Sau Paulo So/Alsop - Leonard Bernstein: Anniversaries for Orchestra, Fancy Free, Overture to Candide, Overture to Wonderful Town

The sparkling overture to Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical Candide immediately found a prominent place in concert programmes all over the world and is now one of his most frequently performed pieces. Many of Bernstein's best-loved works drew inspiration from the city of New York, and this is true both of the three sailors pursuing female conquest in the ballet Fancy Free, and of the rip-roaring swing rhythm and big tunes from the musical Wonderful Town. Bernstein celebrated his friends and family with his Anniveraries - piano vignettes heard here for the first time in colourfully expanded orchestrations. Marin Alsop's long association with Bernstein gives her unique insights into his music.