Bernstein Dances: Ballet Revue by John Neumeier
Price: $6.61
Bernstein Dances: Ballet Revue by John Neumeier
-
Archives
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- June 2008
- March 2008
- September 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
-
Meta
Bernstein basically spent half his recording life at Clumbia, now Sony, and the other half at DG. Although the composer’s Columbia years produced his best work as conductor of his own music, DG has triumphed with a greatest hits’greatest bits anthology. Everything on here has been well chosen and paced in such a way that you can listen form beginning to end and feel that you’ve been enriched.
This 2 CD set includes a wide variety of Bernstein music, many or all taken from other CDs and put together for a Ballet Revue by John Neumeier. You will be taken from Maestro Bernstein’s light-hearted work to the more serious compositions. Truly a “full Bernstein” collection although one could wish for something from Chichester Psalms. There are so many wonderful numbers included on this 2 CD set, that I would recommend it with one major caution. I felt that the rendition of “A Simple Song” by Cheryl Studer was abrasive and not at all like the beautiful song that it should be. Still, I had not heard Bernstein’s “Anniversaries” (works for piano played by Sebastian Knauer, apparently written for various people… alas, the notes don’t fill me in on these!) and they are little gems, the musical theater selections were pure Bernstein (and showed a bit of where Sondheim came from). Judy Blazer is a delight, Roberta Alexander sounds lovely, and Gidon Kremer, performing in the Serenade after Plato’s Symposium was quite enjoyable. My only big disappointment aside from the Studer song is that there is no video (to my knowledge) of this dance performance.