For those not in the classical know, Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the US to receive worldwide acclaim. According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history."

His fame derived from his long tenure as the music director of the New York Philharmonic, from his conducting of concerts with most of the world's leading orchestras, and from his music for West Side Story, Peter Pan, Candide, Wonderful Town, On the Town, On the Waterfront, his Mass, and a range of other compositions, including three symphonies and many shorter chamber and solo works.

Indeed, Bernstein was the first conductor to give a series of television lectures on classical music, starting in 1954 and continuing until his death. He was a skilled pianist, often conducting piano concertos from the keyboard.

As a composer he wrote in many styles encompassing symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theatre music, choral works, opera, chamber music and pieces for the piano. Many of his works are regularly performed around the world, although none has matched the tremendous popular and critical success of West Side Story.

In short, Leonard Bernstein was a musical titan of the 20th Century as a composer, a conductor and a communicator. “The greatest pianist among the conductors, the greatest conductor among composers, the greatest composer among pianists … He is a universal genius” - Arthur Rubenstein.

Released on May 4th, 2018 via Deutsche Grammophon, this impressive Bernstein: Complete Works [26 CDs + 3 DVDs] Box-Set contains Leonard Bernstein’s complete published works collected together for the first time.

Inclusive of his music for ballet, opera and musicals, his incidental music, scores for film, orchestra and chamber ensembles, vocal scores and piano music, along with the magnificent (and also just-released) 'Leonard Bernstein: The Complete Recordings On Deutsche Grammophon & Decca' (a 100th Anniversary Limited Numbered Edition Box-Set, itself containing a massive 121 CDs, 36 DVDs and 1 Blu-ray audio disc, there simply is no other collection of Bernstein music out there today.

The highlights of which include, but are not limited to:
• Bernstein conducting Bernstein: including Symphonies 1-3 · Dybbuk: Suites 1 & 2 · Facsimile · Fancy Free · Candide · West Side Story · A Quiet Place · Songfest · and more
• A number of new recordings, made expressly for this edition include:
1. A recording of Mass with no less than three choirs and a line-up of no fewer than nineteen vocal soloists, and the Philadelphia Orchestra directed by Yannick Nézet-Séguin (this will also be released as a standalone album)
2. American pianist Katie Mahan’s survey of his piano music, from the early Sonata (1938) through to Thirteen Anniversaries (1988)
3. Chamber music for brass & wind ensembles with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
4. Variations on an Octatonic Scale with Lucie Horsch, recorder and Kian Soltani, cello.
5. Songs with Angela Brower, mezzo-soprano and Katie Mahan, piano.
• Live recordings include: Symphonies 1 & 2 · On the Waterfront · Prelude, Fugue and Riffs · Facsimile · Fancy Free · On The Town · A Quiet Place · A White House Cantata · Chichester Psalms · and more
• Three DVDs:
1. A video-taped live recording of Bernstein conducting Candide, drawn from two London Barbican performances in December 1989. Bernstein also gives an amusing and thoughtful five minute introduction to the work immediately before the video-taped performance and a short afterword
2. The acclaimed behind-the-scenes story of the recording of West Side Story, with all its triumphs and tribulations
3. An intimate documentary (1993) illustrating why Bernstein’s status as our most gifted and charismatic music communicator has yet to be challenged. With archival footage from every aspect and phase of his extraordinary career – as conductor, composer, pianist, teacher, and humanitarian.

Contents:
Bernstein: Symphony No. 1 'Jeremiah'
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Christa Ludwig (mezzo soprano)

Bernstein: Concerto for Orchestra 'Jubilee Games' (1986-1989)
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Symphony No. 2 'The Age of Anxiety'
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Lukas Foss (piano)

Bernstein: Symphony No. 3 'Kaddish'
Wiener Jeunesse-Chor, Wiener Sängerknaben, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Halil - nocturne for flute, percussion and piano or orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Jean-Pierre Rampal (flute)

Bernstein: Meditations (3) from 'Mass'
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Mstislav Rostropovich (cello)

Bernstein: On the Waterfront: Symphonic Suite
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Prelude, Fugue & Riffs for Solo Clarinet and Jazz Ensemble
Wiener Philharmoniker; Leonard Bernstein; Peter Schmidl (clarinet)

Bernstein: Dybbuk Suite Nos. 1 & 2
New York Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Paul Sperry (tenor), Bruce Fifer (bass-baritone)

Bernstein: A Quiet Place - Orchestral Suite
London Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Divertimento for Orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: A Musical Toast
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Slava! A political Overture
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Dance Episodes (3) from ‘On The Town'
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Facsimile - Choreographic essay for orchestra
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: CBS Music
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop

Bernstein: Serenade (after Plato's 'Symposium')
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Gidon Kremer (violin)

Bernstein: Fancy Free, ballet
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: On the Town
London Symphony Orchestra, London Voices; Michael Tilson Thomas; Frederica von Stade (Claire), Tyne Daley (Hildy), Thomas Hampson (Gabey), Samuel Ramey (Pitkin/First Workman/Announcer), Cleo Laine (Nightclub Singer), Kurt Ollmann (Chip), Evelyn Lear (Madame Dilly), Marie McLaughlin (Ivy)

Bernstein: Peter Pan
Amber Chamber Orchestra; Alexander Frey

Bernstein: Trouble in Tahiti
M-G-M Orchestra; Arthur Winograd; Beverly Wolff (Dinah), David Atkinson (Sam), Miriam Workman, Earl Rogers, Robert Bollinger (The Trio) - Original Broadway Cast Recording

Bernstein: Wonderful Town
Lehman Engel; Rosalind Russell (Ruth), Edie Adams (Eileen) - Original Broadway Cast Recording

Bernstein: Candide
London Symphony Chorus & Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Jerry Hadley (Candide), June Anderson (Cunegonde), Adolph Green (Dr. Pangloss/Martin), Christa Ludwig (Old Lady), Nicolai Gedda; (Governor/Vanderdendur/Ragotski)

Bernstein: West Side Story
Leonard Bernstein; Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita), Kurt Ollmann (Riff)

Bernstein: West Side Story Suite
The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble

Bernstein: West Side Story: Symphonic Dances
Los Angeles Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: A Quiet Place
ORF Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: A White House Cantata
London Voices, London Symphony Orchestra; Kent Nagano

Bernstein: Mass
Philadelphia Orchestra, Westminster Symphonic Choir, Temple University Concert Choir, The American Boychoir, Temple University Diamond Marching Band; Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Bernstein: Mass: An Orchestral Suite
The Boston Pops Orchestra; Arthur Fiedler

Bernstein: Chichester Psalms
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Jeunesse-Chor; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: Songfest
National Symphony Orchestra Washington; Leonard Bernstein; Donald Gramm (bass), Clamma Dale (soprano), John Reardon (baritone), Neil Rosenshein (tenor), Nancy Williams (mezzo soprano), Rosalind Elias (mezzo soprano)

Bernstein: Arias & Barcarolles
London Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein; Frederica von Stade (mezzo soprano), Thomas Hampson (baritone)

Bernstein: Hashkiveinu (Sabbath prayer for peace)
BBC Singers; Avner Ital; Hans Peter Blochwitz (tenor)

Bernstein: Simch Na
Rochester Singers; Samuel Adler

Bernstein: Reenah
Rochester Singers; Samuel Adler

Bernstein: Yigdal (Hymn of praise)
Rochester Singers; Samuel Adler

Bernstein: The Lark
São Paulo Symphony Chorus, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop; Claire Bloom (narrator), Paulo Mestre (counter tenor)

Bernstein: Warm-Up (from Mass)
Denver St. John's Episcopal Cathedral Choirs; Donald Pearson

Bernstein: Olympic Hymn
L'Orchestra Cinematique; Michael John Simmonds

Bernstein: Missa Brevis
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus; Robert Shaw

Bernstein: Psalm 148
Angelina Reaux (mezzo soprano), Barry Snyder (piano)

Bernstein: I Hate Music, a cycle of five 'kid songs'
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: Afterthought
Angela Brower (mezzo soprano), Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: La Bonne Cuisine, 4 recipes
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: Extinguish My Eyes
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: When My Soul Touches Yours
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: Silhouette (Galilee)
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: So Pretty
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: Up! Up! Up!
Angela Brower (mezzo soprano), Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: My New Friends (from The Madwoman of Central Park West)
Angela Brower (mezzo soprano), Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Piccola Serenata
Roberta Alexander (soprano), Tan Crone (piano)

Bernstein: Piano trio
Ahn Trio

Bernstein: Violin Sonata
Arnold Steinhardt (violin), Victor Steinhardt (piano)

Bernstein: Clarinet Sonata
Todd Palmer (clarinet), Carol Archer (piano)

Bernstein: Brass Music
Brass Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Bernstein: Fanfare for the Inauguration of JFK
Wind Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Barry Wordsworth

Bernstein: Fanfare for the 25th Anniversary of the High School of Music and Art, New York City
Wind Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Percussion Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Barry Wordsworth

