Bernstein - Gershwin: An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue | Ives: Symphony No. 2

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Bernstein - Gershwin: An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue | Ives: Symphony No. 2

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Bernstein - Gershwin: An American in Paris and Rhapsody in Blue | Ives: Symphony No. 2
Classical | DVD | with complete scans (covers and book) | 7,53 Gb (DVD9) | DVD´s FULL No compression
Audio: PCM Stereo | DTS 5.1 | Relesase: November 25, 2008 | Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon

Bernstein recorded Gershwin's "American in Paris" and "Rhapsody in Blue" in the late '50s with the same NY Philharmonic playing here. That LP (later transferred to CD) was superlative in every way. In this DVD, he conducts both works in the Royal Albert Hall in London, with the same orchestra as the LP. The results are the same.

The next selection is Ives' 2nd Symphony, a favorite of mine. This time the orchestra is the Bavarian Radio Symphony of Munich. They play the music with just as much style and precision as the NY Phil. did in Bernstein's great recording of the early '60's.

The last selection is "The Unanswered Question" by Charles Ives. This somewhat strange piece is basically a nocturne that has no real ending and for that matter no real middle, since it seems to be monothematic. I have no idea why the DVD producers placed it at the end since it appears to be from the same concert as the two earlier Gershwin works.

My only qualm is the quality of the picture. It is very close to being in black and white. On the other hand, the camera work is exceptional. Unlike many classical music DVDs, the cameramen here seemed to know the music inside out. Just about every solo is perfectly highlighted.

There is only one extra but it is a great one. Prior to conducting the Ives 2nd, Maestro Bernstein gives a brief talk about the music. He gave the talk in both English and German to the same audience. His German diction sounds excellent to me. This DVD was a joy to watch.

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