Synopsis
From 1958 through 1973, renowned conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra thrilled audiences with wonderful concert experiences presented in a sparkling music-with-commentary format: the Young People's Concerts.
Episodes
Season 11E1What Does Music Mean?Leonard Bernstein told the television audience at the start of the first Young People's Concert: "No matter what stories people tell you about what music means, forget them. Stories are not what music means. Music is never about things. Music just is. It's a lot of beautiful notes and sounds put together so well that we get pleasure out of hearing them. So when we ask, 'What does it mean; what does this piece of music mean?' we're asking a hard question. Let's do our best to answer it." During the course of this first program the New York Philharmonic performs portions of Rossini's William Tell Overture, Beethoven's Sixth Symphony, and Ravel's La Valse.2E2What is American Music?From Carnegie Hall, Bernstein discusses the origins and characteristics of American music. After an extended excerpt from George Gershwin's An American in Paris and a discussion of nationalistic and folk music, excerpts from compositions by American composers Edward MacDowell, William Schuman, Virgil Thomson, and others are performed. In closing Aaron Copland conducts parts of his own Third Symphony.3E3What is Orchestration?After brief introductory remarks, Bernstein conducts the finale of Rimsky-Korsakov's Capriccio espagnol and then explains what a composer must know in order to orchestrate music successfully. He compares the flute to the trumpet, and the clarinet to the viola, with examples from Debussy and Gershwin. After asking the audience to sing two notes in a variety of ways, he contrasts the families of instruments that compose an orchestra, using excerpts from Prokofiev, Hindemith, Mozart and others to illustrate, and ends with Ravel's Bolero.4E4What Makes Music Symphonic?Using the examples of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony and Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony, Bernstein demonstrates the techniques of repetition and variation int he development of symphonic music. After conducting part of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, he asks the audience to sing "Frére Jacques," demonstrating the uses of sequence and imitation in symphonic composition. The final movement of Brahm's Second Symphony is then analyzed and played.5E5What is Classical Music?Bernstein conducts Handel's Water Music and cites it as an indisputable example of classical music. "Exact" is the word that best defines classical music, Bernstein says, and he demonstrates with musical illustrations from Bach's Fourth Brandenburg Concerto, Mozart's Concerto No. 21 in C Major and The Marriage of Figaro, and Haydn's Symphony No. 102. The decline of classical music at the end of the eighteenth century is tied to Beethoven's innovations and the Romantic movement, and Bernstein conducts Beethoven's Egmont Overture.6E6Humor in MusicUsing excerpts from Shostakovich, Mahler, Haydn and others Bernstein demonstrates how a "serious" composition can take an unexpected humorous turn. Prokofiev's Classical Symphony is played in its entirety.7E7What is a Concerto?Leonard Bernstein discusses the development of the concerto form from Bach to Bartok. Bernstein conducts examples of early concertos-Bach's Fifth Brandenburg Concerto and Vivaldi's Concerto in C Major. From the classical period, he conducts Mozart's Sinfonia Concertante and, finally, the fourth and fifth movements of Bartok's neo-classical Concerto for Orchestra.8E8Who is Gustav Mahler?Leonard Bernstein celebrates Mahler's centennial by conducting excerpts from the composer's Fourth Symphony in G and discussing his career as a composer and conductor. Soprano Reri Grist joins the orchestra in a performance of the last movement of the Fourth Symphony. William Lewis sings "Youth" and Helen Raab sings from "The Farewell," both from Mahler's The Song of the Earth (Das Lied von der Erde).9E9Young Performers No. 1Daniel Domb; Kenneth Schermerhorn; Barry Finclair; Stefan B. Mengelberg; Alexandra Wager10E10Unusual Instruments of Present, Past, and FutureNew York Pro Musica; Noah Greenberg; Vladimir Ussachevsky; Anita Darian11E11The Second HurricaneThe High School of Music & Art12E12Overtures and Preludes13E13Aaron Copland Birthday PartyAaron Copland; William Warfield14E14Young Performers No. 2Lynn Harrell; Elyakum Shapirra; Jung-Ja Kim; Russell Stanger; Veronica Tyler; Gregory Millar; Henry Chapin15E15Folk Music in the Concert HallBernstein discusses folk music and its influence on orchestral music, and conducts excerpts from Mozart, Chavez and Ives, and "Songs of the Auvergne" sung by Marni Nixon.16E16What is Impressionism?Bernstein focuses on impressionism in music, discussing the methods and styles of Debussy and Ravel. He conducts three movements from La Mer and the final dance of Daphnis et Chloe.17E17The Road to ParisZara Nelsova18E18Happy Birthday, Igor StravinskyBernstein sketches a brief history of Stravinsky's musical career, noting changes of style and shifts of direction. The whole of Petrouchka is played and each scene is analyzed.19E19Young Performers No. 3Seiji Ozawa; Gary Karr; Maurice Peress; John Canarina; Ruth & Naomi Segal; Paula Robison; Paul Green; Tony