Coming up more about Bernstein’s early years in Massachusetts and his final concert at Tanglewood which his brother described as, 'Lenny coming home to die.'

Bernstein and Tanglewood; the two names are quite nearly synonymous.  Throughout Bernstein’s great and varied life work, one of the few constants was his involvement with the Tanglewood Institute.  His operas, Broadway shows, symphonies, concerts and controversies seldom stopped him from spending time at Tanglewood during Berkshire summers.  The joy that Bernstein experienced while conducting and spending time in Tanglewood was unbounded. His daughter, Jamie Bernstein, was once quoted as saying “Every time he (Bernstein) went up there (to Tanglewood) it was like he would be rejuvenated. He would turn into a kid again”(1).  Bernstein’s connection to Tanglewood could nearly be described as spiritual; the very first time he led a orchestra as a symphonic conductor was at Tanglewood. He conducted the Berkshire Music Center Orchestra in Randall Thompson’s Symphony No. 2, with the composer himself in the audience (2).  From his very first summer spent in Berkshire, under the guidance the of Koussevitzky, he was “hooked.” He described his time spent in summer study there as “the happiest and most productive of my life.” At Tanglewood, Bernstein’s conducting was truly put to the test; his extensive Tanglewood discography can account for that.  Over the rapturous summers spent in the Berkshires, he conducted Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, Wagner’s Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, the American premiere of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes & many more. He held audiences spellbound and captured student musicians at the flick of his baton. In my opinion, it was only fitting that he spent the last years of his life conducting and bringing joy at Tanglewood – the place that brought him such rapture .  His final concert at Tanglewood was fittingly described by Bernstein’s brother as, “Lenny coming home to die.”

Bernstein and Koussevitzky

“For your creative energy, your instinct for truth, your incredible incorporation of teacher and artist, I give humble thanks. Seeing in you my own concepts matured is a challenge to me which I hope to fulfill in your great spirit.” - Bernstein in a Letter to Koussevitzky (2)

Koussevitzky imparted great musical and conducting knowledge onto the impressionable, young Bernstein.  Not only did Koussevitzky teach Bernstein to study each piece with passion and a singularity of mind, but Koussevitzky also stressed the importance of central themes, or lines, to Bernstein.  Bernstein’s dedication to central lines would propel him as a conductor for years into the future. Koussevitzky taught his young assistant to become absorbed by each work: taking each and every individual part to heart – though not to the same extent as Fritz Reiner.  In the summer of 1942, Bernstein played the bass drum in the American premiere of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7, Leningrad during which Koussevitzky conducted the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra.  Along with knowledge of musical material, Bernstein gained invaluable experience conducting on the stand.  In these formative years, under Koussevitzky’s watchful eye, Bernstein began to funnel his passion towards conducting into a sort of performance art.  Bernstein also began to incorporate large, thematic, gestures into his conducting. From Koussevitzky, the young Bernstein learned to mark the inner beats and to bring out counter-melodies throughout the orchestra.  However, their relationship was not without creative conflict. Koussevitzky wished to tamper Bernstein’s ego and said he ought to be an “interpreter of great musical works,” discouraging Bernstein from playing his own works as a conductor.  Still, Koussevitzky predicted that Bernstein would become the greatest conductor of all time, and their time spent at Tanglewood was truly invaluable.

“It was a renaissance for me - a rehabilitation of the twisted and undefined weltanschauung with which I came to you.” -Bernstein

Conducting Analysis

For this section of the blogpost, I have chosen to observe Bernstein’s conducting in action.   After all, in the public mind, the conductor is the living embodiment of musical power – holding a dozens of musicians under perfect control and unleashing the force of the full orchestra with mere gesture. Bernstein’s conducting, at Tanglewood, is excellent enough that any number of pieces could suffice .  However, this recording of Bernstein conducting Tchaikovsky’s 5th, is something special. At the beginning of the movement, Bernstein motions with great sweeping gestures to the strings and at times drops the baton practically to his knees when low voices takes up melody.  The inner beats are alluded to; melodies and counterpoints are highlighted with the flick of a baton. The emotion Bernstein feels in concert is clearly wrought upon his face and choreographed by his body. A discourse between conductor and conducted remains constant as Bernstein encourages and cues the seated players; every player maintains eye contact with Bernstein.  The result is truly compelling. The strings and woodwinds unite as a single and smooth voice. The brass stings in the proper places, and even though Bernstein may have become more subdued in his later years, the orchestra and their conductor bring new vitality to the symphony. In this performance, the fruits of Bernstein’s long years of labor become evident. In his element at his beloved Tanglewood, he holds perfect control over the orchestra: harnessing the techniques learned from Koussevitzky many summers ago as an assistant conductor.

August 19th, 1990

Bernstein led the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Tanglewood, in what would be his final concert. Carl St. Clair conducted the BSO first in Bright Sheng’s orchestral transcription of Bernstein’s “Arias and Barcarolles”, and Bernstein then conducted Britten’s “Four Sea Interludes” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7.  He suffered a coughing fit during the third movement of the Beethoven symphony, but continued to conduct the piece until its conclusion, leaving the stage during a standing ovation

“Better still was the Beethoven. It was done in Mr. Bernstein's characteristic mature style, meaning slower and heavier than he used to perform the Viennese classics. That robbed the score, the last movement especially, of some excitement. But it lent the proceedings a real grandeur, and the flowing Allegretto second movement was particularly gorgeous, with touch after instrumental touch striking home with the force of revelation.” - NY TIMES August 21, 1990 (4)

To conclude… Bernstein Shared a Special Connection with Tanglewood, and his years there saw him grow into, reputedly, the best conductor of all time.

Work Cited

On November 14^th, 1943, Leonard Bernstein’s life as a conductor would change forever, when he got the last minute opportunity to sub for a sick Bruno Walter. But what about him led to his success? Was it the people he met, or was it his innate character traits? I believe it was a combination of both, and would like to explore the process that led to Bernstein’s fame alongside the character traits that he had throughout this process.

Bernstein’s conducting journey started at the early age of 20, when Bernstein met Dimitri Mitropoulos who inspired him to take up conducting, in addition to composing. Not long after, Bernstein began his studies in conducting at the Curtis Institute where he studied with Fritz Reiner, who along with Bernstein’s other mentor, Aaron Copland, encouraged him to introduce himself to the then conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky. Koussevitzky was impressed by Bernstein, and this connection would earn Bernstein conducting lessons at the Tanglewood Music Center while Bernstein was still in his early twenties.

Not in small part due to Bernstein’s mentors, Koussevitzky, Mitropoulos, and Copland when it was time for Arthur Rodzinski, musical director of the New York Philharmonic, to chose an assistant conductor for the orchestra, Bernstein was the one who was chosen. (1). “It was Nov. 14, 1943, when Leonard Bernstein, then 25, was summoned to conduct the New York Philharmonic because Bruno Walter, the guest conductor, had fallen sick.”(2). This captivating performance, which was live-broadcasted, was a key event that led to continued fame for the rest of his life.

Although these connections and events were a key part of what led to his eventual success and fame, what innate characteristics of him as a conductor and person contributed to getting these connections in the first place, and ultimately to his fame?

One of the first things one will notice when watching a video of Bernstein conducting is his expressiveness. Menahem Breuer, former concertmaster of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra recalled of her time playing under Leonard Bernstein, “It was never for show although he was dancing on the podium. It was all emotional and sincere, music was pouring out of his body.” (3). This characteristic was undoubtedly part of what made Bernstein such a compelling conductor.

Another characteristic that I believe led to Bernstein’s success was his love of teaching. Bernstein was of course known as an educator in many ways but what is notable is that his love of teaching continued while he was conducting as well. A musician who played under Bernstein recalled a time when a substitute harpist in one of his orchestras needed help with their part, “Our harpist got sick, I think in Venice. The substitute harpist had never played the Mahler Fifth in rehearsal. So there she was, shivering by her harp, and Lenny looked over and saw she needed clear beats. So he laid out every single note in the slow movement for her. That entire movement, he conducted it just so she could be absolutely clear of all the triplets and subdivided rhythms, which are very difficult. He knew she needed him.” (4). Bernstein also loved teaching the orchestra as a whole. Marin Aslop stated, “I was always delighted when he would stop a rehearsal and say “must I tell you the story of this Haydn Symphony?” only to have 70 musicians magically turn into 4 year olds with that sparkle of anticipation in their eyes that says “yes, please tell us that story!” (5).

