Fall/Winter 2004/2005
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PRELUDE, FUGUE News for Friends of Leonard Bernstein RIFFS Fall/Winter 2004 Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic Premiere on DVD by Thomas Cabaniss n the classical music world, we know we must look for new and different ways to reach Ikids and families. After all, the 21st century, teeming with iPods and cellphone-camera-gizmos, is worlds away from the three network TV cu lture of the 1960s. So why should we look anew at the CBS broadcasts of Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts (YPCs) with the New York Philharmonic? Put simply, for inspiration. LB placed teaching at the center of everything he did. When programming the concerts he conducted, he owned up to a "lurking didactic streak" that ran through all his work as a performing musician. When he composed, he couldn't help but the most obvious vehicles for that draw the listener in, not to Leonard teach: think of West Side Story's "an old incorrigible pedagogue" mention his fabulous command Be rnstein message of tolerance, or MASS to unleash his form idable of the English language. (None and its exploration of teaching talents. of this was improvisational or presenting one But this fabled concert series tossed off - each concert was contemporary spirituality, or of the Young A Quiet Place with its plea for is more than the sum of its parts; pa instakingly, consciously peace and resolution. His music and yes, they're all there: LB's designed with a remarkable People's personal charisma on the podium, support team. As composer still reaches out to us - to move, Concerts to provoke, to instruct. The the great programming ideas, the John Corigliano, just one of the Young People's Concerts, along judicious use of musical examples luminaries who served on that with Omnibus and the to illuminate great orchestral team has said, no detail was left Norton Lectures, were simply works, the brilliant "hooks" (continued on page 2) Inside ... 3 I'm a Liberal, and Proud of It 6 An American Life 14 Calendar of Events 4 GRAMMY Foundation 10 In the News 16 Looking Ahead Young People's To Our Concerts, Readers continued irst, a few red-letter items. Two to chance.) But ultimately, the YPCs have staying power because of Leonard Bernstein's dearest F of LB's passionate inquiry into friends and colleagues are music and the world in which celebrating 90th birthdays this it resides. season: Robby Lantz and Carlos His "passionate inquiry" is be looking for ways to make Moseley. We sa lute these two more than using a focal question concerts more interactive? (In wonderful friends and send them to guide each concert - which February 2004, John Corigli ano our warmest birthday wishes. And the YPCs did. It's more than invented a brilliant YPC for the one of Bernstein's most devoted making connections between New York Philharmonic that ideas and music, encouraging involved engaging the audience musical assistants, Jack Gottlieb, "the intersection of musical in a live orchestration activity, has an important book coming out. lines," - which the YPCs also unheard of in the 1960s, but His former boss would have been so did. Passionate inquiry means completely in keeping with LB's delighted for him. that the search for music, for life, spirit. ) Would he look for new Toward the end of his life, for ideas - is never at rest. ways to encourage yo ung talent, Bernstein said that the achievement That's why the YPCs still vibrate as he did with Andre Watts, he was proudest of was his teaching. today. We sense LB's quest is still Paula Robison and Gary Karr? in process, reaching forward into (Wynton Marsalis' Jazz for Young We're all fortunate - and the next our gizmo-laden 21st century People's Concerts include jam generation, too - that his peerless with questions no less pressing sessions that meaningfully break Young People's Concerts with the than the day he proposed them. down barriers between audiences New York Philharmonic, broadcast For those of us who think and performers.) Fooli shly, per for years on CBS, are being about how to extend LB's legacy, haps, I feel I know the answer re-released on DVD this fall. These this joyful achievement, this to these questions. Lenny would concerts retain their benchmark "glorious, good fun" of the YPCs be searching, and his passionate status to this very day; no one presents a real dilemma. During inquiry would never let the those years, Leonard Bernstein possibilities or the questions rest. has come close to improving on was the country's music teacher. He would be experimenting, his model. His powerful presence on the thinking, and dreaming anew. Those who wish to reflect on national podium