I had intended to review this CD together with an Alto disc of American
music for brass, played by London Symphony Brass. That seemed to make
sense, as the latter contains several Bernstein arrangements, but minutes
into this Naxos release it was clear that a separate review was required.
I’ve been astounded by the extremely high standards of US university
bands; indeed, I made the first volume of the New England Conservatory
Percussion Ensemble’s American Music for Percussion series one
of my picks of the year for 2011 (
review).
Happily, this new collection of Bernstein transcriptions from the
University of South Carolina Wind Ensemble only reinforces my admiration for
these student groups. Led by Scott Weiss, who also teaches conducting at
USC, they have made an auspicious start to what I hope will be an ongoing
project for Naxos. From the thrilling - and jaunty - JFK fanfare it’s
clear the standard of playing and recording are excellent. Not only that,
the quality of all these transcriptions is uniformly excellent.
Clare Grundman’s take on the overture to
Candide is
magical, and very faithful to the moods and colours of the original.
Intonation is rock-solid, rhythms are taut and Weiss ensures momentum and
interest never flag. As for Jay Bocook’s suite from
On the
Waterfront, it’s remarkably hard hitting, although the moodier
interludes - tr. 5, Moving forward with warmth, for instance - are just as
impressive. Goodness, what passionate music-making this is, and how
intensely focused these players are, even in the score’s wild
outbursts. The Naxos engineers have done well too, and there’s none of
the fatigue-inducing edge that so often afflicts recordings of this kind.
The oh-so-danceable rhythms of Marice Stith’s
On the
Town are pin-sharp, and the music’s jazzy underpinnings are
naturally phrased. The sometimes symphonic weight of
Lonely Town - Pas de
Deux is also well conveyed, as is the number’s more melancholic
cast.
Times Square 1944 is a riotous assembly of toe-tapping tunes
and a devil-may-care delivery that had me roaring for more. Obligingly, the
band serves up Grundman’s lovely
Divertimento, whose winsome
little
Waltz is a delight. The
Samba - with its bongos and
bass-drum sign-off - is high-revving, but it never threatens to blow a
gasket. Weiss knows just how far to push this music - and his players - yet
the music-making always comes across as fresh and spontaneous.
For those who witnessed Lenny’s unforgettable LSO concert
performance of
Candide at the Barbican all those years ago - Christa
Ludwig, with castanets, memorably OTT - these excerpts will surely induce a
rush of nostalgia. Grundman’s arrangements are exemplary, and the
anarchic wit of the originals never fails to shine through. The mighty
Auto-da-fé is a sonic
tour de force that leads into an
exhilarating rendition of
Glitter and Be Gay. Far from piling Ossa on
Pelion, these two big, consecutive numbers never overloads the listener. As
for the naïve optimism of
Let Our Garden Grow, it seldom fails
to effect me; indeed, this gloriously expansive performance moved me to
tears, as much for the sheer brilliance of these young players and their
director as for the memory of that all-round musical genius, Leonard
Bernstein.
Wind-band playing of the highest order; what a joyful noise!
Dan Morgan
http://twitter.com/mahlerei
Track listing
Fanfare No. 1 for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy (1961) (arr.
Sid Ramin) [0:42]
Candide: Overture (1956/1986) (arr. Clare Grundman) [4:51]
On the Waterfront Suite (1954/2010) (arr. Jay Bocook)
Andante (with dignity) - Presto barbaro [2:50]
Adagio - Allegro molto agitato - Alla breve (Poco piu mosso) -
Presto [4:52]
Andante largamente - More flowing - Still more flowing - Poco meno
mosso - Lento [2:21]
Moving forward, with warmth - Largamente - A tempo - Calmato -
Andante come prima - Sempre avanti, with intensity - Ancora piu mosso [4:55]
Allegro non troppo, molto marcato - Poco piu sostenuto - Moving
forward - Meno mosso [2:45]
A tempo [2:09]
On the Town: 3 Dance episodes (1945/1971) (arr. Marice Stith)
No. 1 - The Great Lover: Allegro pesante [1:59]
No. 2 - Lonely Town: Pas de Deux: Andante sostenuto [3:24]
No. 3. Times Square 1944: Allegro [5:01]
Divertimento (1980/1984) (arr. Clare Grundman)
Sennets and Tuckets: Allegro non troppo, ma con brio [1:25]
Waltz: Allegretto, con grazia [2:00]
Mazurka: Mesto [molto moderato] [1:58]
Samba: Allegro giusto [1:01]
Turkey Trot: Allegretto, ben misurato [2:09]
Sphinxes: Adagio lugubre [0:43]
Blues: Slow blues tempo [1:42]
In memoriam: March, ‘The BSO Forever’: Andante [3:59]
Candide Suite (1956/1993) (arr. Clare Grundman)
The Best of All Possible Worlds [2:02]
Westphalia Chorale and Battle Scene [1:52]
Auto-da-fé [1:59]
Glitter and Be Gay [3:07]
Make Our Garden Grow [3:36]
