The Scottish Opera - Age of Anxiety: Symphony 2 / Candide Overture - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The composer stated that his symphony was about a crisis in faith, an issue that would concern him for life. The biblical Jeremiah preached in Jerusalem some six centuries before Christ, centering his message on religious reform in a time of confused morality. The Prophecy first movement sets the tone of slow, solemn contemplation found throughout the entire work. The scherzo movement, Profanation, gives a feeling of the destruction of Jerusalem during the tumultuous times of the prophet. The final Lamentation is the literal cry of Jeremiah, lamenting the pillaged city. This movement, composed years earlier, captivated initial audiences as the horrors of the Nazi Final Solution were being revealed. One of Bernstein's many works that embrace Jewish themes, the piece was dedicated to Samuel Bernstein, the composer's father, who helped impart his faith to his son. The work uses the Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciation of the Book of Lamentations. In Jeremiah it is certainly possible to see parallels between the prophet and the young composer/conductor/pianist, taking brave and unpopular positions despite the risk. Not surprisingly, interest in his symphony sprung from various corners. The first performance was conducted by Bernstein with the Pittsburgh Symphony, at the invitation of it's director, Fritz Reiner, on 28th January, 1944. Koussevitzky invited Bernstein to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Jeremiah shortly thereafter, and the New York Philharmonic followed with four performances in the spring. In what was to be one of many whirlwind years for Bernstein, the symphony would win the New York Music Critics Circle Award for 1944. Album Tracks 1. Prophecy 2. Profanation 3. Lamentation 4. I. Free-Style Events Allegro Con Brio, Giocoso 5. II. Mixed Doubles Theme 6. Variation 1 7. Variation 2 8. Variation 3 9. Variation 4 10. Variation 5 11.

Album Tracks 1. I. Prologue 2. II. Somewhere 3. III. Scherzo 4. IV. Mambo 5. V. Cha-Cha 6. VI. Meeting Scene 7. VII. Cool 8. VIII. Fugue 9. IX. Rumble 10. X. Finale 11. Prelude Mornin' Sun (Trio) 12. Scene 1 How Could You Say (Sam, Dinah, Trio) 13. Scene 2 Yes? Oh Mister Partridge! (Sam, Trio) 14. Scene 3 I Was Standing in a Garden (Dinah) - Scene 2A Miss Brown? (Sam) - Scene 3A Then the Desire Took Hold Inside Me (Dinah) 15. Scene 4 Well, of All People (Sam, Dinah) 16. Interlude Lovely Day! (Trio) 17. Scene 5 There's a Law (Sam) 18. Scene 6 What a Movie (Dinah, Trio) 19. Scene 6A There's a Law (Sam) - Scene 7 Evening Shadows (Sam, Dinah, Trio) 20. Elgin Heuerding in Conversation with Ulf Schirmer

Album Tracks 1. Candide Overture - the Age of Anxiety Symphony No.2 for Piano and Orchestra 2. The Prologue 3. Variation I L'istesso Tempo 4. Variation II Poco Piu Mosso 5. Variation III Largamente 6. Variation IV Piu Mosso 7. Viriation V 8. Variation VI Poco Meno Mosso 9. Variation VII L'istesso Tempo 10. Variation VII Molto Moderato, Ma Movendo 11. Variation IX Piu Mosso (Tempo Di Valse) 12. Variation X Piu Mosso 13. Variation XI L'istesso Tempo 14. Variation Xii Poco Piu Vivace 15. Variation XII L'istesso Tempo 16. Variation XIV Poco Piu Vivace 17. The Dirge 18. The Masque 19. The Epilogue 20. Enter Three Sailors 21. Scene at the Bar 22. Enter Two Girls 23. Pas de Deux 24. Competition Scene Three Dance Variations 25. I. Galop 26. II. Waltz 27. III. Danzon 28. Finale