As might be expected, Leonard Slatkin turns in stylish and idiomatic performances of these established Bernstein classics. He hasn’t quite Lenny’s manic energy in such passages as the Jeremiah Symphony’s middle movement, but then again who does? Certainly there’s nothing second rate in the playing of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, nor in Michelle DeYoung’s movingly sung concluding “Lamentation” or James Tocco’s bright and breezy take on The Age of Anxiety’s jazzy solo part (his “Seven Stages” variations sound particularly zesty). Slatkin knows how to build Bernstein’s climaxes with unashamed enthusiasm too: the epic closing pages of the Second Symphony achieve grandeur without a trace of bombast. And there’s no denying that he characterizes the charming vignettes that comprise the Divertimento with as much gusto as did Lenny himself. The “Turkey Trot” is especially delightful, with snappy percussion to the fore. Chandos captures the whole production in bold, gratifyingly clear sound, though a touch less resonance would have served the music’s rhythmic foundations a bit better. As a survey of Bernstein the “serious” composer, this disc earns an enthusiastic recommendation, even if it doesn’t quite beat the master.
