Leonard Bernstein - A Total Embrace: The Composer (2003)

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was not only a brilliant conductor – having served with the New York Philharmonic for several decades beginning in 1943 – but was also recognized as one of the 20th century's most lauded composers. In that respect, few if any have contributed as significantly to classical music in the context of the American experience. It could likewise be contended that his contributions to the Broadway stage solidified the formerly intransigent chasm existing between symphonic and popular music. In honor of what would have been Bernstein's 85th birthday, Sony Music created a pair of mid-priced sets celebrating the maestro's accomplishments. A Total Embrace: The Composer (2003) offers more than three and a half hours of highlights spanning nearly a quarter-century. "The Pirate Song," featuring actor Boris Karloff and "the Pirates," is the earliest entry, dating back to the original Broadway cast recording of Peter Pan from 1950. The most recent inclusion is "The Community" from 1974's Facsimile, a "Choreographic Essay for Orchestra. The contents are divided by either "Concert Works" or "Theater Works," with the latter spread over two-thirds of the anthology. No compilation of Bernstein would be complete without copious excerpts from Candide (1956), West Side Story (1957), On the Town (1958), and Wonderful Town (1958). There is equal time devoted to his sacred works, such as the extremely controversial Mass theater piece for singers, players, and dancers, penned specifically for the opening ceremony of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C., as well as "Kaddish" Symphony No. 3, which is parenthetically dedicated "To the Beloved Memory of John F. Kennedy." One minor drawback is the lack of detail in the somewhat skimpy liner booklet. This is especially unfortunate as the primary audience for both this and the companion installment, A Total Embrace: The Conductor, is presumed to consist of novices, who would use these collections as seminal entrées into Bernstein's voluminous catalog. However, that should not discourage curious parties from adding either package to their libraries.

Track List:

CD 1
Concert Works
Chichester Psalms For Chorus And Orchestra
1-1 I. Psalm 108 (Verse 2) & Psalm 100 (Complete) 3:34
1-2 II. Psalm 23 (Complete) & Psalm 2 (Verses 1-4) 5:36
1-3 III. Psalm 131 (Complete) & Psalm 133 (Verse 1) 9:12
"Jeremiah" Symphony No. 1
1-4 III. Lamentation 11:19
Serenade For Solo Violin, Strings, Harp And Percussion After Plato's "Symposium"
1-5 IV. Agathon, Adiago 7:34
"Age Of Anxiety" Symphony No. 2 For Piano And Orchestra After W. H. Auden (1965 Revised Version) From Part Two
1-6 b. The Masque: Extremely Fast 4:36
1-7 c. The Epilogue: Adagio; Andante; Con Moto 8:06
I Hate Music! A Cycle Of Five Kid Songs For Soprano
1-8 IV. "A Big Indian And A Little Indian" 0:43
La Bonne Cuisine (Four Recipes)
1-9 IV. "Civet A Toute Vitesse (Rabbit At Top Speed)" 1:14
Prelude, Fugue And Riffs For Solo Clarinet And Jazz Ensemble
1-10 I. Prelude For The Brass 1:50
1-11 II. Fugue For The Saxes 1:47
1-12 III. Riffs For Everyone 4:11
"Kaddish" Symphony No. 3 (To The Beloved Memory Of John F. Kennedy)
1-13 I. Invocation. Kaddish I 8:23
Film
On The Waterfront (Symphonic Suite)
1-14 Love Theme 5:39

CD 2
Theater Works
On The Town (From The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
2-1 Opening: "New York, New York" 11:27
2-2 "Lonely Town"/Dance: Lonely Town 6:45
2-3 Dance: Times Square 4:00
2-4 "Some Other Time" 4:22
2-5 Dance: The Real Coney Island 5:27
Fancy Free Ballet
2-6 I. Enter Three Sailors 2:50
2-7 IV. Pas De Deux 3:21
2-8 VII. Finale 4:35
Peter Pan (From The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
2-9 "The Pirate Song" 2:26
Wonderful Town (From The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
2-10 "Ohio" 2:55
2-11 "A Little Bit In Love (Never Felt This Way Before)" 1:38
2-12 "A Quiet Girl" 2:24
2-13 "Conga!" 3:24
2-14 "Wrong Note Rag" 2:27
Candide (From The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
2-15 Overture 4:01
2-16 "Best Of All Possible Worlds" 3:24
2-17 Mazurka 1:38
2-18 "Glitter And Be Gay" 5:42
2-19 "Make Our Garden Grow" 4:15

CD 3
West Side Story (From The Original Broadway Cast Recording)
3-1 Prologue 3:53
3-2 The Dance At The Gym 3:01
3-3 "Maria" 2:37
3-4 "Tonight" 3:53
3-5 "America" 4:32
3-6 "Cool" 3:59
3-7 "Somewhere" (Ballet) 7:32
Dybbuk (Ballet) From Part III
3-8 "The Community" 5:11
Fascimile - Choreographic Essay For Orchestra
3-9 Part II: Allegretto 8:57
Trouble In Tahiti (An Opera In Seven Scenes)
3-10 Scene III/IIIa: "I Was Standing In A Garden"/"Then Desire Took Hold Of Me" 7:21
Mass (A Theatre Piece For Singers, Players And Dancers)
3-11 I. Devotions Before Mass - Hymn And Psalm: "A Simple Song" 4:41
3-12 V. Meditation No. 1 5:09
3-13 VI. Gloria 6:45
3-14 XIV. Sanctus: "Holy! Holy! Holy!" 5:20
3-15 XVII. Pax: Communion - Final Hymn 3:15

Performers:
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, John Bogart (alto), Jennie Tourel (mezzo-soprano), Isaac Stern (violin), Philippe Entremont (piano), Leonard Bernstein (piano), Jenny Tourel (mezzo-soprano), Benny Goodman (clarinet), Felicia Montealegre (speaker), Boris Karloff (vocal), The Pirates, Rosalind Russell, Jacquelyn McKeever, Sydney Chaplin, Max Adrian (vocal), Barbara Cook (vocal), Robert Rounseville (vocal), Irra Petina (vocal), Robert Mesrobian (vocal), William Chapman (vocal), Norman Roland (vocal), William Olvis (vocal), Larry Kert (vocal), Carol Lawrence (vocal), The Jets, The Sharks, Mickey Calin (vocal), Eddie Roll (vocal), Tony Mordente (vocal), David Winters (vocal), Grover Dale (vocal), Martin Charnin (vocal), Hank Brunjes (vocal), Tommy Abbott (vocal), Frank Green (vocal), Wilma Curley (vocal), Lowell Harris (vocal), Carole D'Andrea (vocal), Nanette Rosen (vocal), Lee Becker (vocal), Marilyn D'Honau (vocal), Julie Oser (vocal), Ken Le Roy (vocal), Chita Rivera (vocal), Jamie Sanchez (vocal), George Marcy (vocal), Noel Schwartz (vocal), Al De Sio (vocal), Gene Gavin (vocal), Ronnie Lee (vocal), Jay Norman (vocal), Marilyn Cooper (vocal), Erne Castaldo (vocal), Jack Murray (vocal), Reri Grist (vocal), Carmen Gutierrez (vocal), Elizabeth Taylor (vocal), Lynn Ross (vocal), Liane Plane (vocal), Art Smith (vocal), Arch Johnson (vocal), William Bramley (vocal), John Harkins (vocal), Shark Girls, David Johnson (baritone), John Ostendorf (bass vocal), Nancy Williams (mezzo-soprano), Michael Clarke (tenor), Mark Brown (baritone), Julian Patrick (bass baritone), Antonia Butler (soprano)