On the morning of November 14th, 1943, Leonard Bernstein, the talented 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic, got a phone call saying he would at last be leading the respected orchestral group — in six hours, that afternoon, with no time to rehearse.
The sudden thrust into the spotlight transformed Bernstein into a national celebrity. For almost five decades, the wunderkind would be at the forefront of American music, as a conductor, composer, virtuoso performer, writer, television personality and teacher.
He would also help create the most important Broadway musicals of the mid-20th century — On The Town, Wonderful Town and West Side Story. These shows would not only spotlight the talents of its young creator. They would also spotlight the romance and rhythm of New York City.
Bernstein is one of New York’s most influential cultural figures. He spent most of his life in the city, and that’s the focus of today’s story – Leonard Bernstein’s New York.
The new film Maestro, starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan, focuses on Bernstein’s personal story and intimate life. That specific angle is not our objective today – for the most part. We’re looking at the relationship between the creator and his urban inspiration. Where did Bernstein make his name in New York City and how did his work change the city?
FEATURING The Village Vanguard, City Center, Carnegie Hall, the old Metropolitan Opera and the Dakota Apartments
And co-starring Jerome Robbins, Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim, Comden and Green, Lauren Bacall, Tom Wolfe of course Felicia Montealegre
Visit the website for more information and images
Music snippet information
“On The Town: Act I: Opening: New York, New York” (Studio Cast Recording 1961)
CBS Broadcast, Manfred Overture, Op 115 (New York Philharmonic)
“Joan Crawford Fan Club” The Revuers
Symphony No. 1 Jeremiah (New York Philharmonic)
CBS Broadcast, Don Quixote, Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character, op. 35 (New York Philharmonic)
Fancy Free Ballet_ VII. Finale
I Get Carried Away, On The Town
Christopher Street (From Wonderful Town Original Cast Recording 1953)
On the Waterfront Main Title (Revised)
Candide, Act II - No. 31, Make Our Garden Grow (Finale)
West Side Story_ Act II_ Somewhere
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
Samuel Barber, Adagio for Strings, Op. 11 (New York Philharmonic)
Leonard Bernstein - Young People's Concerts - What Does Music Mean? (1958)
Kaddish, Symphony No. 3 (To the Beloved Memory of John F. Kennedy) I. Invocation - Kaddish 1
The Ladies Who Lunch / Company Original Broadway Cast
Mass - Hymn and Psalm_ A Simple Song
Dybbuk Suite No. 2 - Leah (New York Philharmonic)
Leonard Bernstein and Shirley Verrett at GMHC Circus Benefit, Madison Square Garden
Mahler - Symphony No.5 (New York Philharmonic)
#407 New York by Gaslight: Illuminating the 19th Century
Rewind: When The Irish Came To New York
#406 How Wall Street Got Its Name
#405 Mona Lisa at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
The First Woman Ever Photographed
#404 Nighthawks and Automats: Edward Hopper's New York
#403 The Fulton Fish Market: History at the Seaport
Rewind: A Bar Named Julius', New York's Newest Landmark
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Side Streets: Good Diners, Great Pizza and Mars 2112
#401 The World Before Wordle: Talking Puzzles With AJ Jacobs
The Mysteries of Absinthe: Dancing With The Green Fairy
#400 Jacob Riis: 'The Other Half' of the Gilded Age
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Rewind: Birth of the Five Boroughs
#397 Ghost Stories of the Hudson River
Rewind: An Evening at Sardi's
#396 Samuel Tilden and the Presidential Election of 1876
#395 Jefferson Market and the Women's House of Detention
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