Part 1:
- The Prologue
- The Seven Ages
- The Seven Stages
Part 2:
- The Dirge
- The Masque
- The Epilogue

It's literally been many, many years since I've last listened to the Symphony No. 2 "The Age of Anxiety" by Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990). So much so that I had forgotten how starkly and poignantly plaintive the Prologue sounds, and how it so effectively evokes the sense of desolate, shallow emptiness the poem by W.H. Auden, on which the symphony is based, attempts to convey through its main characters. And when the piano part steps in at the Variation I, Krystian Zimerman's deeply expressive playing really throws into relief the profound feelings of anxiety and irresolution that permeate this work. All in all there are 14 variations on the main idea, ranging in tone from deep contemplation to shameless exhilaration in which Simon Rattle and Zimerman deftly capture the frenzied excess of it all. And Zimerman's solo piano in the sixth variation reiterates the prologue's sense of singularity by emphasizing its feeling of isolation. And if the dark tone of the prologue didn't convey in you a feeling of deep sadness, the long sequence of descending piano notes set against bleak orchestral textures in the seventh variation certainly will. Traces of Roy Harris permeate the dramatic Variation 8 in which again the highly nuanced phrasing by Zimerman sets the tone. The Dirge, an Adagio which follows the set of variations, could be perceived as the slow movement and the core of the symphony, as it swells to great levels of anger and despair, and then fades away into enigmatic darkness. Zimerman's playing in the jazzy Masque that follows, is loose and carefree, and actually sounds inebriated and improvised as it should, for this is when the poem's characters party and take part in an improvised and pretend wedding ceremony, as if only love can save them. The Berlin Philharmonic members do a great job here and manage to sound like an actual jazz combo. At the beginning of the Epilogue, as some of the characters leave the party, and the uplifting jazz music recedes into the darkness of night, the weight and scope of the "human condition" really hits home. But ever so gradually the music takes on a hopeful tone as if the darkness of night turns into a glorious sunrise.

This is the flip side of Leonard Bernstein's output, far removed from musicals and jazz ballets, but nonetheless Bernstein at his best as an American composer. The booklet notes explain: "When Leonard Bernstein celebrated his 70th birthday, Krystian Zimerman was asked to perform Symphony No. 2 (The Age of Anxiety) with Bernstein for the first time. Full of praise for Zimerman's performance, Bernstein asked the pianist to perform the piece again when the composer turned 100. To fulfill that promise, Zimerman releases a new recording of Bernstein's Symphony No. 2, performed with the Berlin Philharmonic and conducted by Simon Rattle in his last appearance as its chief conductor."

If Bernstein were still alive today, this would have made for an amazing tribute and profoundly moving birthday gift. As a side note, and I know this is all very suggestive, I think the cover image, which recalls the Andy Warhol, superficial pop-art days of the 1960s is brilliantly fitting.