• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

PRELUDE, FUGUE News for Friends of Leonard Bernstein RIFFS Fall/Winter 2003/2004 The Big Day: Memories of a Historic Debut 'he Big Day: November 14, 2003 marks the sixtieth anniversary of Leonard TBernstein's now famous conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. It is by now the stuff of leg­ end, yet it was really quite simple. Bruno Walter, the scheduled con­ ductor of the New York Philharmonic, was too ill to per­ form, and so his assistant conduc­ tor was called upon to conduct. For some reason this rarely hap­ pens; when it does, the occasion is usually unremarkable. This time was an exception. The best way to tell the story is through Bernstein himself, and a few of his fellow musicians. From the Podium: Lenny Remembers In what would prove to be of those days. 'Someday son, this because he had the flu - went Leonard Bernstein's last interview, will be yours,' as they say. But I over the score of Don Quixote he reminisced about his conducting never thought I would have to with me. He showed me a few debut with his brother Burton, walk out there [The Carnegie Hall tricky spots where he cut off here who was preparing an article for stage] on my own. When it came but didn't cut off there, here you Town & Country magazine on the to the time - that very day - all I give it an extra upbeat and so on. occasion of Carnegie Hall's centen­ can remember is standing there in "I called Mama and Daddy at nial in 1991. The interview took the wings, shaking and being so the Barbizon Plaza to tell them and place in Fairfield, Connecticut on scared. There was no rehearsal. I you. And then I just had to hang November 29, 1989. had just come from seeing Bruno around. I mean I was all dressed; "There were times when I must Walter, who very sweetly and very when it came to the crunch on that have fantasized - you know, one quickly - wrapped up in blankets (continued on page 4) 2 Discovering Bernstein 6 Leonard Bernstein : 13 Calendar of Events Inside ... Th rough Mahler A Jewish Legacy 16 Looking Ahead 4 From the Stage: Three 9 In the News Musicians Remember Discovering Bernstein To Our Through Mahler Readers by Charles Zachary Bornstein dissimilarities among the Jerusalem score, the Bernstein n November 2002, I was score and that of Mahler's. Iengaged as conductor and lec­ Bernstein's has "L.B." initialed on turer at the Rubin Academy for the lower part of page one, as do eonard Bernstein still lives on in Music in Jerusalem. For my lec­ most Bernstein conducting scores Lso many of us: as a musical col­ ture on Mahler's First Symphony, in the Archive. I borrowed the score from the When Barbara put other league (for those members of the Academy library, and was Bernstein scores in front of me to New York Philharmonic who intrigued by the extravagant red look at, I discovered a sense of remember his astonishing debut pen markings that I recalled hav­ his mind at work, his thoughts 60 years ago this November); as a ing seen in the Critical Edition. crisscrossing with his bowings, Could these have been Mahler's source of intellectual fascination metronome marks and little ver­ own corrections? bal notes. These scores exhibited (for scholars who continue to pore I sent sample pages to the a love of thinking about music - over his conducting scores); as a Mahler expert Henri-Louis de La in a more organized fashion than man who embraced God through Grange, in Paris, who confirmed I had ever seen in any other con­ his music (for the American Jewish it was indeed "Mahler's own ductor's scores - and for me, hand." Zubin Mehta, then in they crushed the myth that he community); as a teacher (for the Israel conducting the Israel was impulsive and improvisatory many schools and conservatories Philharmonic, invited me to a as a conductor. with thriving Bernstein-inspired concert so that he could see the Three weeks later Barbara programs); as a performer (for all new-found score. He suggested entrusted me with Bernstein's that I compare it with Mahler's conducting score of Mahler's of us who still thrill to his record­ conducting score of the First Ninth saying, "I want to know ings and videos); and as a compos­ Symphony (1909), residing in The what does Lenny mean." After er (for all of us who continue to New York Philharmonic Archive. three months of carefully analyz­ delight in his Broadway shows and When I returned to New York, ing every marking on each page, Barbara Haws, the Archivist, it gradually became apparent that concert works). And if that sen­ greeted me with the Mahler score the mechanics behind Bernstein's tence had too many parts, it is the as well as Leonard Bernstein's interpretation of the Mahler unsurprising result of Bernstein's conducting score, a copy of a Ninth were profound and con­ sprawling, multifaceted career. First Edition Weinberger printing. vincing in two ways: first, his