The recording was one of the first in stereo to use the original spoken dialogue between the sung portions of the opera, rather than the musical recitatives that were composed by Ernest Guiraud after Bizet's death. On July 4, 1946, Bernstein conducted the European premiere of Fancy Free with the Ballet Theatre at the Royal Opera House in London. The musical is a 20th-century American adaptation of the Shakespearean tale of Romeo and Juliet. Somewhere. Musical theater. Tempo: variable (around 135 BPM) In the same key as the original: G This track ends without fading out The song begins a capella Duration: 05:19 - Sample at: 00:59. Throughout his career, Bernstein often talked about the music of Charles Ives, who died in 1954. Near the end of his life, he conducted a historic performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. One suggestion is that he chose to marry partly to dispel rumors about his private life to help secure a major conducting appointment, following advice from his mentor Dimitri Mitropoulos about the conservative nature of orchestra boards. During his many years of teaching at Tanglewood and elsewhere, he directly taught or mentored many conductors who are performing now, including John Mauceri, Marin Alsop, Herbert Blomstedt, Edo de Waart, Alexander Frey, Paavo Järvi, Eiji Oue, Maurice Peress, Seiji Ozawa (who made his American TV debut as the guest conductor on one of the Young People's Concerts), Carl St.Clair, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Jaap van Zweden. The lovers sing softly and more slowly in a brief central episode, but soon the melody regains its animation and emotional sweep, the dazzled pair realizing their mutual love ("Tonight, tonight the world is wild and bright, going mad shooting sparks into space"). The concert was televised by NBC Television Network.[40]. [63], After much personal struggle and a turbulent on-off engagement, Bernstein married actress Felicia Cohn Montealegre on September 10, 1951. [48] In the book Dinner with Lenny, published in October 2013, author Jonathan Cott provided a thorough debunking, in the conductor's own words, of the legend which Bernstein himself described in the book as "one ... that won't go away". [68], Bernstein had asthma, which kept him from serving in the military during World War II. [80] His political life received substantial press coverage though in 1970, due to a gathering hosted at his Manhattan apartment at 895 Park Avenue[81] on January 14, 1970. Dearest Lenny: Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro by Mari Yoshihara (Oxford University Press, 2019) goes into detail about their letters and relationship including interviews with Hashimoto. His first opera, Trouble in Tahiti, was dedicated to Blitzstein and has a strong social theme, criticizing American civilization and suburban upper-class life in particular. His score to the ballet Fancy Free choreographed by Jerome Robbins commissioned by American Ballet Theatre in New York in April 1944, which was later developed into the musical On the Town with lyrics by Comden and Green that opened on Broadway in December 1944. [25], As a sophomore at Harvard, Bernstein met the conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos. [citation needed] His music was rooted in tonality but in some works like his Kaddish Symphony and the opera A Quiet Place he mixed in 12-tone elements. This title is a cover version of Tonight as made famous by West Side Story (film) Kenny Loggins & Wynonna Judd. Those familiar with Leonard Bernstein 's West Side Story are generally aware that it is … Bernstein never conducted Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F, or more than a few excerpts from Porgy and Bess, although he did discuss the latter in his article Why Don't You Run Upstairs and Write a Nice Gershwin Tune?, originally published in The New York Times and later reprinted in his 1959 book The Joy of Music. The invitation for the concerts had come from the orchestra and not from its principal conductor Herbert von Karajan. Before the concert Bernstein briefly spoke to Walter, who discussed particular difficulties in the works he was to perform. Noam Chomsky wrote in 2007 on the Znet forums about the linguistic aspects of the lecture: "I spent some time with Bernstein during the preparation and performance of the lectures. When he won the Praemium Imperiale, Japan Arts Association award for lifetime achievement in 1990,[92] he used the $100,000 that came with the award to build such a school in Nashville, that would strive to teach teachers how to better integrate music, dance, and theater into the school system which was "not working". He also undoubtedly influenced the career choices of many American musicians who grew up watching his television programmes in the 1950s and 60s. His shows West Side Story, On the Town, Wonderful Town and Candide are regularly performed, and his symphonies and concert works are programmed from time to time by orchestras around the world. Her remark echoes the earlier view of Will Crutchfield. This page lists all sheet music of Tonight (from West Side Story) by Leonard Bernstein (1918-90). His first aspirations for social change were made apparent in his producing (as a student) a recently banned opera, The Cradle Will Rock, by Marc Blitzstein, about the disparity between the working and upper class. One of his friends at Harvard was future philosopher Donald Davidson, with whom Bernstein played piano duets. The show, originally entitled Beethoven's Birthday: A Celebration in Vienna, won an Emmy and was issued on DVD in 2005. In 1951, Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic in the