Swann, Christopher

The Making of West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein

Filmed in 1984, the feature-length documentary Leonard Bernstein Conducts "West Side Story" follows the composer as he records the first-ever complete recording of his musical-theater masterpiece. Virtually the entire documentary takes place in a New York recording studio with a pick-up orchestra, session singers, and headliners Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita), and Kurt Ollmann (Riff). The 89-minute program alternates rehearsal footage with complete final takes of the main numbers--including "Tonight," "America," and "Maria"--with limited comments from the principal players. Te Kanawa explains how much the music means to her, Troyanos notes how she grew up in the very streets depicted on stage, and Carreras provides a rare moment of tension when a session ends unsatisfactorily. Bernstein himself is by turns commanding, charming, enthusiastic, and weary. This is a fascinating insight into what happens as a major album is recorded. --Gary S. Dalkin

1. Arrival of the principal singers, blending off 2. I feel Pretty (Piano rehearsal) 3. First session: introduction of the principals 4. Tonight (ensemble) (rehearsal) 5. Jet Song (recording) 6. Cool (recording) 7. Tonight (Piano rehearsal) 8. Something's Coming (recording: take, playback, retakes) 9. Troyanos on working with Bernstein "Tonight (Ensemble)" (recording) 10. Tonight (Ensemble) (recording- contd.) 11. Bernstein talks about the orchestra, "I feel pretty" (recording) 12. Te Kanawa on working with Bernstein 13. Problem passages, "Dance at the Gym" (recording & playbacks) 14. Bernstein talks to the press "Dance at the Gym" (recording-contd.) 15. Recording Nina and Alexander Bernstein ("Meeting Scene" - "Dance at the Gym") (recording- contd.) 16. Te Kanawa on West Side Story, "Somewhere" (recording) 17. Troyanos on recording, "America" (rehearsal and recording) 18. One Hand, One Heart (recording) 19. Te Kanawa on singing Bernstein's music 20. Maria (piano rehearsal) 21. Maria (recording) 22. Carreras on the Interruption, "Maria" (recording- contd.) 23. Te Kanawa on working with Berstein 24. A Boy like that "I have love" (recording) 25. Gee, Officer Krupke (recording) 26. Balcony Scene (recording) 27. Berstein on recording West side Story, "Balcony Scene" (recording) 28. End titles

Hands Across the Sea / The Band of the Grenadier Guards, John Philip Sousa

THE BAND OF THE GRENADIER GUARDS: SOUSA MARCHES
Music by JOHN PHILIP SOUSA
Played by THE BAND OF THE GRENADIER GUARDS
Director of Music MAJOR PHILIP E. HILLS
With the participation of THE 2ND BATTALION GRENADIER GUARDS
From BLENHEIM PALACE, OXFORDSHIRE and CATERHAM BARRACKS, SURREY

In this colorful performance, the 50-strong Band of the Grenadier Guards pays tribute to America's master of the military march surrounded by the splendor of one of England's largest mansions and birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace. Archive footage features John Philip Sousa conducting his own band.

Fanfare
IMPERIAL EDWARD
SABRE AND SPURS
THE WASHINGTON POST
KING COTTON
THE THUNDERER
A CENTURY OF PROGRESS
POWER AND GLORY
THE DAUNTLESS BATTALION
THE WHITE PLUME

Bugle call Reveille
THE HIGH SCHOOL CADETS
THE LIBERTY BELL
THE INVINCIBLE EAGLE
THE LEGIONNAIRES MARCH
THE BELLE OF CHICAGO
DAUGHTERS OF TEXAS
THE LAMBS MARCH
THE FAIREST OF THE FAIR
EL CAPITAN
THE GLADIATOR
HANDS ACROSS THE SEA
SEMPER FIDELIS
MANHATTAN BEACH
THE CRUSADER
THE REVIEW

Bugle call Last Post
THE STARS AND STRIPES FOREVER
FROM MAINE TO OREGON

Carols for Christmas / Metropolitan Museum of Art

This program features 24 popular carols in special arrangements by Sir David Willcocks, former director of the Royal College of Music, taken from the songbook Carols for Christmas, which he compiled for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, lavishly illustrated with works of art and images of Christmas from the Museum's collections. The traditional Christmas carols are enhanced by a rich profusion of paintings, prints, decorative and entertaining illustrations from the Metropolitan Museum which are a splendid seasonal complement to the songs.

