Leonard Bernstein - The Symphony Edition

A defining collection - and I'm not referring to LB...what a box set like this does is treat the listener to just about everything symphonic...Bernstein's scope was that encompassing...then one can easily define their likes and dislikes...everyone's different, there's no right or wrong here...art is subjective..in my case, I like and will listen to about a third of this collection..to those who might be curious, I'll list the top 20 here:Beethoven-Symphonies Nos. 3-9, Brahms-The Complete Symphonies Nos. 1-4, Dvorak-Symphony No. 9 (new world), Franck-Symphony in D minor, Saint-Saens-Symphony No. 3 (organ), Schubert-Symphony No. 8 (unfinished), Shostakovich-Symphony No. 5, Sibelius-Symphonies Nos. 1-3, Tchaikovsky- Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)...so there you have it (Sibelius' first 3 symphonies top the list by a mile)...whether you are just starting out in classical or are an expert, here are the composers and their 20 symphonies that will last a lifetime -- and then some...but if you need more, Haydn, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Schumann make fine company. Oh, and another thing...for classical music, always use a loudness equalizer enhancement, if available on your computer or player, or else the wide swings from too soft to too loud will drive you crazy...volumes are best modified this way so that frequent adjustments aren't necessary.

This review was originally published when the “Bernstein Symphony Edition” was new.A few years later it was out-of-print and very expensive,But in September 2018 the Symphony Edition was reissued by Sony at a new low price (at least on Amazon UK, Amazon France, and Amazon Germany).A lot has changed since 2010, so I thought this would be a good time to revise my original review.THREE BOX COLLECTION (photos 1-3)Sony has finally completed the reissue of every recording that Leonard Bernstein made for Columbia (and RCA).Newly designed jackets with black & white photos on the front, and track listings on the back. Packaged in three over-sized boxes:2010: Vol.1 Bernstein Symphony Edition (60 CDs) reviewed on this page2014: Vol.2  Leonard Bernstein Edition - Concertos & Orchestral Works  (80 CDs)2018: Vol.3  Leonard Bernstein Edition - The Vocal Works  (58 CDs) [but 20% of this box is devoted to non-vocal works]One drawback:The majority of the remasterings are not state-of-the-art, most dating back to the 1990s.With the exception of the Mahler Symphonies, the first two boxes rely on old remasterings from the Bernstein Century Edition (and even the Royal Edition).Vol.3 “Vocal Works” is an improvement: 45% of the remasterings are up-to-date (borrowed from recent Sony boxes).Complication - Sony is competing with itself:SIX BOX COLLECTION (photos 4-9).Three single-composer boxes and three multi-composer boxes (with some duplication).Absolutely up-to date 24-bit remasterings.All but one are "original jacket" format with original LP artwork and program notes:2009:  Mahler: The Complete Symphonies  (12 CDs)(these remasterings were used in the Symphony Edition)2015:  Bernstein Sibelius - Remastered  (7 CDs)2017:  Leonard Bernstein - The Composer  (25 CDs: 11 conducted by Bernstein)2017:  New York Philharmonic 175th Anniversary  (65 CDs: 25 conducted by Bernstein, not original jackets)2018:  Leonard Bernstein Remastered  (100 CDs)2018:  Leonard Bernstein - The Pianist  (11 CDs)One drawback:--- The “six box collection” is not complete, containing maybe 70% of Bernstein's recordings (there may be additional boxes).BERNSTEIN SYMPHONY EDITION:This box includes one recording of every symphony that Leonard Bernstein recorded for Columbia Records - with the New York Philharmonic unless otherwise indicated (see photo 10).During his Columbia contract, six symphonies were recorded twice:BEETHOVEN Symphony 7:--- 1958 is in Vol.3 Vocal Works--- 1964 is in the Symphony EditionBERLIOZ Symphonie fantastique:--- 1963 is in the Symphony Edition (Bernstein hated the 1963 recording)--- 1968 is in Vol.3 Vocal WorksTCHAIKOVSKY Symphony 4:--- 1958 is in Vol.3 Vocal Works--- 1975 is in the Symphony EditionMAHLER Symphony 2:--- 1963 is in the Symphony Edition--- 1973 (London Symphony) is in Vol.3 Vocal Works[Bernstein also recorded isolated movements from Mahler's 2nd, 5th and 8th Symphonies which are in Vol.3 Vocal Works]PROKOFIEV Symphony 5:--- 1966 is in the Symphony Edition--- 1979 (Israel Philharmonic) is in Vol.3 Vocal WorksSHOSTAKOVICH Symphony 5:--- 1959 is in the Symphony Edition--- 1979 is in Vol.3 Vocal WorksBernstein recorded musical analyses to accompany the LPs of Beethoven Symphonies 3 & 5, Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique, and Ives Symphony 2.The Berlioz and Ives analyses are included in the Symphony Edition.The Beethoven analyses are missing.For a link to them, see Comment Two (sort by Oldest).Two additional works which are sometimes referred to as “symphonies” are not in the Symphony Edition:-- Mahler’s ‘Das Lied von der Erde’ is in Vol.3 “Vocal Works”.-- Charles Ives’ ‘Holidays Symphony’ (a collection of four symphonic poems) is in Vol.2 ‘Concertos & Orchestral Works’.The remasterings Sony used for the Symphony Edition are from the Bernstein Century edition with these exceptions:-- If an individual work was not issued on the Bernstein Century edition, the remastering from the older Royal Edition was used. There is very little difference between these two remasterings (one exception: Dvorak's 9th Symphony has more visceral impact in the Bernstein Century edition used here).-- The disc with Beethoven's 1st and 3rd Symphonies is from the Royal Edition.The giveaway is that the second movement of the 1st symphony is 7:41 on the Royal Edition (used here), but only 5:52 on Bernstein Century.The exposition repeat is observed in the Royal Edition. So far as I can tell, it is a product of the tape editor's skill, not the actual performance. -- Mahler's complete Symphonies are not the Bernstein Century remasterings, rather they are the superior 24-bit remasterings issued in 2009 (see paragraph three).I own the original 2010 release.Amazon is using the same ASIN number for both it and the 2018 reissue, which implies that the packaging is identical.The original came in an LP-size box with a 30 page booklet.No word yet on whether or not any updated remasterings have been included (at this price, probably not).One final word. I was a teenager in the 1960s with no classical music background.These were the performances I learned this music from(my local library had a deal with Columbia Records).I loved them then and I love them now.

