This fine disc turns out to be more than the sum of its parts. The concept may stretch the boundaries of opera a bit by including music from West Side Story, but what really matters is that musically these three works by three roughly contemporaneous major 20th-century composers make an appealing and diverse program. Donald Runnicles and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra blast their way through Shostakovich’s suite from Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk with the necessary crazed virtuosity, particularly in the frantic final trio of movements. Britten’s Passacaglia, here placed before the Four Sea Interludes (and played just a touch stiffly), eases the transition into a colorful and rhythmically pointed account of these lovely pieces that stands among the finest on disc. Sunday Morning is bright and perky, Moonlight is beautifully phrased with rich strings, and the final Storm packs a terrific wallop. The excellent account of Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story provides the icing on the cake, with its especially gracious Scherzo and sizzling percussion in the Mambo and Rumble episodes. Absolutely first rate recorded sound, with firm bass, excellent balances, and a wide dynamic range completes this extremely well executed and alluring package. [7/5/2003]
