WorldView Episode 41: Leonard Bernstein (Holiday Show, pt. 1)
Thank you for tuning in to another special episode of WorldView, here on charlottesvilleclassical.org! This week’s show will include music celebrating various winter holidays. The first airing on Monday, 12/19/22, coincides with the first day of Hanukkah; the Saturday rebroadcast will stream on Christmas Eve, 12/24/22. Works written for both events can be found in this episode, including a piece composed by Leonard Bernstein.
Bernstein was born in Massachusetts in 1918, to parents of Ukrainian-Jewish heritage. After having little contact with music in his early childhood, Bernstein began teaching himself piano and music theory in his teens. He was heavily influenced by both Ravel and Gershwin, and began actively studying composition at Harvard University. Upon graduating from the Curtis Institute of Music, Bernstein took a position conducting the New York Philharmonic; in doing so, he became one of the first American-born artists to conduct a major American symphony.
Bernstein’s first symphony premiered in January of 1944, performed by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. The debut launched his compositional career, which soon shifted towards music written for the stage. Bernstein’s most remembered work, “West Side Story”, has become an American classic. He also composed three operas, including “Candide ” (1956) and “Trouble in Tahiti” (1951). His immense career continued until 1990, during which time he helped revitalize the music of Mahler, recorded over 500 compositions, conducted over 75 orchestras, and composed countless symphonic and stage works. He remains one of the most famous conductors in history.
Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms”, completed in 1965, is an extended choral work which features six excerpts from the Book of Psalms. In this episode, it is performed by Marin Alsop, a student of Bernstein, and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra.
WorldView Episode Forty-One Playlist:
Leonard BERNSTEIN, “Chichester Psalms”, {Bournemouth Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, Marin Alsop} - Naxos
William BYRD, “Lullaby”, {The Tallis Scholars, Peter Philips} - Gimell
Percy GRAINGER, “The Sussex Mummers’ Christmas Carol”, {Joel Smirnoff (vl), Stephen Drury (pf)} - Northeastern Records
Bela BARTOK, “Romanian Christmas Carols”, {Jeno Jando (pf)} - Intersound
Leroy ANDERSON, “Suite of Carols for String Orchestra”, {BBC Concert Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin (cond)} - Naxos
WorldView is a classical music radio show featuring composers from everywhere in the world - except Western Europe. Tune in to hear works by lesser-known artists such as Irving Fine and Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, and widen your knowledge of classical music. Hinke Younger hosts each week’s episode of WorldView on Mondays at 9AM and 6PM (with a rebroadcast Saturdays at 2PM) on Charlottesvilleclassical.org.