You're likely looking at this because your either a Bernstein fan or you''re looking to have an instant Essential Classical Symphonies collection on the relatively cheap. Either way, you cannot go wrong. The Mahler and Schumann complete cycles are, in my opinion, definitive. All of the Beethoven (with the exception of the 9th- but don't be fooled by individual reviews of it- it IS solid, though you'll never be satisfied with just one 9th) can easily hold their own against the competition and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are my go-to recordings of these works. In fact, I can say that of so many recordings here: Brahms 1, 2, and 3; Hadyn's Paris and London cycles; Copland's 3rd; Dvorak's 9th; Tchaikovsky's 3rd, (and his 5th and 6th give Mravinsky a run for his money); Schubert's 8th and 9th; It's really an embarrassment of riches. No other conductor of his era did so many things so well, even if there were others who tackled individual works equally or better. And the sound quality simply can't be beat if you love the 60's/early 70's analogue sound like I do- the LB/NY Phil/John Mclure Production is just an unbeatable combination that handily holds its own against modern competition.Now the cons: The Tchaikovsky 4th is the later (75?) recording and not the 58, which can be had individually; The Saint-Saens is a pretty big misstep- I doubt I'll ever listen to this particular recording again; you'll need to supplement the aforementioned Beethoven's 9th (My preference is Fricsay or Karajan's 1977); The Brahms 4th is serviceable, but not a first recommendation; While the '63 Berlioz is solid, the 1968 recording outdoes it by miles; The Liszt is by no means an essential work, but Bernstein's later recording for DG with the BSO makes a case for it that this one just doesn't; To fulfill the 'Symphony Edition' moniker all of the Symphonies that Bernstein recorded for his Columbia tenure (as far as I'm aware) are here- which means there are some works that I just didn't need, due to Bernstein's championing of unknown composers- looking squarely at you, 'Airborne' Symphony; Finally, symphonic works that do not fit the form of a symphony are not here. This means that some of Bernstein's most important recordings are missing, i.e. Copland's and Stravinksy's ballets, Tchaikovsky's Overtures and Suites, Mahler's Song Cycles, the historic Gershwin recordings, His Debussy and Ravel outings.All of this is to say that what you get far outweighs what you don't, and to be fair the set doesn't claim to be a definitive overview of Bernstein- the man wore so many hats, one box set really couldn't address all of them. If you're a Bernstein fan, you'll already be looking to acquire other recordings to supplement this or already have them; and if you're a casual or new Classical fan this is really a great and, at $2 a disc, inexpensive, way to start building an instant collection.Edit: Realized I didn't really address the masterings, but many other reviewers here have tackled the issue. Suffice to say: The Mahler is the Carnegie Hall (and most recent) mastering. They sound wonderful. Anything else that was released under the Bernstein Century moniker uses the same mastering here. Anything not released in that series uses the Royal Edition masterings. I agree with others that I find little difference between the Century and Royal masterings- Neither suffered from egregious noise reduction or tampering and did justice to the original recordings as far as I'm concerned.

an excellent array of famous and less famous symphonies.........well done.

