Bernstein: A White House Cantata: MusicNear.com

A White House Cantata: Part I: Prelude
A White House Cantata: Part I: President George Washington (1789 - 97) - Ten Square Miles By The Potomac River (George Washington And Congress Choose A Location For the Capital City.) (President Washington, Delegates Of The 13 States)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President John Adams (1797 - 1801) - If I Was A Dove (Little Lud Escapes From Slavery...) (Little Lud, Slaveowners)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President John Adams (1797 - 1801) - Welcome Home, Miz Adams (... And Helps Abigail Adams Find The Unfinished White House.) (White House Servants)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President John Adams(1797 - 1801) - Take Care Of This House (Mrs. Adams, Little Lud)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President Thomas Jefferson (1801 - 09) - The President Jefferson Sunday Luncheon March (Thomas Jefferson entertains.) (President Jefferson, Guests)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Madison (1809 - 17) - Seena (Grown-Up Lud Admires Thomaseena, Another Young Servant. (Lud)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Madison (1809 - 17) - Sonatina (The British Dine At The White House.) (Admiral Cockburn, Officers Of The Royal Navy, Lud)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Monroe (1817 - 25) - Lud's Wedding (Lud And Seena Are Married.) (Lud, Seena, Chorus)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Monroe (1817 - 25) - The Monroviad (James And Eliza Monroe Are Sleepless. He Had Decided To Send All The Blacks, Including The Servants, To Liberia. His Wife Disagrees.) (President Monroe, Mrs. Monroe)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Monroe (1817 - 25) - This Time (For Lud And Seena, And For All Blacks, The Streets Of Washington Have Become More Dangerous.) (Seena, Lud)
A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Buchanan (1857 - 61) - We Must Have A Ball (How Can James Buchanan Avert A Civil War? (President Buchanan)
A White House Cantata: Part II: President Andrew Johnson - Bright And Black (Following Lincoln's Abolition Of Slavery And The End Of The Civil War, The White House Servants Celebrate Their Future.) (Henry, Little Lud, Seena, Lud, Other Servants)
Part II: Presidents Ulysses S. Grant (1869 - 77) And Rutherford B. Hayes (1877 - 81) - Duet For One (At The Hayes Inauguration, Julia Grant And Lucy Hayes Reflect On Their Futures - And On One Another.) (Mrs. Grant, Mrs. Hayes, President Hayes, Judge)
A White House Cantata: Part II: President Chester Alan Arthur (1881 - 85) The Money-Lovin' Minstrel Show: (A) Minstrel Parade (President Arthur Entertains Mr. Rockefeller And Mr. Vanderbilt With A Minstrel Show.) (Minstrels, Mr. Simoleon, Shekel Brothe...
A White House Cantata: Part II: President Chester Alan Arthur (1881 - 85) - The Money-Lovin' Minstrel Show: (B) Pity The Poor (Minstrels, Mr. Simoleon, Shekel Brothers)
A White House Cantata: Part II: President Chester Alan Arthur (1881 - 85) - The Money-Lovin' Minstrel Show: (C) The Grand Old Party (Minstrels, Mr. Simoleon, Shekel Brothers)
A White House Cantata: Part II: President Theodore Roosevelt (1901 - 09) - To Make Us Proud (Theodore Roosevelt Brings New Dedication To A New Century.) (President Roosevelt, Entire Company)

Free Music Notes for Bernstein: A White House Cantata

Free Music Review: Haunting, forgotten score.
Hit: 5 Stars

Bernstein forbid a cast recording after "1600" closed following only seven performances on Broadway. Until now, only "Take Care of This House" obtained a life of its own; the rest of the score, though parts were later recycled by Bernstein in other pieces, languished unheard. Finally, someone has been interested enough to take approximately half of Bernstein's massive score and make an absolutely superb recording of it. "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue" is, at last, available (albeit in a drastically abridged form) for those who might have been wondering what exactly the show was about.

The score is a masterpiece and this recording is first-rate. Though many reviewers have complained about the "operatic" performances on the disc, Bernstein set Lerner's lyrics in an operatic fashion. Lerner, a superb interpreter of his own songs, said numerous times that the songs in "1600" were the only ones he wasn't able to sing. The performances are magnificent, exactly as Bernstein intended for them to be sung. This wasn't written to be standard Broadway fare. Patricia Routledge, who played the First Ladies during the brief Broadway run, said she felt one of the show's flaws was that Lerner was trying to write another musical while Bernstein was writing a grand opera. She had a point.

The orchestrations (by Bernstein and two others) are superb, coloring the music to perfection. The conducting and vocals are fantastic, and if there is any doubt that "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue," despite its confusing plot, was a major achievement (musically and lyrically), this recording should dispel that idea. Lerner's lyrics are witty, literate, by turns hilarious and poignant: a tremendous display of lyrical virtuosity. Bernstein's score contains some of the most vital, diverse and accomplished music of his career. No wonder the musical's failure was such a crushing blow to him; he had to have known how good the score was, and to have it lost after only seven performances was a shame.

"A White House Cantata" is a unique experience, and worth every penny of its price.