A final key characteristic that I believe was crucial to Bernstein’s success as a conductor was his passion. Bernstein’s son, Alexander Bernstein, stated, “When he studied a score his concentration was total, so that all of my fiddling around with his trinkets and jumping, Robin Hood-like, from chair to couch didn’t even faze him” (6). Lawrence Wolfe, bassist of the Boston Symphony, recalled, “ One time things weren’t going all that well. It wasn’t gelling, and it seemed there was a discrepancy between his score and the parts onstage. He took the score and slammed it down, and stomped offstage. Someone lit a cigarette, put it in his mouth; someone handed him a drink. The personnel manager said, “We’re going to take a break now.” About 20 minutes later, the break was over, and Lenny was fine, as if nothing had ever happened”( 7). Although his passion may have sometimes come out in the form of anger or irritation with the orchestra, whether Bernstein cared or not was never in question to the musicians who played under him.

When combining Bernstein’s expressiveness, love for teaching, and passion, with the fact that Bernstein had mentors like Copland, Koussevitzky, and Reiner, and adding alittle bit of luck (becoming assistant conductor of the NY philharmonic at the right time), it becomes clear how Bernstein rose to fame so quickly at such a young age, and stayed famous to the point of his death and beyond.

Works Cited

1. Seldes, Barry. Leonard Bernstein the Political Life of an American Musician. University of California Press, 2009.
2. Brozan, Nadine. “CHRONICLE.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Nov. 1993, www.nytimes.com/1993/11/16/style/chronicle-384393.html.
3. Cooper, Michael. “Playing for Lenny: Musicians Recall the ‘Magical’ Bernstein.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 23 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/arts/music/leonard-bernstein-centennial-boston-symphony-tanglewood.html.
4. Cooper, Michael. “Playing for Lenny: Musicians Recall the ‘Magical’ Bernstein.”
5. Cooper, Michael. “Playing for Lenny: Musicians Recall the ‘Magical’ Bernstein.”
6. Trott, Donald L., and Alexander Bernstein. “Leonard Bernstein Remembered: A Lecture/Interview with His Son, Alexander.” The Choral Journal, vol. 34, no. 4, 1993, pp. 9–13. JSTOR, JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/23549402.
7. Cooper, Michael. “Playing for Lenny: Musicians Recall the ‘Magical’ Bernstein.”

Pictures and Videos

1. https://www.wqxr.org/story/best-leonard-bernstein-screen/
2. https://theberkshireedge.com/part-iii-tanglewood-music-center-at-75-koussevitzkys-students-leonard-bernstein-and-lukas-foss//
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn5bhJ5YX6U/

I decided during my first week of college classes at Brandeis University to shop a class called “Leonard Bernstein: Composer, Conductor, Educator, and Humanitarian” and my first thought was “Oh boy”. Having a twin brother as a serious pianist makes you lose interest in classical music real fast. In every bedroom I was hearing Copland, Bach, or Gershwin; I couldn’t escape it. I was listening to classical music all the time, I quickly became unappreciative of the style’s beauty and detail – I just wanted the piece to end. Therefore, while I didn’t know a lot about who Leonard Bernstein was when I decided to try the class out, I was hesitant since I knew it would entail listening to classical music at some point or another. I contemplated; was the class going to be as boring as my brother’s playing? However, after two months of the class, I can’t believe I was ever skeptical. I am in awe of Bernstein. He was a musical genius who created masterpieces and revolutionized American classical music. Above all though, the most inspiring part about him is, he was a natural entertainer.

