This is another of my Joshua Bell favorites, along with his CD of Gershwin melodies. I love the "West Side Story Suite," containing at least snatches of all the best music from the great Broadway play and film. Then the selections from "New York, New York" and Candide are very fine, too. It's especially fun to hear Joshua playing the title song from "New York, New York" since he lives there and has for many years. His affection for the city comes through, though he also chose to play "Lonely Town" from the same musical. I had some trouble understanding the "Serenade" after Plato's Symposium until my mind went back to my college days when I read Plato's dialogues for philosophy classes. Each of these serenades is a dialogue between one voice and another. Seen that way, they make a great deal of sense. Thanks, Josh, for the little philosophy lesson.
Bernstein: West Side Story Suite
This is another of my Joshua Bell favorites, along with his CD of Gershwin melodies. I love the "West Side Story Suite," containing at least snatches of all the best music from the great Broadway play and film. Then the selections from "New York, New York" and Candide are very fine, too. It's especially fun to hear Joshua playing the title song from "New York, New York" since he lives there and has for many years. His affection for the city comes through, though he also chose to play "Lonely Town" from the same musical. I had some trouble understanding the "Serenade" after Plato's Symposium until my mind went back to my college days when I read Plato's dialogues for philosophy classes. Each of these serenades is a dialogue between one voice and another. Seen that way, they make a great deal of sense. Thanks, Josh, for the little philosophy lesson.