Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) - formidable musician

Although having a huge reputation as an interpreter and composer of classical music, Bernstein is probably most readily associated with musicals in general and West Side Story in particular. This is a modern reworking of the Romeo and Juliet story for stage and film. Full of Latin rhythms the musical manages to have New York gang members sing and dance and yet still seem tough and threatening. Anyone seeing the making of the album of West Side Story with Jose Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa will agree with the description of Bernstein as "formidable" but he was formidable also in the sense of the breadth of his musical taste and experience and the total dedication to his art.

Bernstein was a hard-working musician, starting out initially as a pianist. He studied at Harvard University where was coached by Walter Piston and Aaron Copland (with whom he formed a life-long musical association). Then at Tanglewood Music Centre he studied with Serge Koussevitzky. These influences led him from full-time performing into the art of composing. He became assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, where a particular event gave him instant acclaim and a widespread following. Bruno Walter was to conduct a significant concert by the orchestra which was to be broadcast live on Radio. Walter was unable to fulfil this engagement and the principle conductor (Artur Rodzinski, who had appointed Bernstein) was away, and so Bernstein was called upon to fill in. He later became the orchestra's musical director, and was to become one of the foremost conductors of the day, leading orchestras throughout the world and gaining a reputation for his interpretations of composers such as Beethoven, Mahler and other masters including Brahms and Sibelius. He was also to conduct the world premier of Charles Ives' 2nd Symphony in 1951.

One of Bernstein's compositions was a Ballet called "Fancy Free" choreographed by Jerome Robbins about 3 sailors on leave in New York. This was then expanded into a Broadway musical called "On The Town" and a few years later the film version was shot starring Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra. Other Broadway musicals followed, including "Wonderful Town" and "Candide", but it was "West Side Story" (again conceived by Robbins) that was to hit the big time with long runs on stage followed by a film version winning no less than 10 oscars. Bernstein himself was not eligible for the Award since the film music didn't meet the criterion of being original, and the musical award therefore went to Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green (who also conducted), Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal for the "musical score" adaptation. However a few years earlier Bernstein had been nominated for an oscar for his music to the film "On The Waterfront" which in tone and style was a foretaste of the darker parts of "West Side Story".

Lenny (as he was affectionately called) also composed traditional classical works for the concert hall, including 3 Symphonies and an Opera. Stylistically, Bernstein was influenced by Popular music, Jazz and also the Jewish music of his family heritage. In a sense, he took the trend established previously by Copland of blending elements of popular American culture into the classical tradition, and his earlier songs (for example those from "On the Town") certainly bore a resemblance to the music of George Gershwin. Although he was a staunch supporter of tonal music, he was sufficiently aware of serial techniques to adopt 12-note themes in some works, but never to the extent of fully embracing serialism. In terms of musical style, he seemed most at home with a fusion of classical, jazz and popular influences, giving his work a powerful dramatic feel but with an gritty urban realism. He was a great communicator and always willing to share his passion for music with the younger generation, giving masterclasses in Tanglewood and introducing the "Young People's Concerts" on television.

Concert works by Leonard Bernstein:

• 3 Symphonies: Jeremiah, The Age of Anxiety, and Kaddish
• Opera: Trouble in Tahiti
• Ballet: Fancy Free - later to be adapted into "On The Town", note that sections of Fancy Free are heard in the Background of the Hitchcock movie "Rear Window"
• Prelude, Fugue and Riffs - for clarinet and jazz ensemble
• The Chichester Psalms - a commission
• Mass - written for the opening of the John F. Kennedy Centre in Washington D.C.
• On The Waterfront - Symphonic Suite - in style this is certainly a precursor to "West Side Story"
• Various other orchestral suites and overtures from his musicals and stage works

Musicals and Films by Leonard Bernstein:

• On the Town - adapted from the ballet "Fancy Free" into a musical for stage and then the film with Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra featuring the song "New York, New York"
• Wonderful Town - Broadway musical
• Candide - not an instant success, but regularly revived
• On the Waterfront - an early (non-musical) Marlon Brando film which Bernstein adapted into an excellent Symphonic Suite
• West Side Story - the excellent musical, deservedly popular and heaped with honours in both the Broadway and Film versions
• 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - a failure, perhaps anything after West Side Story would be anticlimactic

Leonard Bernstein on TV:

• Candide - the composer presenting and conducting his musical on US TV
• Young Person's Concerts

Recommendations:

There are a large number of classical recordings of Bernstein conducting classical works, such as Mahler Symphonies. To sample the best of his own compositions, try "The Essential Leonard Bernstein" which is a 2 CD Set mostly conducted by the composer, with tracks from West Side Story, On the Town, Candide, Fancy Free, On the Waterfront, "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs" and others. This double album is available from: Amazon.co.uk in the UK, or Amazon.com in the US.

There is sheet music by Leonard Bernstein, including various arrangements of songs from West Side Story. This one from www.musicroom.com has America, Cool, I Feel Pretty, Maria, One Hand, One Heart, Something's Coming and Tonight. A web-site exists devoted to Leonard Bernstein at www.leonardbernstein.com and also one dedicated solely to West Side Story at www.westsidestory.com. Also see Jeffrey Dane's personal tribute to Leonard Berstein at the American Music Preservation site.