Who is bernstein

In rapid succession, Bernstein produced a major series of compositions, some drawing on his own Jewish heritage, as in his Symphony No. While the conception of these two dramatic works was closely intertwined, their plots, music, and choreography were quite different.

Fancy Free featured three sailors on shore leave in a bar, showing off their physical agility as they competed for the attention of two women. The men were tightly bound to one another. Fancy Free fused gymnastics, vaudeville, and cartoons with modern ballet, Latin rhythms, and swing dances. On the Town also centered around three sailors, and dance was again central to telling the story. Yet in the Broadway show, the sailors tour New York City to find romance—and just as importantly, they are pursued aggressively by self-confident women.

It also established a life-long tension between his devotion to high art and popular culture. In , he debuted in Europe, conducting in Prague and London. That same year he met the Chilean actress Felicia Montealgre Cohn, whom he married in Two major post-war compositions were the ballet Facsimile , conceived with Jerome Robbins and premiered by Ballet Theatre, and Symphony No.

In both works, Bernstein explored personal challenges in a world emerging from trauma. Symphony No. Like Facsimile , the symphony probed isolation and loneliness in the modern world. During this same period, Bernstein composed Four Anniversaries and Five Anniversaries —51 , written for piano solo. Each segment was dedicated to a different friend — a technique related to the musical portraits of Virgil Thomson. From until , when Bernstein accepted an appointment as Music Director of the New York Philharmonic, he focused on composing music for the stage, together with one film score.

Among this remarkable series of theatrical scores, West Side Story stands as a towering achievement, ranking as one of the most famous works of all time, regardless of genre. The show confronted urban gang violence and discrimination against new immigrants. At the same time, it delivered compelling entertainment. The edgy finger snaps at the opening of the show are among the core sound bites of the 20th century. The Overture to Candide , which Bernstein premiered in a concert version with the New York Philharmonic in , became another of his most beloved works.

The Overture is often programmed as a curtain-raiser—a four-minute burst of energy with a lickety-split tempo and dazzling virtuosity. In , a film version of West Side Story was released, contributing substantially to the canonization of the work.

Then in , Bernstein premiered his Symphony No. The assassination of John F. During the —65 season, Bernstein took a sabbatical from the Philharmonic to free up time for composition, and Chichester Psalms was a major result.

From to , as principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein gave nearly concerts and made innumerable fine recordings, many of which remain definitive. Between and he devised and presented a remarkable series of 53 televised Young People's Concerts which introduced a generation of Americans to the 'classics' - and picked up four Emmy awards. Bernstein's punishing workload and a lifetime of heavy smoking finally took their toll and he died of pneumonia in Did you know?

Bernstein was the first composer to become a television and radio star. See more Bernstein, L News. See more Bernstein, L Music. See more Bernstein, L Pictures. See more Bernstein, L Album Reviews. Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin Schools. Tillman Merritt, among others.

Before graduating in , he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to "The Birds," and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's "The Cradle Will Rock. In , he studied at the Boston Symphony Orchestra's newly created summer institute, Tanglewood , with the orchestra's conductor, Serge Koussevitzky. Bernstein later became Koussevitzky's conducting assistant.

Bernstein was appointed to his first permanent conducting post in , as Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic. On November 14, , Bernstein substituted on a few hours' notice for the ailing Bruno Walter at a Carnegie Hall concert, which was broadcast nationally on radio, receiving critical acclaim. Soon orchestras worldwide sought him out as a guest conductor.

After Serge Koussevitzky died in , Bernstein headed the orchestral and conducting departments at Tanglewood, teaching there for many years.

In , he married the Chilean actress and pianist, Felicia Montealegre. He was also visiting music professor, and head of the Creative Arts Festivals at Brandeis University in the early s.

From then until he led more concerts with the orchestra than any previous conductor. He subsequently held the lifetime title of Laureate Conductor, making frequent guest appearances with the orchestra.

More than half of Bernstein's plus recordings were made with the New York Philharmonic. Bernstein traveled the world as a conductor. In he conducted in Tel Aviv, beginning a relationship with Israel that lasted until his death. Bernstein was a leading advocate of American composers, particularly Aaron Copland.

The two remained close friends for life.