Neither a borrower nor a lender be.

Leonard Bernstein never returned the Vienna Philharmonic’s score of Gustav Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” (“Song of the Earth”) – the one used by Bruno Walter at the work’s premiere in 1911.

Bernstein borrowed the score in 1966. After he died in 1990, apparently his family donated his collection of scores to the New York Philharmonic. Vienna’s “Das Lied” resurfaced in 2017, when it was put on display as part of an exhibition celebrating the orchestra’s 175th anniversary. It just so happened that the exhibition was co-curated by the Vienna Philharmonic, then also celebrating its 175th year. At a point, representatives from both orchestras noted the original ownership stamp and shared a good chuckle. Oh, that Lenny. Until then, the polite Viennese had never said anything about it.

When the exhibition closed, the New York Philharmonic and the Bernstein family finally returned the score. Vienna took the high road. In a public statement, the Vienna Phil’s chairman issued a statement, “Not only are we thrilled to have back this historic score, which was originally used by Bruno Walter in the first Vienna Philharmonic performance of ‘Das Lied von der Erde,’ but we treasure its special connection to our friend and collaborator Leonard Bernstein, who maintained close relationships with the Vienna and New York Philharmonics and whose memory we cherish.”

Good save.

Lenny had marked it all up, of course. This is why I don’t lend books or recordings – especially to Leonard Bernstein.

Bernstein conducts “Das Lied” in 1972 (with English subtitles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npy4gjZ81F0

Bruno Walter conducts it live in Vienna in 1952

Christa Ludwig disagrees with Bernstein’s tempo

Return of the manuscript as reported in the New York Times in 2017

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/arts/finally-returning-bernsteins-overdue-mahler.html