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BIS

Bernstein: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2 / Lindberg, Arctic Philharmonic

$21.99

Details

Composer
BERNSTEIN, LEONARD
Artist
Larsson, Pontinen, Lindberg
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Mar 06, 2020
Catalog #
BIS-2298
UPC
7318599922980

About

At the age of 21, Leonard Bernstein wrote what he described as a ‘Hebrew song’ using a text from the Lamentations of Jeremiah. Three years later the song became the final movement of his Symphony No. 1 and in January 1944 Bernstein himself conducted the première of the work. What is being lamented is the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, but according to the composer, he primarily wanted to convey the text’s ‘emotional quality’. The first movement thus aims to parallel in feeling the intensity of the prophet’s pleas while the scherzo gives a general sense of the destruction and chaos. Being a setting of the biblical text, the third movement is naturally more literary: the cry of Jeremiah, as he mourns his beloved Jerusalem. During the next few years, Bernstein’s career as a conductor took flight, while the musical On the Town made his name on Broadway. Towards the end of the 1940s he returned to the symphonic genre, however – once more with an extra-musical inspiration. W.H. Auden’s poem The Age of Anxiety is set during the recently concluded war, and falls – like the symphony – into six sections during which four characters express their anxieties, hopes and the quest for meaning and identity. Bernstein chose to portray all four characters via a single instrument, the piano, but he did not want to label the work a piano concerto. The instrument does however come to the fore at various points and in one of the final sections Bernstein supplies what is arguably the most exuberant and rhythmically dazzling display of piano writing in the symphonic literature. For this Christian Lindberg and the Arctic Philharmonic have enlisted the aid of Roland Pöntinen, while Anna Larsson is the soloist in Jeremiah.

Tracklist 9 tracks

  1. 1 I. Prophecy 06:32
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Prophecy
    Duration
    06:32
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  2. 2 II. Profanation 07:49
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Profanation
    Duration
    07:49
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  3. 3 III. Lamentation 09:21
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Lamentation
    Duration
    09:21
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Anna Larsson
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  4. 4 Part I: The Prologue: Lento moderato - 02:06
    Track
    4
    Title
    Part I: The Prologue: Lento moderato -
    Duration
    02:06
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Roland Pöntinen
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  5. 5 Part I: The Seven Ages: Variation 1 - Variation 7 - 08:13
    Track
    5
    Title
    Part I: The Seven Ages: Variation 1 - Variation 7 -
    Duration
    08:13
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Roland Pöntinen
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  6. 6 Part I: The Seven Stages: Variation 8 - Variation 14 06:20
    Track
    6
    Title
    Part I: The Seven Stages: Variation 8 - Variation 14
    Duration
    06:20
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Roland Pöntinen
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  7. 7 Part II: The Dirge: Largo - 06:06
    Track
    7
    Title
    Part II: The Dirge: Largo -
    Duration
    06:06
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Roland Pöntinen
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  8. 8 Part II: The Masque: Extremely fast - 05:01
    Track
    8
    Title
    Part II: The Masque: Extremely fast -
    Duration
    05:01
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Roland Pöntinen
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg
  9. 9 Part II: The Epilogue: L'istesso tempo 07:17
    Track
    9
    Title
    Part II: The Epilogue: L'istesso tempo
    Duration
    07:17
    Composer
    Leonard Bernstein
    Performer
    Roland Pöntinen
    Ensemble
    Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra
    Conductor
    Christian Lindberg