The concert given by the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela under its conductor Gustavo Dudamel at the Beethovenfest 2007 in Bonn was a highlight of the musical year. Over 200 young musicians between the ages of 10 and 24, many from underprivileged backgrounds, performed with nearly untamable energy under the baton of a young maestro destined to conduct the most fabled orchestras in the world. The concert program (2 x 45’) includes Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances, and pieces by Latin American composers Revueltas, Márquez and Ginastera. In the riveting 90-minute documentary ‘The Promise of Music’ (Prog. No. A05016554) directed by Enrique Sánchez Lansch (award-winning ‘Rhythm Is It’), we follow Dudamel as he prepares his orchestra in Caracas for its concert in Bonn, and we accompany the young musicians on their trip to Europe.
Classical Summit 2006 – Three Superstars in Berlin
In the tradition of the original ‘The Three Tenors,’ world-class singers Plácido Domingo, Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón joined forces to entertain a live audience of 20,000 spectators on location and millions more around the world on TV. They sing the most famous arias and duets from the world of opera, accompanied by the orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and its conductor Marco Armiliato.
Bernstein, Prélude, Fugue and Riffs
Leonard Bernstein was one of the greatest and most universal musical personalities of our time. He secured an international reputation as a performing artist (conductor and pianist) and as a composer. With regard to his creative activity, it should be noted that he was just at home in the world of serious, “avant-garde” music as in that of sophisticated “light” music. His first works betrayed the distinct influence of Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hindemith. However, they already included stylistic traits derived from jazz. Bernstein’s music is stamped by exceptionally expressive melodies and striking rhythms. This and their primeval vitality helped them become popular all over the world.
Bernstein, Symphony No.2 “The Age of Anxiety”
Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2 was recorded live with the London Symphony Orchestra during the Leonard Bernstein Festival which took place at London’s Barbican Centre in May 1986. In the presence of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Leonard Bernstein conducted a gala concert on 6 May with three of his most important works: the Chichester Psalms, the Serenade for Violin and Orchestra, and the Second Symphony, entitled “The Age of Anxiety”. The soloists in these concerts were Gidon Kremer (violin), Krystian Zimerman (piano) and Aled Jones (voice).
Bernstein, Serenade (after Plato’s “Symposium”)
Bernstein’s Serenade was recorded live with the London Symphony Orchestra during the Leonard Bernstein Festival which took place at London’s Barbican Centre in May 1986. In the presence of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Leonard Bernstein conducted a gala concert on 6 May with three of his most important works: the “Chichester Psalms”, the Serenade for Violin and Orchestra, and the Second Symphony, entitled “The Age of Anxiety”. The soloists in these concerts were Gidon Kremer (violin), Krystian Zimerman (piano) and Aled Jones (voice).
Bernstein, Chichester Psalms
Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms” were recorded live with the London Symphony Orchestra during the Leonard Bernstein Festival which took place at London’s Barbican Centre in May 1986. In the presence of Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, Leonard Bernstein conducted a gala concert on 6 May with three of his most important works: the Chichester Psalms, the Serenade for Violin and Orchestra, and the Second Symphony, entitled “The Age of Anxiety”. The soloists in these concerts were Gidon Kremer (violin), Krystian Zimerman (piano) and Aled Jones (voice).
Bernstein, Divertimento for Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein was one of the greatest and most universal musical personalities of our time. He secured an international reputation as a performing artist (conductor and pianist) and as a composer. With regard to his creative activity, it should be noted that he was just at home in the world of serious, “avant-garde” music as in that of sophisticated “light” music. His first works betrayed the distinct influence of Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky and Paul Hindemith. However, they already included stylistic traits derived from jazz. Bernstein’s music is stamped by exceptionally expressive melodies and striking rhythms. This and their primeval vitality helped them become popular all over the world.
Bernstein, Overture to “Candide”
After the premiere of the musical comedy ‘Candide’ (based loosely on Voltaire’s story) in 1956, Variety wrote: ‘It’s a spectacular, opulent and racy musical, verging on operetta.’ It was with the New York Philharmonic that Bernstein first conducted a full orchestra version of his ‘Candide Overture’ in late 1956/early 1957. The critic Harold
Schonberg described it as ‘a smart, sophisticated little piece.’ It soon became Bernstein’s most popular concert work. This performance with the New York Philharmonic under the maestro and composer was recorded at the Jahrhunderthalle in Hoechst, Germany, in 1976.
Bernstein, Symphonic Dances from “West Side Story”
The Musical ‘West Side Story’ is Leonard Bernstein’s most popular stage work and contains songs that have achieved enormous popularity throughout the world. The first performance was in September 1957 in New York. Bernstein later prepared a suite of orchestral music from the show. This performance with the New York Philharmonic under the maestro and composer was recorded at the Jahrhunderthalle in Hoechst, Germany, in 1976.
BPO: Dudamel conducts Bernstein Symphony No. 1
In 1944, at the age of just 25, Leonard Bernstein conducted the first performance of his First Symphony, a work based on the Old Testament lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah and which demonstrates astonishing musical and intellectual maturity. PROGRAM Bernstein: Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah”