Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1988 – Part I: Introduction and Rehearsal of Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 in F minor, op.10

Dmitry Shostakovich (* St. Petersburg, 1906 – + Moscow, 1975) immediately made a name for himself with his First Symphony. In spite of political pressure from the Soviet authorities on account of his alleged “Western formalism”, and in spite of certain critiques from Western commentators, Shostakovich is considered as the Soviet Union’s major symphonist and one of Russia’s greatest composers. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky- Korsakov, Mahler, Stravinsky and Hindemith is evident in his early works.

Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1988 – Part II: Introduction and Performance of Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 in F minor, op.10

Dmitry Shostakovich (* St. Petersburg, 1906 – + Moscow, 1975) immediately made a name for himself with his First Symphony. In spite of political pressure from the Soviet authorities on account of his alleged “Western formalism”, and in spite of certain critiques from Western commentators, Shostakovich is considered as the Soviet Union’s major symphonist and one of Russia’s greatest composers. The influence of Tchaikovsky, Rimsky- Korsakov, Mahler, Stravinsky and Hindemith is evident in his early works.

Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1989 – Part I: Romeo Alone (Berlioz, Excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet” – Rehearsal and Concert)

Bernstein always knew how important it was to pass one’s knowledge on to younger generations. As a young man in Tanglewood in 1940, he made an unforgettable experience: a summer spent in an atmosphere of relaxed creativity with a charismatic teacher (Serge Koussevitzky) and a great orchestra (the Boston Symphony). Later, when he returned to Tanglewood as a teacher, he gave his best to the students of the Berkshire Music Center. And it is his experiences there which stimulated him to create something similar in Europe. The venue was the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. In 1987 120 young musicians from all over the world were invited to Salzau Palace to form the Festival Orchestra, which rehearsed and performed under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. At the same time, Bernstein worked with young conductors in master classes. From 1987 to 1989, Bernstein devoted himself with astonishing energy to his work with the festival students. And each summer, Unitel was there to document this for posterity. In 1989, his final summer in Salzau, Bernstein chose Berlioz’s vocal symphony Roméo et Juliette. Written in 1839, it illustrates a series of episodes from Shakespeare’s play and involves chorus, soloists and a large orchestra. Seeking new ways of capturing on film the unique combination of creative exchange and festival atmosphere, Unitel director Horant Hohlfeld turned to a new technique of underlaying the final concert with scenes from the rehearsals.

Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1989 – Part II: Love Scene (Berlioz, Excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet” – Rehearsal and Concert)

Bernstein always knew how important it was to pass one’s knowledge on to younger generations. As a young man in Tanglewood in 1940, he made an unforgettable experience: a summer spent in an atmosphere of relaxed creativity with a charismatic teacher (Serge Koussevitzky) and a great orchestra (the Boston Symphony). Later, when he returned to Tanglewood as a teacher, he gave his best to the students of the Berkshire Music Center. And it is his experiences there which stimulated him to create something similar in Europe. The venue was the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival. In 1987 120 young musicians from all over the world were invited to Salzau Palace to form the Festival Orchestra, which rehearsed and performed under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. At the same time, Bernstein worked with young conductors in master classes. From 1987 to 1989, Bernstein devoted himself with astonishing energy to his work with the festival students. And each summer, Unitel was there to document this for posterity. In 1989, his final summer in Salzau, Bernstein chose Berlioz’s vocal symphony Roméo et Juliette. Written in 1839, it illustrates a series of episodes from Shakespeare’s play and involves chorus, soloists and a large orchestra. Seeking new ways of capturing on film the unique combination of creative exchange and festival atmosphere, Unitel director Horant Hohlfeld turned to a new technique of underlaying the final concert with scenes from the rehearsals.

Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1987 – Part I: “…so that we get ahead…” The Birth of an Orchestra.

The music special “Leonard Bernstein in Salzau” offers a lively and fascinating inside look at the professional world of young conductors and orchestral musicians in three one-hour-long programs. It also portrays one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein, shown at work with young musicians, challenging them, but also encouraging and reassuring them. In Part One, we witness the arrival of 120 young musicians in Salzau, all of whom have been selected from over 1600 competitors in auditions. Under the guidance of experienced conductors and teachers, they work together in various groups which yield a homogeneous orchestral body in an amazingly short time. During this preparatory phase, the musicians were constantly observed by Unitel’s cameras and interviewed about their impressions and experiences.

Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1987 – Part II: With him up front…” Orchestral Work with Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring”

“Leonard Bernstein in Salzau” offers a lively and fascinating inside look at the professional world of young musicians. At the same time, it portrays one of the most eminent musicians of our time: Leonard Bernstein. Young conductors and instrumentalists, some of whom have already acquired a certain reputation, have come to Salzau Castle to learn while playing and to make music of the highest standards. “I am trying to do something for Europe that Europe actually did for me: through Sergei Koussevitzky, Dimitri Mitropoulos, Fritz Reiner… I had promised myself to founding another Tanglewood here.” (Leonard Bernstein)

Leonard Bernstein in Salzau 1987 – Part III: “Beating time is very basic, but…” International Conductor’s Competition and Master Course.

The music special “Leonard Bernstein in Salzau” offers a lively and fascinating inside look at the professional world of young conductors and orchestral musicians in three one-hour-long programs. It also portrays one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, Leonard Bernstein, shown at work with young musicians, challenging them, but also encouraging and reassuring them. In Part Three, we follow four young conductors who are given the chance to work with Leonard Bernstein and to go on a concert tour with him. The youths are torn between fear and hope, disappointment and triumph before finally submitting to the ultimate challenge of conducting the orchestra under the watchful gaze of the maestro. “Beating time is naturally very basic. Almost everybody can learn to beat¿ But what we are looking for is not the beating of the beat, it is the beating of the music.” (Leonard Bernstein)

Schumann’s Symphonies – A TV essay by Klaus Lindemann featuring Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic performing Robert Schumann’s symphonies

Produced in 1987, the one-hour television special “Schumann’s Symphonies – An Essay by Klaus Lindemann on the Schumann Cycle with Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra” explores Schumann’s romanticism in the light of the literature and visual arts of the times. The paintings of Caspar David Friedrich – the epitome of German romanticism – provide revealing parallels with Schumann, as well as the works of William Turner, Delacroix, the Nazarene School, Constable, Géricault¿ “With Schumann,” says Lindemann, “we stand in the full flowering of Romanticism and gaze from one peak to another.” In addition to many new insights on Schumann and his relationship to the visual and literary arts of his day, the program also contains many excerpts from Schumann’s four symphonies.