West Side Story--we all know the story; we all know the tunes. So it's a brave man who takes on the challenge of reworking it as a suite for violin and orchestra, even though Bernstein gave the concept his blessing when it was mooted more than a dozen years ago. William David Brohn is the hero of the hour, producing not just a finely crafted, cleverly structured work, but offering a real addition to the violin's repertoire. Of course he's blessed here with a dream team: the still-underrated David Zinman, the excellent Philharmonia, and Joshua Bell, who combines nonchalant virtuosity (put to brilliant use in two cadenzas, the second his own), a true taste for the idiom and that fabulous rich (but never cloying) sound of his. Brohn's Suite is no mere "greatest hits" medley held together with bland musical stuffing, but a composite piece in its own right, with melodies growing organically out of the background. It's very tautly written, with material worked and reworked in endlessly inventive ways--the instantly recognisable three-note "Maria" motif, for example, appears right at the start and runs through the entire work, both subtly and overtly.
Brohn's two song arrangements--"Lonely Town" and, finally, "New York, New York" (which sends you dancing on your way) show the same irresistible combination of imagination and empathy for their original source. It's John Corigliano who takes a bow for the touching "Make Our Garden Grow" from Candide. He was responsible for the score The Red Violin, also featuring Bell, and once again it's an entirely happy collaboration. As for Bernstein's Serenade, the only mystery is why it doesn't feature more frequently in concert and on record. Bell rates it up there with the works of Prokofiev and Shostakovich and his conviction shines through every semiquaver. Here is a violinist who seems to be able to do no wrong, whether ensconced in mainstream repertoire or broadening the boundaries--but this is one of his finest discs yet, and a triumph for all concerned. --Harriet Smith