PRELUDE, FUGUE News for Friends of Leonard Bernstein RIFFS Fall/Winter 2009 The Bernstein Project n September 20, the Southbank OCentre in London launched The Bernstein Project. Inspired by the life of Leonard Bernstein, this innovative project will encompass BERNSTEIN more than 30 events throughout the 2009-2010 season, drawing PROJECT on Bernstein's work as a musician, humanitarian, communicator and educator and providing a multi­ faceted exploration of his life through concerts, films, lectures and participatory workshops. American conductor Marin Alsop is the project's Artistic Director. The Bernstein Project kicked off with a day of events called Mass Rally. The day began with a vocal workshop that engaged the public in learning some of the music from Bernstein's Mass. This was followed by a per­ formance of songs from West Side Story featuring pupils from local schools. Then the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain composed a tribute to Leonard Bernstein through improvisation. The day also included a showing of the film A Total Embrace by Nina Bernstein Simmons, and a discussion of Bernstein's life by Alexander and Jamie Bernstein. The day culminated with Mass Gathering, a concert that featured music from Candide and extracts of Beethoven's Ode to Joy con­ ducted by Alsop. Alsop said, "Leonard Bernstein was a phenomenon ... as Stephen (continued on page 2) 3 Discussing Mass 5 Mass on Recording 8 In the News Inside ... 4 Mass at the Vatican 6 Remembering Julia 12 Some Performances The Bernstein Project, continued Sondheim once wrote about his The Bernstein Project will To Our friend: 'Poor Lenny... 10 gifts include a season of films curated too many.. .' Bernstein wrote hit by Bernstein biographer and for­ musicals like West Side Story mer head of BBC TV's Music and Readers and a great film score to On the Arts, Humphrey Burton. Some of Waterfront; he composed pro­ the films to be screened include found music, serious music, and The Little Drummer Boy, a con­ troversial 90-minute film essay on Mahler's Jewish Heritage; and hen asked which of his composi­ He was a thinker, teacher, Ode to Freedom, a performance tions was his favorite, Leonard W author, television star, of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony Bernstein would reply, "Oh, how in Berlin, celebrating the fall of can you ask me to choose among provocateur, humanitarian the Berlin Wall 20 years ago on them? They're like my children!" But Christmas Day 1989. if pressed, he would confess that he and he was my hero. There will be concerts by held a special place in his heart for -Marin Alsop Southbank Centre's Resident Mass, precisely because it was his most Orchestras, the London misunderstood piece - and perhaps hysterically funny light music; he Philharmonic Orchestra also because it was his most deeply conducted every great orchestra in and the Orchestra of the Age personal piece. Mass contains more the world and brought the Mahler of Enlightenment, as well as by of Bernstein than anything else he Symphonies back to the Vienna visiting ensembles, the Bournemouth ever wrote. It has all the multiplicity Philharmonic; he was a champion Symphony Orchestra and the Nash of musical genres and breadth of at word games and puzzles and Ensemble. There will also be a West language that he himself manifested. loved finding errors in the Oxford Side Story sing-along screening. It has all his angst and irreverence English Dictionary! He was a The Project will conclude with and terror, all his tenderness and thinker, teacher, author, television Alsop conducting performances of bombast and awe. At the time of star, provocateur, humanitarian Bernstein's Mass, on July 10 and Mass' premiere, to inaugurate the and he was my hero. As with all 11, 2010. Performing forces will Kennedy Center for the Performing true mentors, Bernstein taught me include a cast of young dancers Arts in 1971, the world wasn't quite much more than a craft. On a per­ and musicians from London and a ready for such a rich broth of ele­ sonal level, he gave me the courage specially-assembled Mass Orchestra ments. But the world seems to have to be myself. And on a wider level, led by members of the National caught up to Mass, as is evident by I watched him interact with young Youth Orchestra, all of whom the multiple productions, recordings people and professional orchestras, commence rehearsals with Alsop, and rave reviews that have recently constantly mentoring, constantly Matthew Barley and Mary King in sprouted up all over the globe. giving. He showed me - and the Spring 2010. How gratifying to see Mass coming world - the enormous power of For more information: http:// into its own: Bernstein's troubled child music and how important it is to bernstein. sou th bankcen tre. co. uk/ • embraced at long last. share it with as much of humanity J.B.