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)
#379 How Chelsea Became a Neighborhood
#378 The Ansonia: Only Scandals In The Building
The Real Mrs. Astor: Ruler or Rebel?
Rewind: West Side Story and the Making of Lincoln Center
Gilded Age or Gilded Cage? (With The Bowery Boys)
#377 The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
Introducing: The Gilded Gentleman
#376 Skid Row: The Bowery of the Forgotten
Toxic Turkey Day: HISTORY This Week
#375 The Great Bank Robbery of 1878
#374 Gotham's Greatest Ghost Stories
#373 New York Underground: The Story of Cemeteries
#372 The Shuberts: The Brothers Who Built Broadway
Rewind: Revolutionary Fire/The End of Nathan Hale
#371 A Visit to Little Syria: An Immigrant Story
#370 Tragic Muse: The Life of Audrey Munson
#369 Last Dance at the Hotel Pennsylvania
#368 Henry Bergh's Fight for Animal Rights in Gilded Age New York
#367 The Ice Craze: How the Ice Business Transformed New York
#366 North Brother Island: New York's Forbidden Place
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
History Obscura
Historycal: Words that Shaped the World
The Rest Is History
Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra