A light and transparent work, Beethoven’s opus 135 is particularly well suited to a performance with a full string orchestra. Bernstein’s interpretation can be seen as an homage to his revered mentor Dimitri Mitropoulos, who was the first to conduct a string orchestra version of Beethoven string quartet (op. 131). Composed in 1826, about half a year before Beethoven’s death, opus 135 is the last work Beethoven completed. Following the profundity of the preceding Quartet op. 131, the buoyancy and humor of this piece are surprising. The work seems to long for the ideals of Classicism, which were now irretrievably lost, and aims for an accessibility which is often missing in Beethoven’s late works. Leonard Bernstein said that only the strings of the Vienna Philharmonic could carry off the orchestral rendition of this work with bravura, since each player is a true soloist. The public performance of opus 135 was acclaimed by the press. “Since Leonard Bernstein is the number one conductor today, the only one who can let the Vienna Philharmonic play the way they would love to sound all the time, he and the orchestra wanted to play a difficult Beethoven Quartet in a monster setting. They succeeded, and it was ¿ an exciting work, unlike anything one ever hears.”
Sibelius, Symphony No.1 in E minor, op.39
Jean Sibelius was 34 years old when he undertook the composition of his First Symphony, which was actually his second: in 1892 he had written “Kullervo” for solo voices, male chorus and orchestra, but was dissatisfied with it and forbade its performance during his lifetime. In his Symphony No. 1, there are already flashes of his later style in the impetuous rhythms, romantic outbursts and abrupt changes of tone. The conductor led the premiere in Helsinki on 26 April 1899. In the mid 1980s, Unitel began recording a complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies with Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic. Bernstein’s death in 1990 unfortunately cut short this project after the release of Symphonies Nos. 1, 2, 5 and 7. They were recorded live at Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal and were the object of stellar reviews. Bernstein, in the words of a leading Austrian daily, “painted a canvas of late-romantic splendor with the Philharmonic’s sound – the incomparable brilliancy of the strings, the glowing intensity of the brass – in a way that only the greatest conductors can.” (Symphony No. 1) And in its review of the Second Symphony, a major Viennese newspaper wrote: “For the sake of Jean Sibelius, Leonard Bernstein leaps with fanatical zeal into the heaving waves of late romantic emotions.” It is not surprising that Leonard Bernstein felt so passionately about Sibelius’s music. In many respects, it strikingly parallels that of Gustav Mahler. In fact, Sibelius’s oeuvre is seen along with Gustav Mahler’s as the most important symphonic legacy between late romanticism and modernity. And as Mahler’s glowing advocate, Bernstein was suited like none other to disseminate the music of his great colleague Jean Sibelius.
Mozart, Mass in C minor, K. 427
Together with the “Ave, verum corpus” and the Requiem, the Mass in C minor K. 427 is one of Mozart’s last sacred works. And, like the Requiem, it too is incomplete: the Kyrie and Gloria were performed in Salzburg in 1783, but only part of the Credo was written, and none of the Agnus Dei. The work is marked by an archaic flavor reminiscent of Handel’s music, which Mozart had developed a taste for in his later years. Though few people would spontaneously associate Leonard Bernstein with 18th-century sacred music, this production stunningly confirms the words of a major Munich daily: “After a few bars, one is conquered by Bernstein’s mastery in creating atmosphere and communicating moods.” This live concert with the Chorus and Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio was filmed at the ornate Basilica of Waldsassen in Franconia (Germany), one of the first architectural adaptations of the Italian Baroque style to German taste. Significantly, this work also represents a melding of Italian vocal writing and German contrapuntal art.
Mahler, Kindertotenlieder
Just a few months before his final illness and death, Leonard Bernstein conducted three masterworks by Gustav Mahler in a concert at Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal with the Vienna Philharmonic. The program consisted of the “Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen”, the “Rückertlieder” and the “Kindertotenlieder”. The soloist was the American baritone Thomas Hampson. The trade publication “Musik & Theater” wrote: “I know of no other baritone today who can profess a similar mastery of these three Mahler song cycles on a vocal, emotional and textually sensitive level. […] a singular vocal accomplishment and a worthy conclusion of Bernstein’s extensive Mahler discography.”
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.
Debussy, Images (Rondo, Gigue, Ibéria)
“I truly admire this orchestra and hope it becomes better known abroad,” confided Leonard Bernstein in 1989 to the audience in Rome’s Auditorio Pio before his concert of works by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) with the prestigious “Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia.” In the words of Rome’s “Il Giornale,” Bernstein served up a “Debussy that is neither ethereal nor shapeless, but uncommonly vital, caught in the full light of noon.” The concert begins with “Images,” Debussy’s last orchestral work and one of his most colorful scores. It consists of three separate pieces: the rather doleful “Gigues,” the “Rondes de printemps,” which incorporates a French nursery tune, and “Ibéria,” a vibrant homage to Spain, complete with tambourines and castanets.
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.
Beethoven, Sonata No. 32 in C minor, op.111
Ivo Pogorelich is perhaps the only great pianist who became an instant celebrity for the prize he didn’t win. It was in 1980, when he was eliminated in the third round of the Warsaw Chopin Competition. An argument ensued among the jurors, and Martha Argerich, a member of the jury, resigned in protest, claiming “Pogorelich is a genius!” The scandal provoked by Argerich’s reaction made him famous overnight. The eyes of the musical world were soon upon young Ivo Pogorelich, and they have yet to be disappointed. Ivo Pogorelich was born in Belgrade in 1958 and began playing the piano at the age of seven. After his classical training at the Moscow Conservatory, he took master classes from Aliza Kezeradze, who passed on to him the tradition of the Liszt-Siloti school. In an interview with the German weekly newspaper “Die Zeit”, Pogorelich once listed the four most important things he learned from Kezeradze: “First, technical perfection as something natural. Second, an insight into the development of the piano sound, as perfected by the pianist-composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, composers who understood the piano both as a human voice … and as an orchestra with which they could produce a variety of colors. Third, the need to learn how to use every aspect of our new instruments, which are richer in sound. Fourth, the importance of differentiation.” Pogorelich won the Casagrande Competition in 1978 and the first prize of the International Music Competition in Montreal in 1980. Since the Warsaw scandal, Pogorelich has been pursuing a brilliant international career. His debuts in London, Paris, New York, Madrid, Brussels, Amsterdam, Rome, Milan and Tel Aviv were triumphs. He has performed with practically all the major orchestras in the world, and his recitals are almost always sold out. Comparing him with Horowitz, the New York Times once wrote: “He was an entire orchestra.” His often controversial and always stunning interpretations confirm the originality of his talent and intellect. In 1986 and 1987, when Pogorelich was in his late 20s, Unitel recorded a series of six recitals with the artist in venues of particularly striking beauty. The fact that the young pianist chose several pieces that are not among the most spectacular or frequently performed of the piano repertoire already hints at the unique and uncompromising character of this young pianist.