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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Belle Epoch Offenbach at its best Jun 07, 2009
I agree with the previous reviewer that this is simply the best Offenbach Gaite Parisienne there is. Bernstein lets it rip and makes it sound better than its ever been. All real noisy with lots of frills and thrills, the orchestra barely under control. The recording is sharp and clear. This performance has all the sound of what it must have been like in a boisterous music hall of Gay 90's Paris.
When Bernstein is on his game there is no one better. Same with his Beethoven First (him at the keyboard) and Fifth Piano Concerto's and his Tchaikovsky Romeo and Juliet.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
I'LL LET YOU IN ON A SECRET..... Apr 23, 2009
Bernstein's performance of Offenbach's Gaite Parisienne is my guilty pleasure. Yes, the Bizet is wonderful, but I grew up with the old Arthur Fiedler recording of the Offenbach....it was the first piece of "classical" music that I remember hearing as a kid. I may collect complete sets of the Beethoven piano sonatas now, but it's Gaite Parisienne that re-kindles those long lost moments of childhood innocence and discovery.
Bernstein outdoes Fiedler in interpretation, making this music sound better than it actually is. Oh hell - it's wonderful - and Lenny always was good with the schmaltz!
The Bizet and Suppe and great too - this disc, selling for about 5 bucks on amazon - will bring immense enjoyment to most folks who need a break from Mahler, Beethoven string quartetes, and Alkan's piano concerto.
Pour yourself a glass of wine, grab a loved one, and enjoy! The 1960s Columbia sound is OK, with its usual limitations. Still, I wouldn't trade this recording for all the Telarcs in the catalogue. There's joy in these tracks (er, bits). Doubt it? Try track 5 - the track 12, the famous Can-Can. If you can't see Lenny swaying his hips and smiling while conducting, you've been listening to WAY too much Bruckner.
(Was there any other conductor whose conducting could put a smile on your face? - God love ' im.)
OOooo-La-La!
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
BIZET's Best Symphony... Jun 11, 2007
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This surely must be the finest realization of Bizet's popular Symphony currently available. Lenny and the NYPO bring a robust Beethovenian reading to the work--which can stand a little masculine vigor--(as opposed to feminine lightness). The piece is a true joy.
The less said about the Offenbach and Suppé, the better: the works are absurdly cartoonishly bumptious; personally, I would never listen to such cheesy stuff.
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2 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 A collector item! Apr 10, 2006
Leonard Bernstein performed one of the most propulsive and joyful versions of this enjoyable Bizet ? s work. Filled with that spring rush and engaging magnetism, until now surpassed by the insuperable version of Thomas Beecham in the middle Fifties.
The first composer who comes to my mind is Schubert. This innocent and warmth atmosphere of the first Movement is followed by a lovable Adagio of strong Oriental hues. The new York Philharmonic when is inspired is simply superb. And fortunately, that recording session was inspired.
In spite of the fact there are better options in what Arlesiana and Gaite Parisien concern, this is every recommended album that proves us the magnificence of one of the most remarkable Orchestras of the last Century, although it should be noticed pitifully nowadays I cannot say the same. From the Seventies, with the only exception of the Angeles Philharmonic, the status level of all the others American Orchestras have experienced an awful downfall. This is a painful statement, but sadly certain.
That `s why this album acquires a double relevance, you will compare by yourself the slender difference, the profound conveyance of these Past conductors literally vanished. Bernstein, Leinsdorff and Tilson Thomas were the last descendents. Nevertheless it `s good to know how Essa Pekka Salonen has made a titanic and eulogizing labor in front of the Angeles Philharmonic, which still conserves the expansive sound bequeathed by the unforgettable and superb conductor: Carlo Maria Giulini.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Joyful and infectious Bernstein ! Feb 01, 2003
If you've been on a consistent diet of "heavy" works lately, the Bizet Symphony just might offer the best chaser. Its winsome, light, bracing qualities can produce a sigh and a warm smile. And the performance that most immediately and best puts one in the right mood is Bernstein's. From the first to the last emphatic chord, his joie de vivre approach is in evidence. It is there in the quieter as well as the boisterous moments, and for me, makes this the interpretation of choice, despite some pretty stiff competition from the likes of Beecham, Munch, Ansermet and Stokowski. After Bernstein, I prefer Munch and Stokowski, however, the latter's performance on cd does not sound as good as his same performance on cassette or lp. Beecham, of course, has been highly praised, and he does offer a very well played account, but I find he does not convey consistently the kind of elan Bernstein does. Aside from the symphony, Bernstein gives us exciting and colorful renditions of Offenbach's Gaite Parisienne and Orpheus in the Underworld and Suppe's Beautiful Galatea Overture. A fine investment overall for your musical "sweet tooth".
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