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.
Schumann, Symphony No.1 in B flat major, op.38
Following the cycles of orchestral works by Mahler, Beethoven and Brahms, Unitel chose to honor Robert Schumann in 1984/85 with this cycle performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. Schumann’s orchestral works are firmly established in the repertoire of the Vienna Philharmonic. The glowing, romantic sound of this orchestra and Leonard Bernstein’s expressive interpretation complement each other in an ideal way to produce a perfect rendering of Schumann’s symphonic oeuvre. Schumann’s four symphonies, his piano concerto, the violoncello concerto and the Manfred Overture have been filmed and recorded in the “Golden Hall” of the Vienna Musikverein, held to rank acoustically among the world’s best halls. The soloists are Justus Frantz, piano, and the cellist Misha Maisky.
Schumann, Symphony No.3 in E flat major, op.97
Following the cycles of orchestral works by Mahler, Beethoven and Brahms, Unitel chose to honor Robert Schumann in 1984/85 with this cycle performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein. Schumann’s orchestral works are firmly established in the repertoire of the Vienna Philharmonic. The glowing, romantic sound of this orchestra and Leonard Bernstein’s expressive interpretation complement each other in an ideal way to produce a perfect rendering of Schumann’s symphonic oeuvre. Schumann’s four symphonies, his piano concerto, the violoncello concerto and the Manfred Overture have been filmed and recorded in the “Golden Hall” of the Vienna Musikverein, held to rank acoustically among the world’s best halls. The soloists are Justus Frantz, piano, and the cellist Misha Maisky.
Mozart, Violin Concerto No.2 in D major, K. 211
The violin concertos K. 211, 216, 218 and 219 were all composed within a few months, between June and December 1775, while Mozart was in the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg. The violin concerto No. 2 radiates a distinctly galant atmosphere reminiscent of the French style of violin playing. Dazzling and elegant, it gives the soloist luminous passages such as the minor-key melody in the first movement and the main melody of the Andante. The concluding Rondo again recalls the brilliance of the French style. After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt’s views differed radically from those of traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is “the most romantic composer of all”, his music “dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and exceedingly emotional”. In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt’s unconventional concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.
Mozart, Violin Concerto No.3 in G major, K. 216
The violin concertos K. 211, 216, 218 and 219 were all composed within a few months, between June and December 1775, while Mozart was in the employ of the Archbishop of Salzburg. In his Violin Concerto No. 3 K. 216, Mozart began allocating a more demanding role to the orchestra, striving for the effect of a dialogue between soloist and accompaniment. Without leaving the French-influenced style behind completely, he began to find his own voice in this piece, elaborating it with a breadth and detail that had previously been lacking. Particularly outstanding in this work is the emotionally turbulent development section of the first movement, the lyrical, woodwind-colored theme of the Adagio movement, and the many imaginative intermezzi between the rondo themes of the last movement. After having devoted himself to Baroque music for many years, Nikolaus Harnoncourt began turning increasingly to the orchestral works of Mozart in the 1980s. Here, too, Harnoncourt’s views differed radically from those of traditional Mozart reception. For him, Mozart is “the most romantic composer of all”, his music “dramatic, dynamic, often strikingly and exceedingly emotional”. In Gidon Kremer, Harnoncourt found a partner who shared his views. The German-Russian violin virtuoso has also sought his own path in his Mozart interpretations. In 1970 the then 23-year-old virtuoso attained the first peak of his career by winning the first prize at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. He has since become one of the most sought-after violinists in the world. It should also be noted that the Vienna Philharmonic, celebrated for its natural and graceful Mozart style, initially opposed Harnoncourt’s unconventional concepts. However, the orchestra was soon won over by the unusual stylistic approach often concertizes with Harnoncourt today.
Schubert, Symphony No.4 in C minor “Tragic”, D. 417
Schubert was only 19 years old when he composed his Symphony No. 4, to which he himself appended the name “Tragic.” The slow introduction is pervaded by a powerful feeling of melancholy, which gives way to the storminess of the Allegro vivace. Schubert scholars, who find the shadow of Beethoven throughout the “Tragic” Symphony, compare this theme to Beethoven’s C minor String Quartet Op. 18 and the Coriolanus Overture in the same key. A typically Schubertian, lyrical theme dominates the Andante movement. After a Menuetto and Trio, the closing Allegro presents a main theme, a stormy development and a resplendent conclusion that are related to the first movement. Nikolaus Harnoncourt was born in Berlin in 1929. His dissatisfaction with conventional interpretations of early music led him to found the Concentus Musicus with his wife Alice in 1953. The unusual, radically different musical style of the ensemble, combined with its insistence on using only historical instruments, quickly earned it a prominent reputation. Its international concert tours met with triumphal acclaim. In addition to leading his ensemble, Harnoncourt regularly conducts such prestigious orchestras as the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Concertgebouw Orkest Amsterdam, the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and others. In contrast to the convention of playing the romanticised versions of Franz Schubert’s symphonies edited by Johannes Brahms, Harnoncourt seeks to revive the original character of the music as Schubert intended it. He goes back to Schubert’s original manuscripts, comparing and readjusting, ridding the score of all disfiguring changes made since it was written. The results of this restoration are striking: music that is full of drama and a dynamic range much broader than we are familiar with – Schubert in his purest form.