I was considering purchasing the original jackets Bernstein Sony box-set which retails at close to £200. However, a friend informed me that many of the remastered recordings in that set are over-processed and sound inferior - louder, less hiss, in some cases, but losing their immediacy due to a reduction in dynamic range. I was surprised to see that Sony has rereleased this Bernstein: The Symphony Edition, limited edition, box-set and I didn't hesitate to purchase as I missed it first time around. incidentally, the price of this set, once deleted, increased dramatically! Well, now the box-set is in my possession and the music is priceless... I own quite a few of the recordings in this set in previous incarnations but I didn't own the Beethoven and Brahms recordings or the Schumann or the Tchaikovsky recordings included in this box, or indeed Chavez? Blitzstein? Shapero? This set is a voyage of discovery and young Lenny's enthusiasm and musical intelligence are infectious - I have many box sets, but this is one of the few that I've received and listened to disregarding all others. The music comes alive, is fresh, vibrant and seems freshly minted under Bernstein's baton, and no-one could accuse Bernstein of being a "time beater"... that musical intelligence is locked onto the inner meaning of the notes on the page... the music! And the pulse, the rhythm and indeed the dynamism and sheer joie de vivre bring the music to life. At the current asking price of £83 the set represents an excellent bargain... I purchased the Sony "Carnegie Hall" remastered Mahler set some five or six years ago and it was priced at over £70, if memory serves. Anyway, that remastered Mahler set is included in this Bernstein big box and the sound quality is improved, but I'm not convinced by the remastered Sibelius set which was also remastered by Andreas K. Meyer and I prefer the eighties/early nineties remasters included in this box-set. So, the set is a bargain and not to be missed by any self-respecting Bernstein admirer. Lenny is all about the music - music lovers form an orderly queue...

This big box contains 60 CDs, all from the analogue era when Bernstein was mainly associated with the New York Philharmonic. A few other orchestras appear, but the NYPO carry the lion’s share of the recordings. At this time the NYPO were a superb orchestra, well drilled and sonically splendid.The CBS recordings often sounded a bit light and fiery on LP, they sound much fuller in these CD remastering.The main impression is that Bernstein loved music of a wide period of time. His enthusiasm infects Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, right through to Mahler, Ives, Copland, Diamond. I didn’t find a single disk which might be described as dull or routine. Indeed, Bernstein injects the most ardent musicianship for so-called “lesser works” such as Goldmark’s Rustic Wedding Symphony. Here, it comes across as a deeply-felt masterpiece. The central, slow movement is incredibly moving as played here.There are some real surprises for those not realising that Bernstein played other than mainstream Classical repertoire. His Vaughan Williams 4 is tremendous, his Bruckner 9 intense and moving.Bernstein was a master of 20th Century American symphonies, his passionate advocacy of works rarely played today is to be admired.Some of the things in this box are among the finest things ever recorded in the LP age, his CBS Mahler cycle, for example. Yes, it divides opinion, but it was tremendously important in the 1960s Mahler revival. I grew up with these recordings, and they never fail to challenge and impress.For the modest asking price, this box can be warmly recommended. Bernstein was at his mercurial best when these recordings were made, before his readings became more idiosyncratic in older age, even though that sometimes made for staggeringly musical results.Buy it whilst you have the opportunity.

Shapero's Symphony is embedded in this great and varied collection of which I've heard only ten or so discs: the Schumann(Robt.) symphonies are terrific in my estimation not necessarily better than Szell's, but livelier. The Haydn symphonies are equally satisfying; but back to Shapero. If you haven't heard this, you've missed the most ingenious American symphony of the post-WW2 era. And then there's Tchaikovsky, Sibelius, Mahler, and Shostakovich to look forward to, and the Vaughan Williams 4th Symphony that's rumored to be one of the best versions out there. At the price I paid for this set it's an outstanding bargain and a much better deal than the Bernstein Remastered Edition when you compare the bagful of dribs and drabs offered by that set with complete symphonic cycles offered by this one.

wow. what a fantastic purchase.the beethoven symphonies are great.as are the sibelius.shostatakoviches 7th symphony is very rousing. the haydn is good and the tchaikovsky.quite expensive .60 cds.well worth the money.

A box of delights. Maybe the greatest conductor of the 20th century. If you want evidence for that, here it is. Incomparable performances by the most charismatic conductor and a unique composer.