March 28, 2018

  • Bernstein from Liverpool

     Bernstein: On the Waterfront; Music

    Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Christian Lindberg
    BIS 2278
    Total Time:  62:30
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

     

    Americans tend to think of their homegrown composers as being something only their orchestras and conductors can interpret correctly.  Over the years, American 20th-Century music has made its way across both oceans as certain composers and works begin to filter into the standard repertoire of European orchestras.  When it comes to the music of Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) it becomes even more difficult.  For those who grew up with Bernstein’s own recordings of his music with the New York Philharmonic, there are no better readings of the music to be had.  But, it can be interesting to hear the interpretations of the composer/conductor by others to see what other nuances might be there beyond the ones most of us have become too comfortable with over the years.  From BIS then we have this sonic surround stereo release conducted by Christian Lindberg.  The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the UK’s oldest professional symphony, has a long history of recordings from a wide range of styles and periods.  Here they explore these classic Bernstein pieces in a rich release that is almost identical to Bernstein’s own pairings.

    The Candide Overture is one of the classic works and is often used as a virtuoso showpiece for the orchestra.  That is the case here with a crisp tempo that breezes along.  The recording detail brings out all those delicious woodwind solos cutting through in this great sonic picture.  This will be equally important as we head into the “Symphonic Dances” from West Side Story.  Lindberg’s tempi move through these familiar musical traversals of jazz and Latin rhythms seamlessly.  The jazzier sections have good rhythmic precision that works very well to cut through the larger orchestral moments.  The lyrical sections have their own innate beauty and are equally gorgeous here.  This is a very precise and polished performance that some might feel is a bit clinical at times and needs more emotional intensity.  That said, the overall sound quality of the performance allows for some of Bernstein’s colors to pop even more.  The overall performance takes about a minute longer than Bernstein’s.  Lindberg’s got a great orchestra responding well to him here and the final moments of this work are among the highlights of the release, though perhaps we want the final bars to linger just a tad more.  This then is a solid performance, though Keith Lockhart’s on Reference tends to rollick a bit more.  However, both are excellent performances and pairing may be the key if you must have only one.

    Bernstein’s amazing score for On the Waterfront is sandwiched between music from a ballet and Broadway show.  The first of these are “Three Dance Variations” from Fancy Free (1944).  Bernstein used this sixth segment from the ballet as a concert work which explores three unique dance rhythms from a “Galop” to a seductive “Waltz” and Cuban “Danzon”.  The music has one foot in 20th-Century ballet a la Les Six with touches of Stravinsky. Having them here allows for great immediate comparison musically and structurally to Bernstein’s own “Three Dance Episodes” from On the Town (1946).  Here is one of the composer’s great scores emphasizing his own love affair with New York City in this popular work.  Here it makes for a celebratory encore to a full program.

    If one has not experienced the power of Bernstein’s film score for On the Waterfront it is certainly worth the effort.  More recently the complete score was given a special limited edition release. It makes the “Symphonic Suite” an interesting tone poem of sorts that explores themes of a hero’s quest for justice.  The music is mostly from the opening segments of the film.  This is one of the composer’s more powerful works on the more “mainstream” popular side of his output.  The one thing Lindberg has going for him here is that BIS has seen fit to give each section a track number.  This will allow for later direct reflection on specific moments in the score.  The performance here is admittedly rather intense.  The agitato section swirls with its own sense of disarray and frustration and is followed by the emotionally-charged “Andante largamente” section which comes across with great power.  One might say this of Lindberg’s interpretation overall.  It is full of these moments when the attention to the detail of the orchestra and its specific colors has this equally intense emotional connection to the music that begins to transcend the material.  It makes this waterfront one that listeners will want to revisit.

    As we are in the midst of the Bernstein Centenary celebrations one might expect many more releases of this music from both sides of the Atlantic.  Lindberg’s gets a running start and has a great deal going for it both sonically and in the detailed performances.  The sound here is among the best aspects of the release which allows for these details to shine.  There are plenty of places where diehard Bernstein fans will always prefer the maestro’s own interpretations, but if one leaves some wiggle room, this release deserves some space to breathe life into these familiar and popular works.