Bernstein Peter

Peter Bernstein is one of the most pleasing and accomplished guitarists around, a must-hear, go-see for fans of straight-ahead jazz with a fresh, of-the-moment feel. A fixture on the New York scene and beyond, Bernstein deserves to be even better-known for his intricately beautiful melodic lines, harmonic sophistication, spot-on improvisation and good taste. Mentored early on by Jim Hall, Bernstein's never been a screamer. He plays quietly and intensely, with confidence, intelligence, elegance and rare sensitivity—all amply displayed on Live at Smalls, part of a new series taken from the Greenwich Village jazz club…

Fans of Leonard Bernstein will not want to miss the chance to snap up this limited edition 60-CD set, Bernstein Symphony Edition. With a list price of just over two dollars per disc, it's a bargain not to be missed. What's most impressive about these recordings of well over 100 symphonies made between 1953 and 1976, almost all of which feature the New York Philharmonic, is the scope and depth of Bernstein's repertoire.

Hector Berlioz: Harold en Italie, Op. 16; La mort de Cléopâtre, scène lyrique
William Lincer, viola; Jennie Tourel mezzo-soprano; New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 346 MB; 3% Recovery| FLAC+LOG+Cue | Full scans | RS + 4shared links
Publisher: Sony Classical | Recorded: 1961 | Published: 1999

Harold is an electrifying reading that captures the raw passion of Berlioz better than any other. Throwing caution to the winds, Bernstein and Linzer (the Philharmonic's first-chair violist) are rough, edgy and incredibly exciting, eschewing entirely the refinement that passes for idiomatic Berlioz in other hands. Inexplicably omitted from the Royal Edition, this is one of the truly great Bernstein performances, giving Berlioz, the wild rebel of his time, his full due. It took a musician of Bernstein's youthful boldness to defy our established tradition to restore the composer's essential spirit. (Cleopatre, already in the Royal set, is a wonderful performance of Berlioz's early cantata.) - by Peter Gutmann

On the eve of his centenary in 2018, Sony Classical releases the most important collection, Leonard Bernstein’s classic American Columbia recordings, remastered from their original 2- and multi-track analogue tapes. This has allowed for the creation of a natural balance (for example, between the orchestra and solo instruments) that brings the quality of these half-century-old recordings, excellent for their time, up to the standards of today’s audiophiles. In addition, there has been a meticulous restoration of some earlier masterings in which LP surface noise was too rigorously eliminated at the expense of the original brilliance.

On the eve of his centenary in 2018, Sony Classical releases the most important collection, Leonard Bernstein’s classic American Columbia recordings, remastered from their original 2- and multi-track analogue tapes. This has allowed for the creation of a natural balance (for example, between the orchestra and solo instruments) that brings the quality of these half-century-old recordings, excellent for their time, up to the standards of today’s audiophiles. In addition, there has been a meticulous restoration of some earlier masterings in which LP surface noise was too rigorously eliminated at the expense of the original brilliance.