It was fascinating to see how harmonic and formal partitioning Such a burst of creativity in one Bernstein was directly influenced of each section with a metronome life can lead to bouts of poor by Mahler's interpretive marks, mark, to which he remained grammar in his admirers. Under since he had used Mahler's score faithful whenever that material the circumstances, perhaps these for his initial and subsequent per­ was to appear again; and second, formances with the New York how he completed many details lapses can be forgiven. of tempi, critical expression marks J.B. • These scores exhibited and dynamics implied by Mahler, as if he were co-composer. a love of thinking At a meeting with Barbara and Tom Cabaniss, Director of the about music - in a more Education Department at the New York Philharmonic, I was organized fashion than asked to lecture on Bernstein's score for the Ninth to young con­ I had ever seen in any ductors, a new educational usage other conductor's scores ... for the collection. From the piano I demonstrated and isolated many aspects of the Bernstein interpreta­ Philharmonic. Barbara Haws tion in combination with examples spent over twenty hours with me from Bernstein's own recordings, cataloguing the similarities and sometimes comparing them with 0 other conductors' recordings to scrappy counterpoint. "Hilarious" musical architecture, to the most make the point even more equaled the circus metaphor for insignificant nuance, is what, in emphatic as to "what Lenny modern and hollow laughter in my view, separates Bernstein from meant!" Scores were scanned for Mahler's big cities, New York and his colleagues. I look forward to overhead projection. Vienna. "Spastic" applied to the many more presentations ahead in The first lecture centered pri­ introductory group of six bars this collection. The Bernstein con­ marily upon the marking system that later reprise the coda. The ducting scores are a source of Bernstein devised to analyze his pretending to be "sophisticated" unlimited knowledge for genera- scores. One of Bernstein's greatest Trio sections trotting out in full tions to come. • insights was how he clarified and dress regalia, whip in hand via the simplified the most complex of hooked sforzandi to the center Charles Zachary Bornstein is a musical sections. What a thrill it ring, the "Sour" sense of the conductor and educator who has was to impart these discoveries to entire dissonant exposition with been working with the New York a new generation of conductors, the off-key Radetsky, then the all Philharmonic Archive and and to feel their enthusiasm as too "pious" (a la Wagner's Education Department to present together we explored the Bernstein Lohengrin) middle-part and all of and help continue the educational thinking process. it over again. process of Leonard Bernstein At a second lecture, we concen­ Since my initial study period I through Bernstein's own materials trated on his tempo and conceptu­ have perused every marked of which this project is an out­ al world. Just as he had parti­ Bernstein conductor score in the growth. Mr. Bornstein's newest tioned sonority, so he rigorously Archive. Each one is an adven­ CD with the Bayerische partitioned tempo, working out ture into his inspirational and Rundfunks has just been released every tempo in a practical and hyper-rational thinking. I keep in Europe on Col Legno. rational way. Accelerandi were coming back to this later aspect calculated with a graded because Bernstein's grasp of the metronome mark for each couple of bars that often increased to indications of the speed for every beat - incredible! We marveled at his interpretation, how tightly controlled yet the most elastic sounding! A musical oxymoron. Bernstein had written at the top of the opening page of the Third Movement: "Nasty/hilari­ Allegro assai. Sehr trotzig. ous, Spastic/sophisticated, 1.2: Sour/pious." What did "this" mean, how could one apply it? I knew the question would come up. Would I be able to crack it? After three months of thinking, almost ready to admit defeat, I realized that the answer was star­ ing directly at me on page 110 where he wrote: "Radetzky .,, quote" over the clarinet line. iil c Suddenly it all came together in C. !O..,, my mind. Bernstein envisioned C: IQ this Burlesque Movement as a cir­ C: ID cus! (Most European circuses play I 110 :<I the Radetzky March Uohann :ii "'..,, Strauss, Sr.] for elephants or some­ a, thing.) Everything worked! ::,~ "Nasty" equaled thorny derisive ~ N main theme groups plus the rough, 0 0 w ;:; 0 0 -IS 0 Memories of a Historical Debut, continued (continued from page 1) go over some of the tricky spots in said, 'Hey, Lenny good luck, Sunday afternoon, I wore the one Don Quixote with the cello and baby!' Oh, he was very fatherly good suit that I had, a double viola soloists and the concertmas­ and gave me big bear hugs.

Load more

  16

Copy Link