Leonard Bernstein recorded two outstanding versions of Shostakovich’s First Symphony, one with the New York Philharmonic (Sony) and the other with the Chicago Symphony (DG), so the principal attraction of this performance, though vividly performed by a crack pick-up orchestra of young musicians, will be the extensive rehearsal segment that precedes it. Watching Bernstein rehearse is always interesting, not just for his insights into the music, but for the way he manages to convey them so cogently, with a minimum of fuss and bother, making the process of rehearsing stimulating both intellectually as well as on a practical, musical level. When he doesn’t get what he wants he can be a touch cranky, as when he can’t understand why the principal clarinetist won’t maintain the steady forte indicated in the score on her first entrance (and of course, he’s right).
For the most part, though, his interaction with the group is just plain fun, and it’s evident that Bernstein was no less charismatic in rehearsal than in performance. Of course, he knew that he was being filmed and doubtless accommodated himself accordingly, but the bottom line is that Bernstein couldn’t help but be entertaining. It’s just who he was. The sonics are what you might call typical soundtrack quality–certainly not comparable to Bernstein’s two commercial recordings of this work, but everything is crystal clear in the rehearsal portions, with Lenny’s voice and the orchestra well balanced against each other so that you don’t have to fiddle with the volume levels. Predictably, there are also some interspersed comments from orchestra members about just how wonderful it is to be working with the Great Man, but happily these are kept to a minimum. Bernstein fans surely won’t want to miss this.
