This is a disc for the ages: here is American music, performed with mid-century flair, a moment never to be recaptured. Bernstein had an unparalleled feel for Rhapsody in Blue, and in this recording he brought it all home, doing full justice to the still-fresh, racy, moody, spontaneous, evocative score. His performance of the solo has a smoky, sultry jazziness to it, along with a brash exuberance; there is touching tenderness in the lullaby, a riveting dynamism in the fast pages. As constituted for this recording, the Columbia Symphony consisted of some superb pickup players. An American in Paris gets a wonderfully energetic and bracing performance, one that strikes a deft balance between intimacy and grandeur. The old New York Philharmonic incandescence comes through in every bar. The account of Grofé"s Grand Canyon Suite is still the finest in the catalog. The sound has excellent presence and impact, although in the recording of the Rhapsody the violins lack bite, there is breakup in the extreme high range, and one get the sensation of "hole in the center" stereo. --Ted Libbey