SACDs - Bernstein

Founded in 1979 in Los Angeles, the Pacific Trio has played more than 1000 concerts in the United States, Canada and Europe. In addition to touring, they are trio-in-residence at the Idyllwild Arts summer Program in Southern California.

The three works for violin and orchestra gathered here testify both to the versatility of Vadim Gluzman as a performer and to the richness and variety of the influences at play in American music during the 20th century. Like the text by Plato which inspired it, Bernstein's Serenade, from 1954, is a series of statements in praise of love. Musically it is typical of its maker, with allusions both to his own music and to works by Bartók, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky, and with a hint of jazz in the finale. Composed some thirty years earlier, Ernest Bloch's Baal Shem turns to the Jewish culture of Eastern Europe, dealing specifically with aspects of the Chassidic movement. Its second movement, Nigun (Improvisation) is probably Bloch's most famous work for the violin, an attempt to recreate the ecstasy generated by fervent religious singing. Samuel Barber, on the other hand, was deeply fascinated by the music of J.S. Bach and Brahms, although this is not always obvious in his music. His Violin Concerto, which he began to compose in Switzerland in 1939, while war was breaking out in Europe, has been described as having 'a chastened and aristocratic classic style'. That violinist Vadim Gluzman possesses the musical convictions and the supreme command of his instrument to do justice to all of these works will be clear to anyone who has encountered his previous concerto disc, with works by Tchaikovsky and Glazunov. The recipient of numerous distinctions, it was glowingly reviewed, for instance in International Record Review: 'The variety of tone, lithe, sinuous and febrile ... is truly exceptional.' Gluzman is here supported by the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (OSESP) under John Neschling, a team that has demonstrated its versatility on a number of recordings ranging from Villa-Lobos' Choros to Liszt's piano concertos.

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‘He was a great individual, totally unafraid to take risks and largely misunderstood because people didn’t see his universality,’ Kristjan Jarvi on Leonard Bernstein.

One of his most controversial compositions, Bernstein’s Mass was written at the request of Jacqueline Kennedy Onnassis for the opening of the John F.Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC and received its gala premiere at the venue’s opening on 8 September 1971. Bernstein declared that his intention in writing the piece had been ‘to communicate as directly and universally as I can a reaffirmation of faith.’ Recalling Britten’s War Requiem in its use of Catholic liturgical text interrupted with commentary, the work caused a storm of controversy particularly with its exploration of the concerns of the era – Nixon and Vietnam. Unlike Britten, however, as with many of his compositions, Bernstein brought together an embarrassment of riches of musical styles both classical and popular music at the start of the 1970s. The New York Times notes, ‘Bernstein left nothing of himself out of Mass, and like the man who wrote it, the piece demands to be noticed… beneath the original dramatic conception, the creative exuberance, the showbiz glitter and the ear-catching set numbers is a sophisticated, carefully controlled piece of musical craftsmanship that repays close scrutiny… an extravagant, exuberant and endlessly inventive creation…’ Mass is now recognised as one of the central works of Twentieth Century American music, and its political and cultural importance as well as amazing music extends its relevance to today.

The Times wrote of a recent performance by Kristjan Jarvi and the Tonkunstler Orchestra. ‘The conductor Kristjan Jarvi is bringing a bracing blast of Bernstein.’ Der Standard noted ‘… There has not been this much drama for a long time... conductor Kristjan Jarvi, together with his his Absolute Ensemble New York, the Tonkunstler Orchestra, Chorus sine nomine, Company of music and the Tolzer Boys’ Choir, presents the theme of modern man’s crisis of faith…’ ‘Kristjan Jarvi proves himself a perfect strategist with a real feeling for Bernstein’s tonal dramatisation. He creates a monumental theatre of sound …’ Kronen Zeitung.

Leading Baritone Randall Scarlata takes the role of the celebrant, a role he has performed on many occasions. He is especially recognised for his performances of American repertoire. The Boston Globe recently commented, ‘A triumph – this baritone has in his keeping the vocal wherewithal to do just about anything he wants.’