world premiere of Ives' Symphony No. On November 14, 1943, having recently been appointed assistant conductor to Artur Rodziński of the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein made his major conducting debut at short notice—and without any rehearsal—after guest conductor Bruno Walter came down with the flu. Bernstein was the first American-born conductor to lead an American orchestra. [9], Bernstein was the recipient of many honors, including eleven Emmy Awards,[10] one Tony Award,[11] seventeen Grammy Awards,[12] including the Lifetime Achievement and the Kennedy Center Honor. He recorded it for a second time with the orchestra on tour in Japan in 1979. In 1947, Bernstein conducted in Tel Aviv for the first time, beginning a lifelong association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, then known as the Palestine Symphony Orchestra. [86] Both Bernstein and his wife Felicia responded to the criticism, arguing that they were motivated not by a shallow desire to express fashionable sympathy but by their concern for civil liberties. Mahler's music had never been performed for such an event, and since the tribute to JFK, Mahler symphonies have become part of the Philharmonic's standard repertoire for national mourning.[50]. [18], His father was the owner of The Samuel Bernstein Hair and Beauty Supply Company. Sixteen years later, at the State Opera, Bernstein conducted his sequel to Trouble in Tahiti, A Quiet Place, with the ORF orchestra. [79], Like many of his friends and colleagues, Bernstein had been involved in various left-wing causes and organizations since the 1940s. "Tonight" is a song from the musical West Side Story with music written by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. [53], In October 1976, Leonard Bernstein led the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and pianist Claudio Arrau in an Amnesty International Benefit Concert in Munich. As a composer he wrote in many styles, including symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theatre music, choral works, opera, chamber music and works for the piano. Years later he conducted at the funeral mass in 1968 for President Kennedy's brother Robert F. Kennedy, featuring the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony. In December 1989, Bernstein conducted live performances and recorded in the studio his operetta Candide with the London Symphony Orchestra. [49], On November 23, 1963, the day after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, Leonard Bernstein conducted the New York Philharmonic and the Schola Cantorum of New York in a nationally televised memorial featuring the "Resurrection Symphony" by Gustav Mahler. But here you are And what was just a world is a star Tonight. It was published in 1956. Speech-like exchanges; lyrical love duet. [106], From 1994–2011, the category was split into, Music director of the New York Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic U.S. State Department tour, Metropolitan Opera and Vienna State Opera debuts, Felicia Montealegre Bernstein Fund of Amnesty International USA, Influence and characteristics as a conductor, Influence and characteristics as a composer. "March 24, 1965: "The Night the 'Stars' Came Out in Alabama, "Upheaval in the East: Berlin; Near the Wall, Bernstein Leads an Ode to Freedom", "Leonard Bernstein: 'charismatic, pompous – and a great father, "Leonard Bernstein Dies; Conductor, Composer Music: Renaissance man of his art was 72. BERNARDO The Sharks are gonna have their way Tonight. often involves discussing the degree to which he created something new as art versus simply skillfully borrowing and fusing together elements from others. Bernstein recalled, “To me, in those days, the Pops was heaven itself … I thought … it was the supreme achievement of the human race.”[21] It was at this concert that Bernstein first heard Ravel's Boléro, which made a tremendous impression on him.[22]. Bernstein was named the music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1957, replacing Dimitri Mitropoulos. Sam took his son to orchestral concerts in his teenage years and eventually supported his music education. To honor his late wife and to continue their joint support for human rights, Leonard Bernstein established the Felicia Montealegre Bernstein Fund of Amnesty International USA to provide aid for human rights activists with limited resources.[54]. [93] Unfortunately, the school was not able to open until shortly after Bernstein's death. Nine more Omnibus lectures followed from 1955 to 1961 (later on ABC and then NBC) covering jazz, conducting, American musical comedy, modern music, J.S. In October, when Bernstein and the orchestra returned to the U.S., they recorded the symphony for Columbia. He made two recordings of Shostakovich's Leningrad Symphony (No. [72] Professional criticism of Bernstein's music[by whom?] Blitzstein, who attended the performance, subsequently became a close friend and mentor to Bernstein. The concert was televised live, worldwide, on Christmas Day, 1989. In his later years, Bernstein's life and work were celebrated around the world (as they have been since his death). [27], After graduating from Harvard with a B.A. [43] Some of Bernstein's music lectures were released on records; a recording of Humor in Music was awarded a Grammy award for Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) in 1961. He wasn't conflicted about it at all. He had conducted the same work in West Berlin the previous day. A major period of upheaval in Bernstein's personal life began in 1976 when he decided that he could no longer conceal his homosexuality and he left his wife Felicia for a