Leonard Bernstein 1918-1990

[San Antone]

I think Candide is one of the best things Bernstein did. But I greatly prefer the original Broadway recording to any of the remakes.

There essentially three versions: the original, Harold Prince's "opera house production" and Bernstein's concert version, which restored the music which had been dropped from the other two productions.

I will be listening to them all and may never choose just one of these three as a "favorite".  Obviously the original is definitive, as is usually the case with Bernstein, but the Prince revision has many fine attributes from the sampling I've done, and I want to hear the music Bernstein included in his "complete" version.

[Mookalafalas]

As far as I can tell, Leonard Bernstein had nothing to do with the musical "Happy Town" which apparently had five performances in 1959 (music was by Gordon Duffy, lyrics by Harry Haldane, and book by Max Hampton, with additional songs by Paul Nassau). 

Are you maybe getting it confused with either On the Town or Wonderful Town?

    Yeah, I sure am   I meant Wonderful Town. Actually, I don't think I've ever even heard of "Happy Town" and was just careless. Sorry about that.

[San Antone]

    Yeah, I sure am   I meant Wonderful Town. Actually, I don't think I've ever even heard of "Happy Town" and was just careless. Sorry about that.

Yeah, I had to Google it.      I'd be interested in seeing a DVD of Wonderful Town, and might see if I can find it on Amazon.

[Karl Henning]

I think Candide is one of the best things Bernstein did. But I greatly prefer the original Broadway recording to any of the remakes.

Larry, great to "see" you! How are you doing? (I do need to check Candide out)

[Roasted Swan]

    Yeah, I sure am   I meant Wonderful Town. Actually, I don't think I've ever even heard of "Happy Town" and was just careless. Sorry about that.

The "Wrong Note Rag" is a wonderfully joyful song in Wonderful Town.  Another Bernstein show - the forgotten show really - is his version of Peter Pan.  There is one song there - "Build My House" which is quintessential Bernstein - seemingly simple but of melting beauty

[San Antone]

I've been listening to Dybbuk the last couple of days.  What  fascinating work!  Much more dissonant than Bernstein is usually prone to write - but the musical argument is expertly carried off.  It appears that he used numerology from the Kabbalah in constructing his melodic motives.

By Kabbalistic tradition, each letter of the Hebrew alphabet has its own numerical value. The name of the female lead in Dybbuk, Leah, is equal to the numerical value of thirty-six. Bernstein focused his composition on the divisions of thirty-six and eighteen (the numerical value of the Hebrew word chai (חַי), meaning "life"), each multiples of the nine—the number of notes including the repetition of the top note in a symmetrical octatonic scale. (Robert Jacobson in Leonard Bernstein, Dybbuk (Complete Ballet), with the New York City Ballet Orchestra, Columbia M 3308, 1974. record.)

For me, the score displays the skill and imagination of a composer at the peak of his powers. Motivic manipulations, counterpoint and orchestration coalesce into a singular and original sound filled with heat and logic, passion and calculation. The sensibility is not American sounding. Instead the composer integrates both the folk-song idiom and the Talmudic deliberations of his Eastern European forebears. He draws upon the numerology of Kabbalah, finding musical equivalents to letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and presents us with a forceful drama quite unlike any other work by him or, for that matter, by anyone else. This is a masterpiece and its place in the sun will someday arise.

– Jack Gottlieb (Working With Bernstein)

Very well done.

[Karl Henning]

Dybbuk is terrific!

[vers la flamme]

Listening to Symphony No.2 "the Age of Anxiety" now. This is a really cool work, a highly developed symphonie concertante for piano & orchestra. I think it's a big step up (in ambition, anyway) from the first symphony. I like what I'm hearing. I have really enjoyed everything I've heard of Bernstein so far. I'm looking forward to exploring Mass in depth. I think I will buy the original recording of it today. I am curious to hear Dybbuk too after this interesting discussion about it today. What is the recording to get for this one? Bernstein/Sony?

[San Antone]

Listening to Symphony No.2 "the Age of Anxiety" now. This is a really cool work, a highly developed symphonie concertante for piano & orchestra. I think it's a big step up (in ambition, anyway) from the first symphony. I like what I'm hearing. I have really enjoyed everything I've heard of Bernstein so far. I'm looking forward to exploring Mass in depth. I think I will buy the original recording of it today. I am curious to hear Dybbuk too after this interesting discussion about it today. What is the recording to get for this one? Bernstein/Sony?

This one is very good, it is the original with Bernstein conducting

[Karl Henning]

Listening to Symphony No.2 "the Age of Anxiety" now. This is a really cool work, a highly developed symphonie concertante for piano & orchestra. I think it's a big step up (in ambition, anyway) from the first symphony. I like what I'm hearing. I have really enjoyed everything I've heard of Bernstein so far. I'm looking forward to exploring Mass in depth. I think I will buy the original recording of it today. I am curious to hear Dybbuk too after this interesting discussion about it today. What is the recording to get for this one? Bernstein/Sony?

