Bernstein, Overture to “Candide”
Written in 1955/56 in collaboration with famed author Lillian Hellman, the musical comedy “Candide” (based loosely on Voltaire’s story) consists of nearly two hours of music and more than thirty different numbers including solos, ensembles, choruses and purely orchestral music. While Bernstein described it as a “Valentine card to European music,” it struck others as derisive of European opera and operetta. After the premiere, Variety wrote: “It’s a spectacular, opulent and racy musical, verging on operetta. It’s replete with eye-filling costumes, lavish settings, a big cast and fine musical score.” 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 London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1976.
The French Chanson
Charles Aznavour, Juliette Gréco, Petula Clark and Mireille are among the singers who take part in an exploration of the French chanson, looking at its history, its distinctive character, its stars, its enduring popularity and its unique role in French culture. Material drawn from sound and film archives featuring many of the great chansonniers is included, and the final vital ingredient in the programme is Paris, home of the chanson, captured in a melancholy, wintry mood.
James Galway
From 1975-85, flautist James Galway was continually in the public eye. He widened the audience for classical music and, to the purists’ horror, added unashamedly popular music to his repertoire. Since then, he has tired of hell-raising and the publicity circus and is more eager than ever to perfect and to communicate his art. Galway talks with disarming frankness about his life and his music and is seen teaching, rehearsing and performing.
Ballerina
This four-part series is presented by prima ballerina assoluta Natalia Makarova. It focuses on the many aspects of the female role in classical ballet, including the way a great ballerina reaches the pinnacle of her art, how she builds up a special relationship with a partner, the great roles created for her and the handing-on of knowledge and skills. Each film contains extensive dance extracts, shot on location throughout Europe with leading dancers and companies.
Dancer
Peter Schaufuss presents a four-part series which puts the male dancer centre-stage, dispelling the shadow so often cast by his female partner. The programmes focus on the dancer as athletic virtuoso and as partner, and survey his role in the established repertoire, as well as in new work created by modern choreographers. Each film makes extensive use of specially shot dance extracts, featuring some of the world’s greatest dancers, companies and choreographers.
Harris, Symphony No.3
American composer Roy Harris (1898-1979) wrote his Third Symphony in the late 1930s. When it was first performed in 1939, it was judged by many to be the most important symphonic work ever produced in the U.S. Some saw in it a reflection of the American West, of the vast horizons and open landscapes that have so little in common with the more European-flavored American music of the East coast establishment. Leonard Bernstein was one of the first musicians to hail the work as a great stroke of genius and, reviewing the first performance in February 1939 by the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitzky, he wrote in “Modern Music” that the symphony was “mature in every sense, beautifully proportioned, eloquent, restrained, and affecting.” This performance with the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein was recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1976.
Ives, The Unanswered Question
“The Unanswered Question” is one of Charles Ives’ most famous works. Long before Stravinsky and other Europeans tried out the clashing keys technically referred to as ‘bitonality’ or ‘polytonality’, this independent Yankee businessman and artist had discovered these things for himself. Indeed, he was so bold, so radical in his experiments that he could find almost no one to take his music seriously until long after Stravinsky, Bartók, Hindemith and other Europeans had made such sounds fashionable and even popular. This work was recorded live at New York’s Carnegie Hall on 20 May 1976. Under Leonard Bernstein, the New York Philharmonic Orchestra gave a concert of American music in honor of the American Bicentennial.
Schuman, American Festival Overture
When William Schumann (1910-1992) wrote his “American Festival Overture” for Serge Koussevitzky and the Boston Symphony Orchestra, he already ranked among the young generation of leading American composers. Koussevitzky led the premiere on 4 October 1939. It was the opening work of two concerts given as part of a festival season of American music. The work sparkles with energy and spontaneity, with a kind of undefeatable American optimism that conquers listeners with its charm and spirit to this day. Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in this performance recorded at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1976.
Copland, Lincoln Portrait
Soon after the United States was drawn into World War II, André Kostelanetz approached three American composers with the suggestion of composing three musical portraits of eminent Americans, to express the ‘magnificent spirit of our country.’ The proposal resulted in Virgil Thomson’s “The Mayor La Guardia Waltzes’, Jerome Kern’s “Portrait for Orchestra of Mark Twain’, and Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait”. The score is dedicated to André Kostelanetz, who conducted the first performance at a pension fund concert of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in Cincinnati on 14 May 1942. Our concert featuring the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Leonard Bernstein was recorded in London in 1976.