Leonard Bernstein: The Symphony Edition

NEW YORK, Nov. 18, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- The legacy of Leonard Bernstein – as a conductor, composer, and music advocate – in the history of twentieth-century American music can hardly be overstated. In this anniversary year, Sony Classical presents Leonard Bernstein: the Symphony Edition – specially created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his death, available November 22, 2010.

"My brother, sister and I grew up surrounded by the sounds of the music our father performed and recorded with the New York Philharmonic and various other orchestras around the world. Along the way, these performances and recordings imbued us with a deep understanding and love for this rich repertoire. It was always our hope that the multitude of symphonic recordings our father made over the course of his extraordinary career could be gathered together, to serve as an essential body of reference for all those with an interest in classical music: students, teachers, the curious and the fanatical. We were sure that by having access to the totality of these outstanding recordings, any music lover could feel they were in the possession of a truly comprehensive resource – not to mention a trove of beauty.  And now, thanks to Sony, our dream has come true. This superbly assembled set of our father's symphonic recordings is sure to give the world the same sense we grew up with: that this repertoire was at our fingertips – always available, always beautiful, and in the finest possible renditions."

-Jamie Bernstein, Leonard Bernstein's daughter

Leonard Bernstein: the Symphony Edition is a 60-CD set that includes all of Bernstein's symphonic recordings – fifty-seven of them recorded with the New York Philharmonic from 1953 to 1976, during his historic years with the orchestra. Included are complete cycles of the Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Sibelius symphonies, as well as milestone recordings of Shostakovich's 5th Symphony, Ives's 2nd Symphony, and Haydn's "Paris" and "London" Symphonies.  The complete set allows listeners to experience the magnificent world of the symphony in all its variety and provides a fascinating document of a great conductor and composer at the height of his career.

The limited edition box set presents each disc in an individually repackaged design with sixty stunning pictures of the maestro. Leonard Bernstein: the Symphony Edition also includes a large-format book with extensive essays by Klaus Geitel, a prominent German journalist and renowned German musicologist, Wolfgang Stahr.

SOURCE Sony Classical