Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) and George Gershwin (1898-1937), two musicians inseparably linked with America, form an exuberant and stimulating combination in this program with the New York Philharmonic. Gershwin was one of the American composers Bernstein revered the most and one who, along with Mahler, Copland and Blitzstein, exerted a great influence on him as a composer. This performance with the New York Philharmonic and Leonard Bernstein as soloist and conductor was
recorded at the Jahrhunderthalle in Hoechst, Germany, in 1976.
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.
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.
On May 5, 2011, Carnegie Hall commemorated its 120th anniversary with an all-star gala concert featuring conductor Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic and special guests: pianist Emanuel Ax, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, violinist Gil Shaham, and the four-time Tony Award-winning singer and actress Audra McDonald. The eclectic, crowd pleasing program is set to include Beethoven’s Triple Concerto in C major, Op. 56, performed by Ax, Ma, and Shaham, a selection of Duke Ellington songs – including ‘Solitude,’ ‘Sophisticated Lady,’ ‘On a Turquoise Cloud,’ and ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing if it Ain’t Got That Swing’ -performed by McDonald, and full performances of Antonin Dvorák’s Carnival Overture and George Gershwin’s ‘An American in Paris’.
