Randolph Magri-Overend

THE LEONARD BERNSTEIN STORY IN BRIEF

Sam Bernstein described his son, Leonard, as “my gift to Uncle Sam…how could I know my son was going to grow up to be Leonard Bernstein!”  

On this the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth it is time to reflect on what he has meant to the world, let alone Uncle Sam.  His importance to musical culture cannot be underestimated. He was composer, conductor, inspirational teacher, lyricist, motivator, soloist and many, many more disciplines besides.  He rubbed shoulders with presidents, prime ministers, emperors, kings, queens and above all with normal people like you and me.  

As a composer he was no giant like Beethoven or Schubert or even Gershwin but he did compose West Side Story, a giant of a musical.  Anything he composed after that did not measure up, which is when his conducting skills came to the fore. His demise as a composer coincided with his appointment as musical director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in 1958.  He was an egotist. In his eyes, the rewards were as much about glory and adulation as it was about money. In his younger days, he loved being the centre of attention and always made a beeline for the piano at parties. If there was no piano he either sulked or left. 

His early musical mentors, Aaron Copland, Dimitri Mitropoulos and Serge Koussevitzky were among many who thought Bernstein special.  Captivated by Bernstein’s playing of some of his own (Bernstein’s) compositions and a Chopin Nocturne, Mitropoulos told the 18-year old he exuded greatness, perhaps even genius.  Both Copland and Mitropoulos advised Bernstein to forget composing and concentrate on a conducting career. Serge Koussevitzky was different from the others. For a start he was attracted to Bernstein because of his musical talent.  More importantly, he not only encouraged Bernstein to conduct, he offered him the tools of the trade, an orchestra to experiment with – The Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Koussevitsky was then musical director at the Boston Symphony and first met Bernstein at the Orchestra’s summer school, Tanglewood.  Koussevitsky had visions of Bernstein eventually succeeding him in Boston. But it never materialised and it set the stage for Bernstein’s acclaimed debut as conductor of the New York Philharmonic when he deputised for an ailing Bruno Walter on 14 November 1943.  Thereafter, Bernstein’s conducting career was virtually sealed and required only some more experience at conducting other orchestras before he emerged as sole master of the New York Philharmonic in 1958.

Bernstein was much more than a conductor and composer.  He was an innovator, teacher and mentor. In 1958 he introduced the first of 14 seasons of his “Young People’s Concerts” on television in which he defined by illustration and/or music what motivated the great composers.  As a mentor he took under his wings John Mauceri, Claudio Abbado, Seiji Osawa and Marin Alsop and many others. In 2013 you may recall that Alsop was the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms in London. She is currently the music director of The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra where she has seen the resurrection of the orchestra with increased ticket sales.  

Meanwhile the spirit of Bernstein pervades everything Alsop does.  “One of the greatest gifts Bernstein shared with me,” she recalls, “was the significance of story; that every piece has an inherent story and that every composer spends his life trying to articulate his own personal story and answer those existential questions that are so consuming for him.  For me the thing that set LB apart was not only his embracing of the story, but his profound understanding that every story has a moral that connects all of us on the most basic human level.”

Bernstein loved to conduct in Israel which he first visited in 1947.  He conducted the then Palestine Symphony in Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony in the open air surrounded by the Israeli army.  He was selected as the musical advisor to the renamed Israel Philharmonic in 1948 and conducted in Beersheba during the so-called War of Independence.

After his New York Philharmonic contract expired in 1969, he spent more time in Europe.   In cities like Vienna he had the cult following of a pop star. His recording career with CBS (now Sony Classical) boomed too.  In 1975 CBS released Bernstein from his contract and he signed up with Deutsche Gramophon who were looking to expand in the US market.  According to Peter Munves, a former CBS executive: “Bernstein opened up a whole new world in his career with Deutsche Gramophon. He became an international star, eclipsing every other living conductor”. 

By now Bernstein had started filming and recording all his albums live.  Not only was he maximising his revenue from three lucrative sources but, in addition, his old CBS recordings were re-issued and became best sellers all over again.  

And all this just for playing the piano.

 

 

 

Published by Randolph Magri-Overend

One of the questions Randolph hates to answer is “Where do you come from?” Why? Because the answer can be so time-consuming and, in a way, also gives away how old he is!! Plus the questioner has to wrestle with the wish he hadn’t asked the question!! He was born in Cairo, Egypt, many moons ago of British parents although he can trace Maltese and Croatian ancestry in his lineage. Educated in a Jesuit college in London his wander lust for things unorthodox drove him to embark on a seafaring career with both Canadian Pacific Steamships and Shaw Savill. That in itself dates him because both lines have been redundant for many a year. One of his boasts is that he was the Purser on the “Gothic” which ten years previously had been Queen Elizabeth II’s Royal Yacht soon after her coronation in 1953. One of the objects imported on the ship by HM and left behind was a tape player which Randolph utilised on many a memorable Sunday evening with a classical concert for his passengers. Thus began a journey that not only awakened Randolph’s love for good music but also eventually led to his extensive knowledge of music in all forms. That he loves the era of Sinatra, Crosby, Armstrong, Dorsey (both) and many many more exponents of the post-war music scene is also part and parcel of his appreciation of the music of many an era. These days Randolph is retired but still reviews CDs and DVDs and has written articles on such diverse personalities as Yvonne Kenny, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Alexander Briger, the late Sir John Tavener, Sir James Galway, Dawn Upshaw and countless probes into the music of Gustav Mahler, Elizabeth Shwarzkopf and her husband Walter Legge, Glenn Gould, Leonard Bernstein and many many more he regrets to admit he has lost track of! Before emigrating to Australia, Randolph spent a number of years as a Flight Dispatcher in Canada. Since arriving in Australia, Randolph has written for The Weekend Australian (especially in their travel pages), The Sydney Morning Herald, Opera Opera and Fine Music magazine as well as some jazz magazines. If you require an extensive coverage of your music to a public that, at last count, reaches the best part of 818,000 please contact David Kary on editor.sydneyartsguide@gmail.com or email me directly on ibmar@bigpond.com. This also includes advertising any forthcoming shows by promoting featured artists. Cheers and thank you.