From Amazon.co.uk
Inspirational music-making from Lenny and his West-coast forces. In many respects, no other modern version of the popular 1945 concert suite that Copland drew from his ballet
Appalachian Spring (one of the quintessential cornerstones of American music) comes within hailing distance of this 1982 concert performance (taped, like all three works here, within the accommodating acoustic of San Francisco's Davies Symphony Hall). Bernstein's acutely perceptive reading has it all--tremendous emotional thrust, gleeful rhythmic spring and truly memorable serenity--and the mighty climactic pronouncement of the Shaker tune "The Gift to be Simple" is just overwhelming in its sense of cumulative exultation. The tingles spill over into the daringly spacious yet extraordinarily intense account of Barber's unforgettable
Adagio, where the strings of the Los Angeles Philharmonic surpass themselves in the radiant poise and burning ardour of their contribution. Bernstein's earlier
Rhapsody in Blue (now on Sony) had oodles of charisma, but this remake surpasses it in jaw-dropping cheek and go-for-broke abandon. Close-set, beefy sound, yet agreeably atmospheric too. Comparatively short measure, yes, but this remains a marvellous mid-priced collection, it's just a shame there isn't more of it.
--Andrew Achenbach
