pedigree here, if you choose to look for it. A previous Principal Conductor, the American Andrew Litton, taught this orchestra to swing in a variety of works from Gershwin to Bernstein and Copland, raising standards as well as taking the orchestra touring back home in the States.
Marin Alsop goes one better: she was a Bernstein pupil, and in fact it was Bernstein who made her want to be a conductor in the first place, falling under his spell when her father took her as a nine-year-old to hear Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic. And that's her other advantage: Alsop is a native New Yorker, so when Bernstein depicts the exuberance of Times Square in the mid-40s in his first musical On the Town, she really knows the territory. The same holds true of the Symphonic Suite from Lenny's score for On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan's 1954 film exposing the corruption of the mafia-controlled dockyards - this is the dark side of the city, and Alsop and her Bournemouth band capture it as surely and atmospherically as they do the glitzy exuberance of On the Town...it reeks of adrenaline, and brutal oppression.
The main work though is Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, just about the most tonally optimistic work he composed, and in the simplicity and sentimentality of the Hebrew psalm settings, one of his most approachable yet still exhilarating scores. You need an excellent treble soloist, and Thomas Kelly is just that. Perhaps the singers, chorus and soloists, sound a bit British...just a touch restrained where you'd expect an American choir to let it all hang out, but the orchestra has a riot, and it's a very well-held recording: oomph plus air.
It may be cheap, it may have been recorded this side of the Atlantic, but it never shows. This really is bargain Bernstein; his pupil's done him proud.
Like This? Try These:
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John Adams: El Niño --Andrew McGregor
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Customer Reviews
The next part of the Disc sandwiches a piece with an English connection with the Chichester Psalms before going back to a New York setting with the final pieces. This second work is Chichester Psalms. It is a composition that was originally commissioned in 1965 by the Dean of Chichester. He wanted something for the combined choirs of Winchester, Salisbury and Chichester cathedrals for an annual summer music festival. Having written to the American composer Bernstein he did not have to wait too long as work began straight away in New York.
It is interesting that Bernstein experimented with twelve tone composition but decided against the strict orthodoxy. Instead we get a harmonic simplicity with universal text.
It is scored for mixed choir, boy solo, strings, three trumpets, three trombones, two harps and percussion. There are three movements. The first begins with Psalm 108 (Awake, psaltery and harp! I will arouse the dawn) and ends with Psalm 100 (make a joyful noise unto the Lord all ye lands) There is added percussion. Movement number two contains Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepard) and features the two harps. Suddenly the orchestra becomes frenzied and the choir shout "why do the nations rage" This has echoes of the style of West Side Story in its confrontational setting. The final movement begins with a wonderful rippling effect that develops into an impressionistic nature.
The final part of this interesting Disc is "On the Town". This brings us back to New York with three parts of music from the story of three sailors who each experience a different story whilst on shore in New York.
This has three dance episodes from "On the Town" a musical that Bernstein created for stage and went on to be a film. It was the first Musical from a symphonic composer and the first show to be bought by a film company for movie adaptation.
This Concert arrangement in three dances starts with "The great lover" and has a jazzy mood. The second "The lonely town" is a memorable Bernstein melody and the final part "Times Square" has a lively swing influence.
The whole disc is expertly handled by The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra with Marin Alsop. The recording is digital from 2005 and the sound is excellently balanced.
I have to say that this is a major release with an exciting programme of compositions and it really has an empowered performance that is admirable and strong. A very enjoyable release.
The Chichester Psalms alone are good value, but the other tracks of Bernstein's music played admirably by the Bournmouth Symphony Orchestra are all excellent.
Buy it.
"The work was commissioned for the 1965 Southern Cathedrals' Festival at Chichester Cathedral by the cathedral's organist, John Birch, and the Dean, Walter Hussey. However, the world premiere took place in the Philharmonic Hall, New York on July 15, 1965 with the composer conducting, followed by the performance in the Chichester Festival on July 31, conducted by John Birch." Source: Wikipedia
This CD is a Naxos production and, in addition to a complete performance of the "Psalms", there is "One the Waterfront" and "On the Town". Naxos is an excellent, reasonably priced series and I recommend it as I recommend this CD. Alsop, the choirs and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra do Bernstein proud.
Buy it, especially at this sensible price.
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