The Leonard Bernstein Thread

[MylesBAstor]

A tribute to one of the greatest conductors --and even to a lesser extent composers -- of our time. His conducting of Stravinsky, Copland and Gershwin.

Found this great ode to Bernstein the other day.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/05/ar...travinsky.html

[MylesBAstor]

Another great history of Bernstein.

http://www.classicalnotes.net/features/bernstein.html

Also loved this book on Bernstein.

[1morerecord2clean]

I like some years of Bernstein but not all. Some tidbits of the man, I knew very well Jane Meyers who was the Curtis Institute librarian for many years. She told me that when Bernstein entered Curtis, already several years older than most of the students there, he didn't get along with them. He considered himself to be above them intellectually. He may have been. Most music students are not much beyond their instrument, the practice room, their lessons, and getting through their various theory classes. Oh yeah, and getting a job after graduation. Bernstein was a brilliant man in all things music and outside of music too. He and Jane were very close over the years and when Curtis had their 50th anniversary party, Bernstein took Jane who was in her seventies. That's all true and accurate from Jane.

i have been told so many things about Bernstein by musicians who worked under him. I can't say which things are true or not. Bert Turetzky years ago told me that Bernstein would only speak to you from the podium because he was short and self conscious about it. I have been told that he and Copland had a "relationship." He was a hopeless chain smoker and it probably did him in. He said he would never conduct a Teutonic orchestra but at the end of his career he inducted and recorded a couple of weeks of concerts with the Vienna. His daughter said that he confided in her it was the greatest music making of his career. When he left the Ny Phil the brass players were devistated because he always wanted to hear the brass unfettered and Boulez was the complete opposite.

Dont know if anyone saw Hershey Felder one man bio on Benstsin but it's well researched and he is perfect in the role and completely entertaining.

http://www.playbill.com/article/hershey-felder-is-leonard-bernstein-in-maestro-at-59e59-theaters-tonight

ill go to my room now.🙄

[Guest]

A tribute to one of the greatest conductors --and even to a lesser extent composers -- of our time. His conducting of Stravinsky, Copland and Gershwin.

...]

Don't forget his Mahler.

[Bill Hart]

I was trying to find an old warhorse, Barber's Adagio For Strings, Bernstein, NY Phil. The copies on vinyl were mostly early digital vinyl and nasty. I finally tracked one down that was part of a compilation from 1971. It was 4 bucks. Sounds decent.
I really didn't follow him. Long after his passing, we were invited to a party at his place in the Dakota- not really our scene, but it was filled with very chic arty NYC folks. Liz and I were sipping club soda, sitting in the living room where one of his grand pianos resides (I assume it was a Steinway, can't remember) when Liz said, "that woman's voice--it is so familiar. She sounds like Lauren Bacall." I said, "Liz, that's because that is Lauren Bacall." Like I said, I don't usually travel in these circles. The Dakota was pretty nice, though.

[1morerecord2clean]

Wow Bill,

Nice invite. At the very least you saw an apartment in the Dakota, a place I have walked by a thousand times without ever seeing an apartment.

[Bill Hart]

Think Rosemary's Baby, but creepier. The apartment was actually very up to date, but the space is gothic and looming; i do know someone else there who bought a studio a long time ago--he wasn't super wealthy, just smart and got in at the right time. I get why the place is legendary. And the way it is set up, with separate quadrants, you seem to have a fair amount of privacy. I doubt any of those apartments actually get listed- probably private sales among the gentry.

[MylesBAstor]

You could have said hi to John and Yoko and Rex Reed too! I loved the notables list of who's lived in the Dakota. Boris Karloff, Joe Namath, John Madden, Maury Povich, Wilbur Ross, Gilda Radner,

More interesting is who they've rejected: "Although historically home to many creative or artistic people, the building and its co-op board of directors were criticized in 2005 by former resident Albert Maysles who attempted to sell his ownership to actors Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas, who were rejected. Maysles expressed his "disappointment with the way the building seems to be changing" by telling The New York Times: "What's so shocking is that the building is losing its touch with interesting people. More and more, they're moving away from creative people and going toward people who just have the money."[38] Even prior to this, Gene Simmons,[39] Billy Joel,[40] and Carly Simon[41] were denied residency by the board. In 2002 the board rejected corrugated-cardboard magnate and Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of New York, Dennis Mehiel.[42]"

The Dakota exterior was in Rosemary's Baby. Cool info about one of New York's most famous buildings. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...tment-building

[JCOConnell]

I have a whole bunch of Bernstein with the NYP on Columbia reel to reel.