Bernstein: Shivaree
Brass Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Bernstein: Dance Suite for Brass Quintet
Brass Ensemble of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Bernstein: Variations on an Octatonic Scale
Lucie Horsch (recorder)m Kian Soltani (cello)

Bernstein: Non troppo presto
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Music for two pianos
Maki Namekawa (piano), Dennis Russell Davies (piano)

Bernstein: Piano Sonata
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Music for the Dance No. 2
Katie Mahan (piano)

Copland: El Salón México
Andrew Cooperstock (piano); arr. for Piano Bernstein

Bernstein: Anniversaries (7)
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Anniversaries (4) for piano (1948)
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Four Sabras
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Anniversaries (5) for piano (1949-51)
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Bridal Suite
Andrew Cooperstock (piano)

Bernstein: Touches - Chorale, Eight Variations and Coda
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Anniversaries (13)
Katie Mahan (piano)

Bernstein: Big Stuff (from Fancy Free)
Billie Holiday (vocals)

Bernstein: Fancy Free, ballet
Ballet Theatre Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein: On the Town: selections
Lyn Murray Chorus; Brian Drutman

Bernstein: Candide
London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra; Leonard Bernstein' Jerry Hadley (Candide), June Anderson (Cunegonde), Adolph Green (Dr. Pangloss/Martin), Christa Ludwig (Old Lady), Nicolai Gedda (Govenor/Vanderdendur/Ragotski), Della Jones (Paquette), Kurt Ollmann (Maximilian/Captain) - DVD

Now, as for all the glorious music contained within this simply heavenly DG box-set, well, obviously I can't go into detail about it all, but suffice to say a few of my own stand out favorite moments (and ones that are the usual go-to works) are as follows:

The combined genius of Bernstein and Sondheim made 'West Side Story' one of the quintessential American musical films of all time-and made its soundtrack one of the world's most successful albums, too.

Indeed, this disc alone from the box-set covers the entire spectrum of musical emotion for me. The score is brilliant, especially all the tremendous percussion and there are even parts where the coda's are being played like the musicians are seemingly having a ball!

The slower tempo allows Bernstein's intricate rhythms to shine through magnificently. You can really hear why Bernstein thought "America" was one of the best songs he ever wrote.

Another gem is the blossoming beauty, Bernstein: Arias & Barcarolles. Man, Bernstein was a legend in his own time and the music world is less for his absence. But here is a chance to sample the spectrum of this 20th century wonder.

From the uncommonly American sound of West Side Story (Symphonic Dances) to the gentle, brooding introspection of Arias and Barcarolles not unlike this composer's mentor Gustav Mahler, we have on one CD a taste of why Bernstein will live beyond his lifetime.

"The Love Duet," a fantastically existential song, is a real gem, and "Little Smary and Mr. and Mrs. Webb Say Goodnight" are also wonderful pieces also. The "A Quiet Place - Orchestral Suite" is another work of musical art, of course. The opera was a late expansion of "Trouble in Tahiti," one of his best early pieces and, sure, perhaps it has subsequently become rather labored in places, but is still a genuine work of the highest order from the great man.

An enormous success at the time, with a Broadway run of 559 performances, Wonderful Town shows off the talents of Bernstein, Comden and Green, who wrote the songs against the clock in just four weeks. Whether it’s jazz, cod-Irish, ragtime, ballad or conga, there’s the sound of creativity working at full stretch.

Written by Bernstein, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the show is about two sisters (Rosalind Russell & Edith Adams) from Ohio who move to Greenwich Village to try and make it in the big city.

Bernstein co-wrote this music after that other Town show, On The Town, and as much as that former show was a success as well, it was this one that stole the show for his admirers.

Lastly, I will obviously have to give a definitive nod to a piece that used to be, weirdly, extraordinarily hard to find; but nonetheless is still very important in Bernstein's oeuvre. The piece, 'A Quiet Place,' which incorporates his earlier seven-scene opera Trouble in Tahiti (A Quiet Place is incorporated as a series of flashbacks to when Dinah was still alive), along with his little known work Missa Brevis (also written very late), are truly must haves for the Bernstein collectors.

Much criticized at the time, especially for the libretto, this one full length opera today still seems brilliant and almost prescient in its subject matter.

• The Complete Works is as complete a set as it is currently possible to assemble
• 100th Anniversary Edition assembled with the full support of the Leonard Bernstein Estate
• 140-page book (in E/F/G) with extensive documentation.

Official Bernstein: Complete Works [26 CDs + 3 DVDs] Purchase Link