Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein’s 100th Birthday Google Doodle

Fabulous Bernstein Google doodle! Google celebrates a round birthday for a change. Do a Google search today, or enjoy the animation here.

https://www.vox.com/2018/8/25/17779096/leonard-bernsteins-100th-birthday-greatest-works

August 25, 2018
Bernstein Centennial on The Classical Network

The Bernstein centennial has arrived! The celebration continues on The Classical Network. Join Bill Jerome from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and David Osenberg from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. for more classic Bernstein performances, compositions, and spoken word.

In addition, “Pipedreams” will be all-Bernstein, tomorrow at 7:00 a.m., and Ted Otten and Michael Kownacky will present the second part of their survey of Bernstein’s music for the theater on “The Dress Circle,” tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.

You’ll find a more comprehensive list of WWFM Bernstein programs here. Click on the individual links to enjoy webcasts of shows that aired earlier in the week.

http://www.wwfm.org/topic/leonard-bernstein-100#stream/0

We’re still loony for Lenny on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org. Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein!

August 25, 2018
Bernstein’s Waterfront A Champion Score

“I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody – instead of a bum, which is what I am.”

We’ve all had those kinds of days, haven’t we?

Yet Leonard Bernstein’s score for “On the Waterfront” (1954) was always a contender, even if at times the composer found himself on the ropes.

“On the Waterfront” was the only original film score composed by Bernstein (the screen adaptations of his stage musicals were adapted by other hands). Narrative film, of course, is a collaborative effort, in which music is usually the last to the table and the first to go. Bernstein’s score was edited and dialed down to suit the overall needs of the film.

Unused to such rough treatment, Bernstein found his brush with Hollywood to be dispiriting, to say the least. He arranged his music into a concert suite, over which he had complete control, and the work has gone on to become one of his better-known pieces. That said, what can be heard in the film remains a powerful statement, and one of the great film scores.

The original recordings, as they appear in the film, were long believed to have been lost. However, in the course of restoration of “On the Waterfront” for release on BluRay, it was discovered that audio had been preserved on acetate discs used for playback during the original recording sessions. Material from these were issued for the first time in 2014, on the Intrada label.

Bernstein’s music would be nominated for an Academy Award, one of “On the Waterfront”s twelve nominations. The film would be recognized with wins in eight categories, including Best Picture, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), and Best Director (Elia Kazan). Bernstein may have lost out to Dimitri Tiomkin for his work on “The High and the Mighty.” However, like Brando’s Terry Malloy, his score to “On the Waterfront” proves itself a champion.

We’ll hear selections, alongside some of Aaron Copland’s music for “The Red Pony” (1949), once again, from the film’s original elements; dances from the only film score ever to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Music, “Louisiana Story” (1948), by Virgil Thomson; and the music that lends “Picture Perfect” its signature tune, “They Came to Cordura” (1959), by Elie Siegmeister.

New York composers visit Hollywood this week, as we celebrate the centennial of the birth of Leonard Bernstein, on “Picture Perfect,” music for the movies. This Friday evening at 6:00 EDT, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Tune in to The Classical Network all day today and tomorrow for more great music and recordings in honor of Bernstein at 100!

August 24, 2018
Celebrating Leonard Bernstein at 100

Get ready to cozy up to Bernstein.

On this, the eve of the centennial of the birth of American music’s greatest polymath, The Classical Network will pull out all the stops, as WWFM hosts share representative performances from the conductor-composer-pianist-teacher’s extensive recorded legacy, alongside a number of his original compositions.

Here are just a few of today’s featured highlights:

Alice Weiss (9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.) – Carl Goldmark’s “Rustic Wedding” Symphony

Carl Hemmingsen (12:00 – 3:00 p.m.) – Carl Nielsen’s Symphony No. 5

Carl Hemmingsen & Ross Amico (3:00 – 3:45 p.m.) – Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 2

Rachel Katz (3:45 – 4:00 p.m.) – A selection of Bernstein’s settings of Jewish texts and prayers, including “Yigdal”

Ross Amico (4:00 – 7:00 p.m.) – Works by Camille Saint-Saëns, Roy Harris, Robert Schumann, Gustav Mahler, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Bernstein himself. “Picture Perfect” (6 p.m.) will include selections from the rediscovered audio for Bernstein’s only orginal film score, “On the Waterfront.”

