Bernstein: On The Waterfront [Royal Liverpool Philarmonic Orchestra; Christian Lindberg] [Bis: BIS2278]

1944 saw the premiere of the ballet Fancy Free, 25-year old Leonard Bernsteins first major composition as well as the first in a string of scores for the stage and film. In order to celebrate the centennial of Bernsteins birth in 1918, Christian Lindberghas gathered music from five different productions spanning a period of 13 years from Fancy Freeto the iconic musical West Side Story, premiered in 1957. The disc is bookended by the sparkling and witty Overture to Candideand Three Dance Episodesfrom the musicalOn the Town. Also included is the substantial Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, developed by Bernstein from the score he wrote for Elia Kazans classic film. The drama of this tale of love and betrayal set amid the docks of Hoboken in New Jersey is brought out by Bernsteins music, which seethes with dramatic tension. Making its first appearance on BIS in these flamboyant and life-enhancing scores, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestraclearly relishes the opportunity to let its collective hair down. The players are egged on by Lindberg, known for his ability to energize both orchestras and audiences.
Performance: 4* / Recording: 4* There’s never a dull moment with Leonard Bernstein… [the RLPO are] completely on fire, chiselling hot rhythms out of the percussion, melting their lips on ritzy brass cascades…. [Christian Lindberg] shows his mettle as a conductor, keeping the ensemble light, tight, always on the ball…Buy this album by all means: it contains Bernstein at his punchiest best. –BBC Music Magazine, July 2018As should by now be clear, this is a Bernstein centenary album certainly worth snapping up. Superb BIS recording too, demonstration- worthy in its naturalness of timbre, lustrous glow and intrepid range of dynamics. –Classical Source, July’18