If you have ever seen Leonard Bernstein conduct, you know exactly what I mean when I say that you are automatically drawn to him when he is on stage. Bernstein has such a contagious energy and enthusiasm to him. Take one of his performances of the Candide Overture. This piece was conducted at the London Symphony Orchestra on December 13th, 1989 and it was spectacular. When you watch him you can’t help but smile. He never stops moving – up and down, right and left – his puckered lips are adorable, and his overall happiness throughout the entire performance is apparent and truly exemplifies his passion for the arts. Additionally, it is clear that he is meticulous about every instrument and note played – both the way he bounces and who he pays attention to with each sound change. You only have to take a few moments to watch him closely to realize he is affected by every note played. How incredible! I’m not the only one who idolizes him. New York Times writer Anthony Tommasini described him as the “the most influential American maestro of the 20th century” and stated that, “his unabashedly theatrical podium persona was thrilling. There was something feisty and American about it”. Additionally, Jennie Shames, a violinist of the Boston Symphony, also praised him, “For all of us that worked with him, when I ask any one of them who is the greatest conductor you ever played with, without skipping a beat we all say Leonard Bernstein”.(1)(2)

Bernstein didn’t even need all his body motion to draw the audience in or conduct his orchestra; his facial expressions were more than enough. In one piece at the Vienna Philharmonic, Bernstein didn’t use either his hands or baton to conduct Haydn’s Symphony No. 88 – he used only his eyebrows! (3) Not only does this technique illustrate how talented of a conductor he was, the choice demonstrates how much Bernstein cared about his musicians. He wanted them to shine. He didn’t always want to spazz out and detract from the players while they were all on stage. He trusted them. Orin O’Brien, one of the bassist of the New York Philharmonic, explained it perfectly, “He was very free with his motions because he knew the orchestra knew the piece, and knew he could be relaxed and phrase differently each night if he felt like it. He didn’t feel he needed to beat out the time.” (4)

Some of his conductor inspirations included Serge Koussevitzky and Dimitri Metropolis who both conducted with passion, large gestures, and internal rhythm. (5) He also admired Hungarian opera and symphonic music conductor Fritz Reiner for his love of detail in every piece played. (6) All three of them molded him into the pristine conductor that he was.

Not surprisingly, not everybody was a fan of Bernstein’s conducting style, including Bernstein! He once told his assistant John Mauceri that he hated the way he looked when he conducted, “but when I do it I get the sound I want”. (7) Mauceri added that french conductor Pierre Monteux also criticized Bernstein’s conducting style, “I’ve yet to have anyone demonstrate that an orchestra plays louder because you jump higher”.

Bernstein was not only great at directing the musicians, he was also great with the audience. He loved to tell jokes in between songs and when he got onto stage he always made sure to “bow, shake hands with the orchestra’s leader, and wait, wait for the audience to be paying attention”. (8) I wish I could have seen him live.

Until his death in 1990, Leonard Bernstein never ceased to be in the spotlight. He swept millions of people away with not only his music, but his presence and he created symphonies and songs that will be cherished forever. He may have been too much for some people, but in my eyes, he was the greatest showman.

Work Cited List

(1) Tommasini, Anthony. “In Praise of Bernstein as Conductor: Movement That Mesmerized.” The New York Times, August 23, 2018, sec. Arts. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/arts/music/leonard-bernstein-conductor.html.

(2) Cooper, Michael. “Playing for Lenny: Musicians Recall the ‘Magical’ Bernstein.” The New York Times, August 23, 2018, sec. Arts. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/arts/music/leonard-bernstein-centennial-boston-symphony-tanglewood.html.

(3) “Watch Leonard Bernstein Conduct an Orchestra Using Only His EYEBROWS – Classic FM.” Accessed October 13, 2018. https://www.classicfm.com/composers/bernstein-l/guides/conduct-with-eyebrows/.

(4) Cooper, Michael. “Playing for Lenny: Musicians Recall the ‘Magical’ Bernstein.”

(5) “Leonard Bernstein, A Total Embrace of Music, Classical Notes, Peter Gutmann.” Accessed October 13, 2018. http://www.classicalnotes.net/features/bernstein.html.

(6) “Bernstein: Conducting as a Conductor Conducts.” Accessed October 13, 2018. https://www.curtis.edu/news/bernstein-conducting-as-a-conductor-conducts/.

(7) Tilden, Interviews by Imogen, and Fiona Maddocks. “‘He Was High-Brow, Low-Brow, Every-Brow!’ – the Genius of Leonard Bernstein.” The Guardian, July 12, 2018, sec. Music. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/12/leonard-bernstein-composer-conductor-inspiration-genius-proms.

(8) Tilden, Interviews by Imogen, and Fiona Maddocks. “‘He Was High-Brow, Low-Brow, Every-Brow!’