http://www.pbs.org/wnet/a...ein_l.html



During my school years in NYC, I became aware of Leonard Bernstein as the conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra through his very popular Young People's Concerts series.

Beyond the music itself, visually he was a very dynamic and enthusiastic conductor to watch...



...as he appeared to become possessed by the sounds.


His Broadway works (West Side Story, Candide) and his very visible association with civil/human rights causes, made him a very high profile personality beyond Classical music circles.




...A young Bernstein rehearsing with Marian Anderson (1947)


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

Comments to come later...

i went to the young people concerts, and saw Leonard Bernstein, as well as Michael Tillson Thomas. Leonard was a bright talent, not only for classical music, and the american theater, but for New York as well.

Bernstein was famously one of the first people in the classical world to get hip to the quality of some of the new pop music of the '60s, such as the Beatles and in particular the work of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys (whom I believe Bernstein featured performing the famous 'Surf's Up', from Wilson's (now-finished) classic 'Smile')on one of his TV shows.

Bernstein made great play of the 'new sounds' of the '60s (though 'Much of it is trash', he also admitted, 'the small percentage that is good is among the most exciting music of today'. Some things never change ...

He also went on to compose his own classical/ rock suite in the early '70s, which was badly received at the time.

Bernstein seems to have been treated as an outsider in the classical world for much of his career (too pop for the classicals and too classical for the pop people?), but their loss was music theatre's gain, I suppose.

PBS' American Masters and American Experience are always top notch

Is this new, or has it been around for a while cause im almost certain Ive seen this before?

lazycrockett said:

According to IMDB, it was released in 1999.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

A History of Leonard Bernstein


Bach's Concerto in D Minor w/Glenn Gould


Beethoven's Symphony No.9 - (Ode to Freedom)


Mahler's Symphony No.7 (Finale)


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

1. My favorite part of the show was when Bernstein conducted the orchestra without moving his arms, just with eye contact, raising eyebrows and facial expression.

2. West Side Story is one of the most fantastic scores ever written. The fact that Bernstein tried to somewhat distance himself from it, in an effort to be considered a more serious composer in the mold of Mahler -- is evidence of an artist cowtowing to public opinion and a symptom of the rigid categories and expectations imposed upon artists in general, and its a shame.

3. I found his megalomania highly annoying. This show, in particular, presented him as quite self-obsessed...the stereotypical tortured artist always doubting his work. This modernist paradigm becomes more and more irritating when we look back and see all the groups, i.e. women and minorities, basically excluded across the board from the field of conducting and composing symphonic work. So it's especially painful to watch this fame master's ego gone wild when plenty of talented people don't even get a shot at doing what they love because of their race or gender.

By the way, here's an informative article on women conductors:
http://www.juilliard.edu/...es476.html

heartbeatocean said:

I hear what you're saying but wouldn't you agree that his public flamboyance and the sort of "Rock Star" status he attained did much to attract the great unwashed to Classical music?


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

In a related note I think "Surf's Up by Brian Wilson is amazing. Most people would probably go WTF? But the chord changes are great.

http://www.youtube.com/wa...ed&search=

theAudience said:

If you say so. It was also interesting that he tried to come out as a gay man but couldn't really handle the lifestyle.

heartbeatocean said:

OK.

Do you think a more conservative Arthur Fiedler type would have been better suited for the gig?
(with the ultimate goal being to attract those that wouldn't ordinarily listen to Classical music.)


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

...






I always admired his approach in introducing new people to the music in both Classical and Jazz( with regard to the latter, I particularly liked the way he broke down complex ideas of rhythm, harmony and improvisation into easy to understand concepts for the uninitiated, with the input of great guest performers like Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, Benny Golson, and Eric Dolphy. I liked the fact that instead of trying to demonstrate on his own, he got the greats from each style to demonstrate their craft. I can tell he probably enjoyed teaching, and exposing people to new concepts.
Btw, he was still proud of his West Side Story score, and he returned to record a new version in 1984, conducting his own score for the first time. In fact, I think he seemed most at home with mixing Classical, Jazz and Pop idioms, a type of blend he would return to off and on throughout his career.









...
[Edited 11/1/06 14:41pm]

theAudience said:

This conversation is getting to be over my head. I actually don't know much about Bernstein (or his affect on the culture at the time) except what I saw on that show.

heartbeatocean said:

I'm sorry...

It's just that as a kid in NYC, I grew up with him and saw firsthand what his influence was.


tA

Tribal Disorder

http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431

theAudience said:

Please share more! I love what you said about him being possessed by the sounds. I'd like to have seen that, or better yet, have gotten into his head and experienced it!
[Edited 11/1/06 14:41pm]

I saw a biography about L. Bernstein. Westside Story**sigh**--my favorite, favorite musical of all time. I just love that score. Stunning. The music makes my heart sing. Yeah.. now that music was from God or the higher power.

A little tidbit, as I recall, he may have had an affair with Danny Kaye--the singer, dancer, actor?? I recall seeing that on the biography. I might be confusing him with someone else.
[Edited 11/2/06 18:00pm]