Bill McGlaughlin (7:00 p.m.) – “Exploring Music” concludes its week-long salute to Bernstein with selections from “Mass.”

Rob Kapilow (8:00 p.m.) – “What Makes It Great” will focus on the genius of Bernstein the songwriter.

Our centennial salute will continue on Saturday, with Bill Jerome (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) and David Osenberg (1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.). Among David’s featured highlights will be recorded excerpts from Bernstein’s legendary Harvard lectures.

You’ll likely encounter even more Bernstein throughout the weekend, including the second half of a two-part tribute to the composer’s theater music on “The Dress Circle” with Ted Otten and Michael Kownacky (Sunday at 7 p.m.). If you missed Part One, you can enjoy it as a webcast, along with Jed Distler’s survey of Bernstein’s recordings as pianist, which aired this past Tuesday on “Between the Keys.” Both programs may be heard by following the link:

http://www.wwfm.org/term/webcasts

Also, it’s not too late for you to leave your Leonard Bernstein impressions and anecdotes on our Facebook page, at WWFM – The Classical Network, or by emailing us at info@wwfm.org (put “Bernstein” in the subject line). We’d love to share your experiences on the air. Help lend a personal touch to our celebration of Leonard Bernstein at 100.

You’ll find more details about our special programming by visiting our website at wwfm.org. While you’re there, consider supporting us. Without you, few of these treasures would be heard outside of our individual listening rooms. Thank you, as always, for doing your part to sustain classical music on the air, 24/7!

Happy Birthday, Leonard Bernstein!

August 24, 2018
Bernstein at 100: Celebrating a Musical Superstar

The classical music world has got a fever, and the only prescription is more Bernstein.

With the centennial of the composer-conductor-pianist-teacher’s birth coming up on Saturday, Lenny Mania is about to achieve critical overload. Bernstein has been everywhere for the past year, and the remembrances and celebrations look as if they will continue through at least the end of next season, with concert schedules ripe with representative works.

All the fuss is justifiable, of course. After all, there was no more influential figure in American music, and I would be hard pressed to think of any other conductor who achieved his level of glamour and universal recognition. Lenny was that rare bird in classical music – he was a superstar.

In common with musical organizations all over the world, The Classical Network can’t very well let this milestone pass without a good party. In particular, all this week, many of our syndicated programs and locally produced shows have been trumpeting this outrageously talented figure.

The birthday blow-out will climax with two days of Bernstein’s recordings and compositions, and perhaps even a sample or two of his spoken observations on music. After all, Bernstein was unusually articulate on the subject. I hope you’ll join us in celebrating Lenny on The Classical Network, as the bulk of our programming this Friday and Saturday will be made up of playlists lovingly curated by WWFM on-air hosts.

How about you? Do you have a Bernstein story you’d like to share? The Classical Network is giving you two options through which to do so. You can either post your story on the station Facebook page at WWFM – The Classical Network or email it to info@wwfm.org, identifying it in the subject line simply with the name “Bernstein.”

We’ll select from these on Friday and Saturday and share them with our audience in between some of Lenny’s classic recordings. It can be a personal anecdote, or it can be a broader observation. How has Leonard Bernstein touched your life?

From a personal standpoint, I am curious to hear about your own favorite recordings. I’ll be sharing some of mine on the air tomorrow afternoon. What are some of yours? I’d be happy to chat with you about it in the comments section below. If you want any of your comments shared on the air, be sure to send them to WWFM. Otherwise, what happens on Classic Ross Amico stays on Classic Ross Amico.

Then tune in on Friday and Saturday as we light 100 candles for Leonard Bernstein, on WWFM – The Classical Network and wwfm.org.

Photo courtesy of The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.

August 23, 2018

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