period to live with the musical director of the classical music radio station KKHI in San Francisco, Tom Cothran. [57] Bernstein, in his spoken introduction, said that they had "taken the liberty" of doing this because of a "most likely phony" story, apparently believed in some quarters, that Schiller wrote an "Ode to Freedom" that is now presumed lost. In 1985 he took the European Community Youth Orchestra in a "Journey for Peace" tour across Europe and Japan. The two major works he produced at this time were his Kaddish Symphony, dedicated to the recently assassinated President John F. Kennedy, and the Chichester Psalms, which he produced during a sabbatical year he took from the Philharmonic in 1965 to concentrate on composition. Two days later, Rostropovich was granted his exit visa. Add to basket. [34] The program included works by Schumann, Miklós Rózsa, Wagner and Richard Strauss's Don Quixote with cello soloist Joseph Schuster. His affairs with men included a ten-year relationship with Kunihiko Hashimoto, a Tokyo insurance employee. Bernstein, Walter and Mitropoulos conducted performances. However, his public standing and many of his close friendships appear to have remained unaffected, and he resumed his busy schedule of musical activity. The live lecture, entitled "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony", involved Bernstein explaining the symphony's first movement with the aid of musicians from the "Symphony of the Air" (formerly NBC Symphony Orchestra). It led to the popularization of "radical chic" as a critical term. In 1982 in the U.S., PBS aired an 11-part series of Bernstein's late 1970s films for Unitel of the Vienna Philharmonic playing all nine Beethoven symphonies and various other Beethoven works. A lifelong humanitarian, Bernstein worked in support of civil rights;[7] protested the Vietnam War;[8] advocated for nuclear disarmament; raised money for HIV/AIDS research and awareness; and engaged in multiple international initiatives for human rights and world peace. During the 1970s, Bernstein recorded his symphonies and other works with the Israel Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophon. Carl St. Clair was engaged to conduct it in his stead. Lyricist: Stephen Sondheim. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., it was partly intended as an anti-war statement. [13], Born Louis Bernstein in Lawrence, Massachusetts, he was the son of Ukrainian Jewish parents, Jennie (née Resnick) and Samuel Joseph Bernstein, both of whom immigrated to the United States from Rovno (now Ukraine). His first Young People's Concert was televised a few weeks after his tenure began as principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic. The next day, The New York Times carried the story on its front page and remarked in an editorial, "It's a good American success story. West Side Story, Tonight Harmony. On consecutive nights, the Orchestra, with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, performed Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., and at Carnegie Hall in New York. The next year he conducted an open-air concert for Israeli troops at Beersheba in the middle of the desert during the Arab-Israeli war. A video showing Bernstein speaking and rehearsing at the first Festival is available on DVD in Japan. [17] To his friends and many others he was simply known as "Lenny". His best-known work is the Broadway musical West Side Story, which continues to be regularly performed worldwide, and was made into an Academy Award-winning feature film. During a trip to the USSR in 1974, Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and his wife Joan, urged by Bernstein and others in the cultural sphere, mentioned Rostropovich's situation to Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet Union Communist Party Leader. Like his earlier activity in Los Angeles, this was a summer training school for musicians modeled on Tanglewood and is still in existence. The Bernstein Young People's Concerts were the first and probably the most influential series of music appreciation programs ever produced on television, and they were highly acclaimed by critics. In April 1949, Bernstein performed as piano soloist in the world premiere of his Symphony No. They had three children, Jamie, Alexander, and Nina. The Chichester Psalms, and excerpts from his Third Symphony and MASS were performed for Pope John Paul II, including at World Youth Day in Denver on August 14, 1993, and at the Papal Concert to Commemorate the Shoah on April 7, 1994, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the Sala Nervi at the Vatican. [99] Perhaps the harshest criticism he received from some critics in his lifetime though was directed at works like his Kaddish Symphony, his MASS and the opera A Quiet Place, where they found the underlying message of the piece or the text as either mildly embarrassing, clichéd or offensive. and those of a humorous or sassy character ("Jet Song," "America," "Cool," "Gee Officer Krupke," etc.). Leonard then took to giving lessons to young people in his neighborhood. He also recorded Nielsen's 3rd Symphony with the Royal Danish Orchestra after a critically acclaimed public performance in Denmark. The 1957 musical West Side Story was a collaboration among composer Leonard Bernstein, lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and choreographer Jerome Robbins. West Side Story, Tonight Performing forces . [66] There are reports, though, that Bernstein did sometimes have brief extramarital liaisons with young men, which several family friends have said his wife knew about.[65]. 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