• as is possible. He showed us that classical music is a powerful force that can transform lives as well as inspire and move people and he lived by those principles." .,, iil c C. !".,, C: IO C: (1) l!O :0 :ii "'"TI OJ Leonard Bernstein and Marin Alsop ~ ~ - (!? N 0 0 \!) e Discussing Mass Music critic Edward Seckerson and conductor Marin Alsop discuss Mass. This discussion is fr om a larger article about Marin Alsop that appeared in Gramophone Magazin e. Does Marin Alsop think it's a masterpiece? E.S. "Yes, because for Bernstein nothing was ever perfect. For him there was no such thing. He rejoiced in the rough edges of spontaneity in everything he did. Mass is a piece that can and does weather human frailty." M.A. Just as well. It is extraordi­ narily challenging to perform and in her new Naxos recording (the work's fourth), Alsop went to exceptional lengths to achieve an authentic mix of performers with a keen understanding of the style. With a little help from Leslie Leonard Bernstein and Marin Alsop Stifelman a friend at the sharp end of musical theatre - that is Mass polarizes opinions, Mass doubt its sincerity, if you deny the Music Director on Kander divides as surely as it unites. But its integrity, then you deny every­ and Ebb's "Chicago" in New Alsop thinks, as do I, that the thing Bernstein was. " E.S. York - some 300 young hopefuls open hostility that comes at it from auditioned for the all-important some quarters stems from a refusal So, was Bernstein the "street singers" at the heart of to accept the validity of different eternal optimist or the ever Mass. They have to be the real musics and cultures co-existing. hopeful pessimist? E.S. thing; the range of what is required Which, in short, says more about of them is wild. These aren't pop the naysayers than it does about "I don't know. It tended to be songs, these are far-out-there art the piece. E.S. one or the other. But I think what songs. Challenging sentiments, makes Mass so very special is that still more challenging vocals. E.s. "You know, what's inter- it accepts our limitations as human esting about Mass is just how beings and somehow transcends "Mass is a microcosm prophetic it's turned out to be. them. The ultimate message fa lls All those boundaries between into 'the eternal optimist' camp, of Bernstein's genres, between different styles in that it says - you know, we are of music - they're gone - and going to be ok ... " M.A . personality. If you it may have been less threaten- ing to some had they remained Bernstein's own doubts ran doubt its sincerity, in place, but they didn't. Besides, deep. In that last interview he if you deny its the level of sophistication is daz­ gave me he expressed regret that zling throughout. Tell me that so many of his peers had never integrity, then you the 11-tone second Meditation, embraced his music. Did Alsop, I .,, impregnated as it is with allusions wonder, agree that those musical nl C: deny everything to Beethoven's Ode to Joy, is not a excursions into thorny overgrown Q. ·'"..., touch of genius." M.A. paths (his dabblings with atonality C: <O C: Bernstein was." in pieces like Jubilee Games) were, C1) II" "A cornucopia of genius poured to some extent, an attempt to gain ;;o out with no restraint" was how him entrance into a club to which ~ The New York Times summed-up he didn't quite belong? E.S the musical values of Mass. Alsop goes further: "Mass is a microcosm (continued on page 5) of Bernstein's personality. If you e Mass at the Vatican by Boris Brott expression of his ultimate ratio­ spent over an hour on the phone. nalization of faith through doubt. I went to bed with the music I n February of 2000, I was Bernstein had just experienced knew so well ringing in my ears. Iinvited to conduct Leonard and had been very moved by the Next morning, a phone call Bernstein's Mass at the Vatican. Talmudic process of helping his from Harry. No, you cannot do it! I was excited. I was very close son Alexander with instruction Why? Well, in truth, a book could to this work, having served as for his Bar Mitzvah. He couldn't be written about how it eventually Bernstein's assistant at the New understand why the Church did came to pass. But let me cite one York Philharmonic while he was not view Mass as he intended. example: how do you break a writing it.