Credits:

Bernstein, Leonard (1918-1990)

Description:

This disc features works by three leading modern and contemporary American composers. It opens with "An American in Paris," a masterpiece in which Gershwin depicts in music the motley scenes of Paris in the 1920s. This recording uses a newly published comparative revision by M. Kreig in 2019, rather than the F.C. Watson revised version usually performed, allowing us to hear a sound closer to Gershwin's original conception. Bernstein's Songfest is a collection of songs composed to commemorate the bicentennial of the founding of the United States. Each of the thirteen poems by poets used in this collection has a wide range of themes, such as "creativity, love, marriage, and the problems faced by minorities," and these are beautifully embodied in Bernstein's music. Copland's "Overture for the Outdoors (Outdoor Overture)," known for its gorgeous trumpet solo, is performed in its 1938 orchestral version. Naxos Japan