Remembering JFK includes two CDs, one of a 2011 concert commemorating the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, and one of the original inaugural concert. The anniversary concert features Christoph Eschenbach leading the National Symphony in a program of Bernstein's Fanfare for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Peter Lieberson's Remembering JFK, and Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F. Lieberson's work, written for the occasion, like Copland's Lincoln Portrait, is an orchestral meditation ...
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Remembering JFK includes two CDs, one of a 2011 concert commemorating the inauguration of John F. Kennedy, and one of the original inaugural concert. The anniversary concert features Christoph Eschenbach leading the National Symphony in a program of Bernstein's Fanfare for the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, Peter Lieberson's Remembering JFK, and Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F. Lieberson's work, written for the occasion, like Copland's Lincoln Portrait, is an orchestral meditation floated under a recited text. Lieberson's score will probably not be remembered as one of his most significant works; it's a pleasantly lyrical Copland-esque piece but it doesn't have much of a sense of direction or the distinctive combination of visceral sensuality and intellectual rigor that characterizes his best work. Richard Dreyfuss' attempt at imitating Kennedy's voice doesn't do the piece any favors. The Bernstein and Gershwin pieces have a jazzy flavor and require a...
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