Tracks: 1. A White House Cantata: Part I: Prelude 2. 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) 3. A White House Cantata: Part I: President John Adams (1797 - 1801) - If I Was A Dove (Little Lud Escapes From Slavery...) (Little Lud, Slaveowners) 4. 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) 5. A White House Cantata: Part I: President John Adams(1797 - 1801) - Take Care Of This House (Mrs. Adams, Little Lud) 6. A White House Cantata: Part I: President Thomas Jefferson (1801 - 09) - The President Jefferson Sunday Luncheon March (Thomas Jefferson entertains.) (President Jefferson, Guests) 7. A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Madison (1809 - 17) - Seena (Grown-Up Lud Admires Thomaseena, Another Young Servant. (Lud) 8. 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) 9. A White House Cantata: Part I: President James Monroe (1817 - 25) - Lud's Wedding (Lud And Seena Are Married.) (Lud, Seena, Chorus) 10. 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) 11. 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) 12. 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) 13. 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) 14. 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) 15. 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... 16. 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) 17. 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) 18. 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)
Posted 2007-08-05 20:52:47: Amazon.com Editoral Review: There is a resurgence of interest in Leonard Bernstein the composer these days. This disc helps to readdress the hegemony of West Side Story, a piece that has tended to eclipse his remaining output. Bernstein prepared A White House Cantata as a concert version of the musical that was written in collaboration with Alan Jay Lerner, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The cantata presents scenes that are centered on the White House, and simultaneously explores racial issues, in an engaging and often witty (sometimes hilarious) way. DG has assembled an all-star cast: Thomas Hampson is the perfect choice for the President, his voice deep and authoritative. The production is blessed also with the excellent chorus London Voices; the LSO under Kent Nagano is in top form. Special mention should go also to 15-year-old Victor Acquah, who is quite superb in "If I Was a Dove." Bernstein's musical voice is archetypically American, and his country of origin is immediately apparent in the nostalgic prelude. His send-up of perceived Englishness is deliciously witty, but it is when Bernstein is in inspirational mode that he is most successful. --Colin Clarke