Cirone; David Hopper20E20The Sound of a HallJohn Corigliano, Sr.; Frank Gullino; Joseph Bernstein; William Dembinsky21E21What is a Melody?Bernstein discusses the different forms melody can take, including tune, theme, motive, melodic line and musical phrase. He illustrates by conducting the orchestra in excerpts from Tchaikovsky, Wagner, Mozart, Hindemith, and Brahms.22E22Young Performers No. 4Joan Weiner; Yuri Krasnopolsky; Claudia Hoca; Zoltán Rozsnyai; Pamela Paul; Serge Fournier; André Watts23E23The Latin American SpiritBernstein discusses "the two ingredients that give this music its special Latin flavor: rhythm and color." Excerpts include Bernstein's own Symphonic Dances from West Side Story.24E24A Tribute to Teachers25E25Young Performers No. 5Heidi Lehwalder; Amos Eisenberg; Weldon Berry, Jr.; Claudio Abbado; Shulamit Ran (as Shulamith Ran); Pedro Calderon; Stephen E. Kates; Zdeněk Košler26E26The Genius of Paul Hindemith27E27Jazz in the Concert HallBernstein discusses the blending of jazz and symphonic music, with performances and readings to illustrate. The program ends with Larry Austin's Improvisations for Orchestra and Jazz Soloists.28E28What is Sonata Form?Bernstein describes the three-part sonata form, and exemplifies it by singing the Beatle's "And I Love Her." Veronica Tyler sings Micaela's aria from Bizet's Carmen and Bernstein conducts the Philharmonic in the first movement of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony.29E29Farewell to Nationalism30E30Young Performers No. 6Patricia Michaelian; James Boswell IV31E31A Tribute to SibeliusBernstein celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, and comments on Finland, the Finnish language, and Finnish patriotism, as well as Sibelius himself. Works by the composer, including Finlandia and the first movement of his Violin Concerto, with soloist Sergiu Luca, are performed.32E32Musical Atoms: A Study of IntervalsBernstein explains musical intervals and discusses their relationship to harmony, melody and inversion. After analysis, the first movement of Symphony No. 4 in E-flat Major by Brahms is performed. The discussion continues, focusing on major and minor seconds.33E33The Sound of an OrchestraBernstein explains that the duty of the orchestra is to reproduce faithfully the notes and instructions of the composer. The main focus is the first half of Haydn's Symphony No. 88. The opening music is deliberately played incorrectly and errors are pointed out.34E34A Birthday Tribute to ShostakovichBernstein celebrates Dmitri Shostakovich's sixtieth birthday by discussing his work and conducting an excerpt from his Symphony No. 7 and all of Symphony No. 9.35E35Young Performers No. 7Performers include Paul Schoenfeld; Stephanie Sebastian; David Oei; Horacio Gutiérrez; James DePreist; Jacques Houtmann; Edo de Waart.36E36What is a Mode?Bernstein discusses scales, intervals and tones, and analyzes several pieces, including Debussy's Fêtes, Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, and music from the Kinks and the Beatles, to illustrate different modes. An excerpt from Bernstein's ballet Fancy Free is also performed.37E37Young Performers No. 8Elmar Oliveira; Mark Salkind; Fred Alston; Donald Green; Juan Pablo Izquierdo; Sylvia Caduff; George Reid; Young Uck Kim38E38Charles Ives: American Pioneer39E39Alumni ReunionStephen E. Kates; Veronica Tyler; André Watts40E40A Toast to Vienna in 3/4 TimeBernstein pays tribute to New York Philharmonic's "fraternal orchestra," the Vienna Philharmonic, in celebration of the 125th anniversary of both orchestras. Works by Johann and Richard Strauss, Mozart, Beethoven, and Mahler are performed, preceded by a brief discussion.41E41Forever BeethovenJoseph Kalichstein; Paul Capolongo42E42Young Performers No. 9Lawrence Foster; Alois Springer; Martin and Steven Vann; Helen Quach, Michael DeTemple43E43Quiz-Concert: How Musical Are You?Leonard Bernstein quizzes Avery Fisher Hall and television audiences on their musicality. Highlights include true-or-false questions with musical examples, and excerpts from Mozart, Prokofiev, and Rimsky-Korsakov.44E44Fantastic Variations (Don Quixote)Lorne Munroe, cellist45E45Bach TransmogrifiedMichael Korn; Leopold Stokowski; Moog synthesizer; New York Rock and Roll Ensemble46E46Berlioz Takes a TripBernstein discusses what he describes as the "first psychedelic symphony," Berlioz's La Symphonie fantastique, examining the concept of the idée fixe in music and illustrating this concept with excerpts froth first movement. Bernstein analyzes the music and discusses the story line of the remaining movements, which are performed by the Philharmonic.47E47Two Ballet BirdsBernstein compares the main theme of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake with Stravinsky's Firebird. A performance of the pas de deux from Swan Lake illustrates the concept of abstract ballet, followed by excerpts from Stravinsky's Firebird.48E48Fidelio: A Celebration of LifeBernstein takes a look at Beethoven's so-called "flawed masterpiece" - his only opera, Fidelio. After discussing the story and its problems, "charming excerpts" are performed. Four vocal selection from Act II follow, each preceded by analysis and plot summary.49E49The Anatomy of a Symphony Orchestra50E50A Copland Celebration51E51Thus Spake Richard Strauss52E52Liszt and the Devil53E53Holst: The Planets
Cast
