Search - Leonard Bernstein, Alexander Frey :: The Complete Solo Piano Music Of Leonard Bernstein / Frey

Bernstein and Frey: A Superb Combination

06/16/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Leonard Bernstein was a composer whose music reached a large public. Even though he was more popular due to his broadway scores, many recordings of his concert music can also be found. Now we have a new wonderful recording of Bernstein's solo piano music, and hear a whole new side of the composer. Those expecting echos of West Side Story or Candide will be very surprised to hear a much more introverted, darker side of Bernstein the composer. Two large works plus several sets of Anniversaries make up this new CD. The Sonata is a great work, full of emotion and sweeping romanticism written while Bernstein was a student at Harvard. "Touches", written for the Van Cliburn Piano Competition, shows the Bernstein's brilliance in theme and variation form. Also on this recording are several sets of Anniversaries, each dedicated to a friend or colleague. The works on this CD span 50 years of composing. Alexander Frey plays with a rarely heard kind of pianism. He performs with astonishing sensitivity, has an seemingly endless palette of tone colour, brings out an unbelievable rich amount of detail from the score and gives deeply moving performances. This CD is a must for anyone's recod collection"

I recommend this recording.

07/21/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It is just great to have a new recording of the complete works for solo piano by Leonard Bernstein that includes the THIRTEEN ANNIVERSARIES. Alexander Frey performs this music with great skill and passion. He brings the early PIANO SONATE to life, and takes us into the intimate musical portraits of the ANNIVERSARIES with heartfelt playing. I recommend this recording for the Bernstein fan, or as an introduction to the multifaceted compositional life of the Maestro."