Introduction to Brahms, Symphony No.2 in D major, op.73
Brahms’s sunny Second Symphony is as warm and lyrical as his First had been stormy and dramatic. It quite possibly reflects the idyllic nature around Lake Wörth in Austria, where Brahms composed it in the summer of 1877. Brahms himself, however, called attention to the melancholy current that undermines the pastoral serenity (“You’ve never heard anything as world-weary as this”, he wrote to his friend Schubring). Despite the apparent simplicity of the symphonic writing, the work is strengthened and enriched by many thematic threads that run from one movement to another. It has been a special favorite among music lovers since its premiere in Vienna on 30 December 1877. The celebrated 19th-century music critic Eduard Hanslick wrote that it was for “all who long for good music, whether they understand its complexity or not”. Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. In his introductions, Bernstein speaks with an eloquence and conviction that go far beyond the opening words to a traditional concert performance. With his stimulating theories on Brahms and his music, Bernstein prompts viewers to listen to the music with an open mind.
Introduction to Brahms, Symphony No.3 in F major, op.90
A particularly mellow, burnished glow radiates from Brahms’s F major Symphony. The work was written chiefly in Wiesbaden, where Brahms spent the summer of 1883. He had just turned fifty – and had possibly fallen in love with the much younger singer Hermine Spiess, who happened to live in Wiesbaden. Like most of his symphonies, the Third is also permeated by a melodic motto. This one consists of three notes which not only open the symphony but are frequently woven into its texture and return with dramatic emphasis at crucial moments in the later movements. The unexpectedly quiet close of the Third sets it off against the previous two symphonies and calms the electrifying tension of all four movements before reaching a tension-releasing “transfiguration” (Clara Schumann). Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. In his introductions, Bernstein speaks with an eloquence and conviction that go far beyond the opening words to a traditional concert performance. With his stimulating theories on Brahms and his music, Bernstein prompts viewers to listen to the music with an open mind.
Introduction to Brahms, Symphony No.4 in E minor, op.98
Composed during the summer months of the years 1884 and 1885 in Mürzzuschlag, southwest of Vienna, the Fourth Symphony tended to disconcert the public at first and had to prove itself in the concert circuit before gaining recognition as a masterwork of epoch-making stature. What Brahms’s contemporaries regarded as difficult and bewildering were above all the extreme constructive density of the score, the unusual layout, especially of the third and fourth movements, a number of archaic elements pointing back to the formulae and techniques of “early music” (the passacaglia in the fourth movement) and the austere, elegiac mood that permeates the entire work. The premiere of the Fourth Symphony performed by the Meiningen Court Orchestra in Meiningen under Brahms’s direction on 25 October 1885 was a great success. The work became the chief feature of the orchestra’s ensuing tour, with Brahms conducting it in nine cities. Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. In his introductions, Bernstein speaks with an eloquence and conviction that go far beyond the opening words to a traditional concert performance. With his stimulating theories on Brahms and his music, Bernstein prompts viewers to listen to the music with an open mind.
Introduction to Brahms, Academical Festival Overture op.80
“A merry medley of student songs à la Suppé” is how Johannes Brahms characterized his Academic Festival Overture, which he wrote in 1880 as a musical “thank-you note” for the honorary degree conferred upon him by the University of Breslau in 1879. The overture focuses on four traditional German student songs, which are integrated with subtly related themes of Brahms’ own invention. The first student tune, “Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus”, is a nostalgic lament for the glorious days of the student associations or “Burschenschaften”. The next two songs are the “Hochfeierlicher Landesvater” and the initiation song “Fuchsenritt”. After a brief development, the principal themes are reprised and merge into an exhilarating coda built on the joyous “Gaudeamus igitur”. Between 1981 and 1984, Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms’s orchestral works with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth in 1983. Today, the cycle is considered as a landmark in the interpretation of Brahms’ music. Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic have underscored both the classicism and romanticism, the dramatic intensity and the sober restraint of Brahms’s music. The venue was Vienna’s Musikvereinssaal, where two of Brahms’s symphonies were premiered and where Brahms himself conducted. In his introductions, Bernstein speaks with an eloquence and conviction that go far beyond the opening words to a traditional concert performance. With his stimulating theories on Brahms and his music, Bernstein prompts viewers to listen to the music with an open mind.