Paul McCartney's Standing Stone

This DVD presents the 1997 world premiere of Paul McCartney's Standing Stone, a 75-minute concert work performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, coupled with a 50-minute documentary based around the writing and studio recording of the piece. The music was composed as a follow-up to McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, and is inspired by McCartney's own poem. For this Celtic creation myth, the documentary explains how McCartney worked with computers to develop the score, and also features contributions from John Harle and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. Revealing a lot of McCartney's personality, the epic-musical fantasia Standing Stone is dynamically filmed in the Royal Albert Hall and shows just how far Sir Paul has come from simple three-chord love songs. There are elements of landscape music from the classic English tradition, passages of high musical drama by way of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, jazz sensibilities, and sentimental melodies straight out of Hollywood. If the sum is less than the impressive parts, Standing Stone is still a considerable achievement and the LSO performs with fire and eloquence. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

Leonard Bernstein Conducts "West Side Story"

Filmed in 1984, the feature-length documentary Leonard Bernstein Conducts "West Side Story" follows the composer as he records the first-ever complete recording of his musical-theater masterpiece. Virtually the entire documentary takes place in a New York recording studio with a pick-up orchestra, session singers, and headliners Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita), and Kurt Ollmann (Riff). The 89-minute program alternates rehearsal footage with complete final takes of the main numbers--including "Tonight," "America," and "Maria"--with limited comments from the principal players. Te Kanawa explains how much the music means to her, Troyanos notes how she grew up in the very streets depicted on stage, and Carreras provides a rare moment of tension when a session ends unsatisfactorily. Bernstein himself is by turns commanding, charming, enthusiastic, and weary. This is a fascinating insight into what happens as a major album is recorded. --Gary S. Dalkin

Verdi - I Vespri Siciliani

I Vespri Siciliani ("The Sicilian Vespers") dates from 1855, immediately after the composition of Verdi's three most popular operas, Rigoletto, Il trovatore and La traviata. It marks a crucial stage in his artistic development but has not been very popular for various reasons: it was composed, in French, for a premiere in Paris, but is now usually sung in a slightly ill-fitting Italian translation; it is expensive to produce (including a lavish ballet, which was mandatory for Paris productions); and it marked a change to Verdi's later style, which has greater depth but less mass appeal. Its first video recording--visually lavish and generally well-sung--includes all the ballet music, which is often reduced or omitted, and (for reasons that are not entirely clear--maybe a preference for 19th-century costumes) updates the action from the 13th century to the Napoleonic era. Riccardo Muti conducts with his usual energy and polish, and he has a great orchestra and chorus. A production in French would be welcome, if (improbably) the right voices could be found. --Joe McLellan

Giuseppe Verdi's "I Vespri Siciliani" epitomizes the elegant style of the Paris Opera. Set in Sicily at the twilight of the French occupation, the opera swirls with intimate ensembles, splendid public scenes, and heroic public choruses. Under the direction of Riccardo Muti, the La Scala orchestra delivers a blazing tour de force in the large ensemble scenes and sensitive intimacy to the quieter moments. An excellent cast features soprano Cheryl Studer as Elena and tenor Chris Merritt as Arrigo. In this extraordinary La Scala production, the rarely seen third-act "Ballet of the Four Seasons" is superbly danced by superstars Carla Fracci and Wayne Eagling.

Standing Stone

This DVD presents the 1997 world premiere of Paul McCartney's Standing Stone, a 75-minute concert work performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, coupled with a 50-minute documentary based around the writing and studio recording of the piece. The music was composed as a follow-up to McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio, and is inspired by McCartney's own poem. For this Celtic creation myth, the documentary explains how McCartney worked with computers to develop the score, and also features contributions from John Harle and Sir Richard Rodney Bennett. Revealing a lot of McCartney's personality, the epic-musical fantasia Standing Stone is dynamically filmed in the Royal Albert Hall and shows just how far Sir Paul has come from simple three-chord love songs. There are elements of landscape music from the classic English tradition, passages of high musical drama by way of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring, jazz sensibilities, and sentimental melodies straight out of Hollywood. If the sum is less than the impressive parts, Standing Stone is still a considerable achievement and the LSO performs with fire and eloquence. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

Paul McCartney's Standing Stone

Verdi - Attila / Jérôme Savary · Riccardo Muti · Samuel Ramey · Teatro alla Scala

A brilliant production has been lavished on this relatively early and seldom-produced Verdi masterpiece. The story of various efforts (ultimately successful) to assassinate Attila the Hun after his conquest of Rome inspired Verdi to compose music of considerable energy. The theme of foreign powers who dominate Italy being punished was especially close to his heart. La Scala assembled a cast equal to his music's strenuous demands. The star, unquestionably, is Samuel Ramey in the title role, but he is supported by a first-class cast and a chorus and orchestra who are completely at home in this music. The fact that some of the less familiar Italian operas reached the DVD format so early in its existence is a tribute to Muti's devotion to unjustly neglected works. So is the power and precision of this performance. --Joe McLellan

Giuseppe Verdi's "Attila" was first staged just prior to the European revolutions of 1848. To operagoers, art seemed to mirror life, as the Roman Empire, overrun with barbarians, was an obvious symbol of 19th-century Italy under foreign domination. The role of Attila, one of Verdi's finest characters, requires a tremendous leading singer and actor, and world-renowned bass Samuel Ramey gives a peerless performance. As the courageous maiden who kills the tyrant with his own sword, soprano Cheryl Studer is forceful, but with vocal gentleness and expression. In this vibrant, sumptuous La Scala production conducted by Riccardo Muti, "Attila" emerges in all its dramatic and musical greatness.