casts a very long As we all should be. That's why Bernstein's remarkable life will have shadow, and for that reason we I'm thrilled to have the YPCs a chance to explore it in depth risk being mimics rather than humming on my laptop DVD through a unique eleven-part radio disciples. We need to embrace his player - I know he will inspire series, painstakingly researched and legacy with enthusiasm tempered me all over again. • compiled by Steve Rowland. With by understanding and imagination. its mixture of interviews, letters, An interesting question to For mure i11/ormatiu11 Oil the new ponder: what would a Young DVD collectio11, sec page I I. music and narration, this series will People's Concert look and sound be a priceless resource as well as a like if LB were to design one Thomas Cabaniss, composer, fascinating listening experience. today? Would he simply revive worked with Leonard Bernstein We can't decide if we fervently the CBS format or would he be and John Mauceri on Candide wish Leonard Bernstein were here searching for new ways to use and A Quiet Place in the early to witness this calamitous political technology? (At a recent Zankel 1980s; he served as a teaching season, or whether we're glad he Hall concert featuring the piece artist and Director of Education was spared the agony. One thing is which is this publication's name for the New York Philharmonic sake, Jamie Bernstein and for sure: if he were here, he would and is currently the Music Michael Barrett experimented Animateur for the Philadelphia not be very quiet. In this issue, we with the possibilities of a "score Orchestra. A new dance piece, include an article he wrote over 15 cam" that allows the audience to "Efficiency", with choreographer years ago that still resonates with an see the music as it is being Hilary Easton, premieres in May eerie timeliness. played.) Would LB retain his 2005 at Danspace in New York. J.B. • didactic stance or would he 0 I'm a Liberal, and Proud of It by Leonard Bernstein better day, a more tranquil night, homeless - these are all forms and a bright and infinite future. of tyranny. Did Leonard Bemstein come What can possibly be wrong with Who fought to free the slaves? back from tl1e beyond to write that? Only this: that the word Liberals. Who succeeded in this? Belieue it or not, Bemstein has been debased, defamed and abolishing the poll tax? Liberals. wrote the fo llowing essay, which totally misused by powerful Who fought for civil rights, was printed in the New Yori:!. interests that have sought even women's rights, free public Times, in 1988 - under another greater authoritarian power. education? Liberals. Who stood Bush Administration. Liberal is a word soiled by the guard and still stands guard greedy, reactionary, backward against sweatshops, child labor, have just returned from two looking impulse toward tyranny. racism, bigotry? Lovers of Imonths in Europe, where I Here are just two out of, alas, freedom and enemies of tyranny: followed the election news dozens in our own America and Liberals. assiduously. I've been appalled in our own century: First, the at the passivity of the electorate, hateful Red scare invented and Leonard at the lack of the elementary perpetrated by William Randolph Bernstein and principles of democratic thought Hearst in the first decades of the and action, at the degeneration of century and magnified through daughter Nina our language, at the lulling, the his countless newspapers and with Jimmy brainwashing, the disinformation. magazines into a panic in which I found most Europeans equally everyone with a beard was prob Carter appalled. I began to dream about ably a Bolshevik with a bomb in this campaign obsessively. I would his pocket - aimed at you, and dream-up speeches every night in which merely reading a and each morning I would jot Russian novel rendered you down notes about them - on suspect and possibly treasonous. subjects ranging from racism to The second example, even the grand illusion of the peace more hateful and infinitely more I dreamed all this and wrote and-prosperity line put forth by dangerous, was the rise of it down. And I dreamed I heard the meretricious Bush campaign, McCarthyism in the 50's - a rise [the Democratic candidate] say: to Boston Harbor, to the obsolete so steady and so strong that only "I'm proud to be called a liberal. folly of war, to that newly a prolonged television hearing I am neither a Red nor an naughty "L-word"- liberal. could expose the despicable jun anarchist, nor do I have a bomb I want to re-define the word ior senator from Wisconsin for in my pocket. liberal, not run from it, nor the power-greedy psychopath he "I love my country - so cower defensively at its insulting was.