The Age of Anxiety is one of my favorite Bernstein scores!

[San Antone]

Bernstein wrote three de facto concertos: for piano (Age of Anxiety), violin (Serenade) and flute (Halil).  It is only a quirk in how he titled the works that they do not use the term.

[Roasted Swan]

This one is very good, it is the original with Bernstein conducting

This is the version to go for.  Better than the Naxos alternative and Bernstein did not record it again complete when he did his DG remakes.  I know others here praise the skill (which is undoubted) of construction in this piece with more numerology than you can shake your fist at.  But for me that is the problem - too much head and not enough heart.  And I like Bernstein when the latter rules!

[Karl Henning]

This is the version to go for.  Better than the Naxos alternative and Bernstein did not record it again complete when he did his DG remakes.  I know others here praise the skill (which is undoubted) of construction in this piece with more numerology than you can shake your fist at.  But for me that is the problem - too much head and not enough heart.  And I like Bernstein when the latter rules!

Actually, FWIW; The numerology strikes me as simply a compositional curiosity; I am convinced purely by the musical result;  I feel that, rather than it being a matter of "head over heart," the work possesses a kind of ritual austerity, which I agree is not often to be found in his music.

[San Antone]

Actually, FWIW; The numerology strikes me as simply a compositional curiosity; I am convinced purely by the musical result;  I feel that, rather than it being a matter of "head over heart," the work possesses a kind of ritual austerity, which I agree is not often to be found in his music.

I agree; I was surprised to read about the Kabbalah numerology aspect and knowing about it did not affect how I heard the work. 

[Roasted Swan]

the work possesses a kind of ritual austerity, which I agree is not often to be found in his music.

Karl - that's a really interesting/apt turn of phrase and with that in mind I will give Dybbuk another go!

[(poco) Sforzando]

Larry, great to "see" you! How are you doing? (I do need to check Candide out)

Hi, Karl! Are you fully recovered from your stroke?

[(poco) Sforzando]

There essentially three versions: the original, Harold Prince's "opera house production" and Bernstein's concert version, which restored the music which had been dropped from the other two productions.

I will be listening to them all and may never choose just one of these three as a "favorite".  Obviously the original is definitive, as is usually the case with Bernstein, but the Prince revision has many fine attributes from the sampling I've done, and I want to hear the music Bernstein included in his "complete" version.

The original cast recording does not include all the music published in the original vocal score, which I own. I saw the Harold Prince many years ago and was disappointed by comparison with the original.

[Karl Henning]

Hi, Karl! Are you fully recovered from your stroke?

Doing better and better, the left hand and arm are still a work-in-progress, thanks for asking!

[vers la flamme]

Listening to Mass for the first time, almost finished. Wow, it's a masterpiece. Orchestration-wise, structurally, harmonically, it's a work of genius. There are segments that are really beautiful: the Sanctus, the Lord's Prayer, the Devotions before Mass; there are stormier moments: the Meditations, the Agnus Dei, etc. It really celebrates a full spectrum of religious experience, even though it's clearly written by a skeptic. Its blending of styles is masterful, even if his mastery of some styles is less convincing (ie. I wasn't super impressed with his use of the "blues singers", which sounded more like campy musical theater than actual blues, but that may have been the intention). Parts of the music are goofy, other parts are sincere and beautiful. I may have had to suspend some of my prejudices against musical theatricality to enjoy it as much as I have, but I am fully convinced of Bernstein's vision here.

For the record I am listening to the original recording.



Thanks again to those here whose enthusiasm for the work sparked my curiosity, it's proven rewarding. And thanks especially to San Antone for creating a comprehensive listening guide which breaks down the different recordings. Here is a link in case anyone wants to read it again without digging through the thread:

https://fdleone.com/2020/03/15/leonard-bernsteins-mass-newer-recordings/

Looking forward to returning to it intermittently in the months and years to come. I suspect it will be a long time before I decide to branch out to another recording; I'm completely satisfied with the original. Great sound, great performances.

Anyone else listening to Mass on Sunday?

[San Antone]

There are a few full performances of Mass on YouTube:

Kristjan Jarvi

https://www.youtube.com/v/9tjsKzhpSwE

Wayne Marshall, the Orchestre de Paris and its choir perform, alongside the Aedes ensemble and the baritone Jubilant Sykes

https://www.youtube.com/v/5imPUq39jlg

Jerry Hadley, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, Kent Nagano

https://www.youtube.com/v/RL96d80DJRI

Vojtěch Dyk

https://www.youtube.com/v/4Q1AruAl9Ro