Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein

Born: August 25, 1918
Died: October 14, 1990
in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA
Leonard Bernstein was an American composer, conductor, pianist, music educator, author, and lifelong humanitarian. He was one of the most significant American cultural personalities of the 20th century. According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history".

Movies for Leonard Bernstein...

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Title: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Character: Self (Archive Footage)
Released: November 23, 2022
Type: Movie
The life of internationally renowned artist and activist Nan Goldin is told through her slideshows, intimate interviews, ground-breaking photography, and rare footage of her personal fight to hold the Sackler family accountable for the overdose crisis.
bee
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Title: Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
Character: Self (archive Footage)
Released: October 27, 2022
Type: Movie
An intimate and revealing look at the world-changing musician, presented through a lens of archival footage and never-before-heard home recordings and personal conversations. This definitive documentary honors Armstrong's legacy as a founding father of jazz, one of the first internationally known and beloved stars, and a cultural ambassador of the United States.
bee
Bernstein's Wall
Title: Bernstein's Wall
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: June 14, 2021
Type: Movie
An enlightening, complex look at one of the greatest figures in 20th century classical music whose passion and creativity guided him well beyond the concert hall.
bee
West Side Story, le hit de Leonard Bernstein
Title: West Side Story, le hit de Leonard Bernstein
Character: himself
Released: June 6, 2018
Type: Movie
bee
Leonard Bernstein: A Genius Divided
Title: Leonard Bernstein: A Genius Divided
Character: self
Released: January 1, 2018
Type: Movie
One of the first US born conductors to receive worldwide fame, Leonard Bernstein is an exceptional composer and certainly not only due to The West Side Story. Instead of concentrating exclusively on his most famous work, Thomas von Steinaecker sets out to paint a complete picture of Bernstein. Thus, the documentary focusses on the American’s less known later works and on three compositions in particular: his Mass, the musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and the great final opera A Quiet Place. The film paints a vivid picture of the multitalented Bernstein, struggling with his role as composer and conductor, tackling the tension between successes and flops, between the politics of his time and his own liberal humanitarian claim. It looks back on Bernstein’s major achievements, such as his acclaimed conducting of Mahler and his involvement in the Young People’s Concerts, and it shows Bernstein’s work with young aspiring musicians as well as his political commitment.
bee
West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic
Title: West Side Stories: The Making of a Classic
Character: Self
Released: December 26, 2016
Type: Movie
As the world prepares to celebrate the 60th anniversary of West Side Story in 2017, dancer Bruno Tonioli and broadcaster Suzy Klein go in search of the true stories behind the inception of this classic show. For the first time on television, they hear first-hand from those involved in the show when it opened on Broadway in September 1957, including Sondheim himself, producer Hal Prince and original cast members from both show and movie, including Chita Rivera Carol Lawrence and Rita Moreno. With the BBC Symphony Orchestra and specially cast singers, we re-live some of the wonderful music and, in the company of Suzy and Bruno, we discover how West Side Story placed the 1950s phenomena of racial tension and teenage gangs centre stage to create a hit that changed musical theatre forever.
bee
Leonard Bernstein: Larger Than Life
Title: Leonard Bernstein: Larger Than Life
Character: Himself
Released: May 27, 2016
Type: Movie
The document explores Leonard Bernstein's various facets as a conductor, a composer, a pianist and most of all a teacher and how he influenced so many people. It includes interviews of his children, former conductor students, orchestra members, collabrators and other acquintanses. - Pascal Kay
bee
Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
Title: Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould
Character: Self (archival footage)
Released: September 13, 2009
Type: Movie
A documentary on the mysterious and influential pianist.
bee
Bernstein | Beethoven Symphonies 1,8,9
Title: Bernstein | Beethoven Symphonies 1,8,9
Released: September 15, 2008
Type: Movie
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Symphonies Nos. 1, 8 & 9 Performed by Gwyneth Jones · Hanna Schwarz René Kollo · Kurt Moll In Vienna at the Konzertvereinigung With the Wiener Staatsopernchor and the Wiener Philharmoniker Leonard Bernstein, conducting
bee
Karajan: Beauty As I See It
Title: Karajan: Beauty As I See It
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: May 10, 2008
Type: Movie
With a career that includes a 35-year tenure as composer of the Berlin Philharmonic and record sales topping 200 million, Herbert von Karajan is one of the most legendary figures in 20th-century classical music. Comprised of archival footage, performance highlights and interviews with the likes of Anne-Sophie Mutter, Christa Ludwig and Seiji Ozawa, this retrospective chronicles the life and times of the iconic Austrian maestro.
bee
Brahms Academic Festival, Tragic Overtures/ Variations on a Theme by Haydn/Serenade No. 2
Title: Brahms Academic Festival, Tragic Overtures/ Variations on a Theme by Haydn/Serenade No. 2
Character: Himself
Released: October 7, 2007
Type: Movie
Between 1981 and 1984 Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahms' orchestral works with the Wiener Philharmoniker to honour the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth in 1983. For the concertos, Bernstein enlisted the services of some of the finest Brahms interpreters of the time: the violoninst Gidon Kremer, the cellist Mischa Maisky and the pianist Krystian Zimerman. Seeing Bernstein enjoying himself while conducting the Vienna Philharmonic in these lighter, familiar works by Brahms added to the pleasure I got from them. The Academic Festival Overture is especially well done. Some conductors don't seem to get it, but Bernstein did.
bee
Cello Concertos Haydn and Schumann
Title: Cello Concertos Haydn and Schumann
Released: September 11, 2007
Type: Movie
Mischa Maisky performs with the Vienna Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic conducted by Leonard Bernstein in concertos by Haydn and Schumann.
bee
Rostropovich Life & Art
Title: Rostropovich Life & Art
Character: Self - Conductor
Released: February 5, 2007
Type: Movie
Released as a memorial for the great Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, who passed away on 27 April 2007, this DVD contains one bonafide cello concerto, the Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor, and two tone poems with prominent cello parts, Ernest Bloch's Schelomo and Richard Strauss' Don Quixote. Rostropovich mastered the Schumann in several famous recordings. Here, conducted by Leonard Bernstein, he provides a splendid performance. Featuring his trademark powerful technique, smooth legato and crisp vibrato, the Romantic roots of the concerto are never hidden for long, despite the relatively cool playing of the Orchestre National de France.
bee
Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 5
Title: Beethoven Piano Concertos Nos. 3, 4 & 5
Character: Himself
Released: January 9, 2007
Type: Movie
Under the guidance of famed American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, Polish classical pianist Krystian Zimerman and the Vienna Philharmonic deliver a rousing performance of Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Concertos nos. 3, 4 and 5. Premiered in 1808, Beethoven's fourth concerto marked the last time the composer would take the stage as a soloist with an orchestra.
bee
Mozart: Requiem
Title: Mozart: Requiem
Character: conductor
Released: January 9, 2007
Type: Movie
bee
Mozart Great Mass in C Minor; Ave Verum Corpus; Exsultate Jubilate
Title: Mozart Great Mass in C Minor; Ave Verum Corpus; Exsultate Jubilate
Character: Conductor
Released: June 3, 2006
Type: Movie
This performance of Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, which remained an unfinished torso, is reverent and highly dramatic. It was filmed 4-6 April 1990 in the beautiful Baroque Basilica of Waldsassen in Bavaria: a few kilometers from the Czech border. It was filmed just a few months after the Iron Curtain had fallen, a mere 6 months before Bernstein's death on 14 October 1990. His painful, labored breathing is evident during this performance. It is a sad reminder of what is to come and it makes this performance, so other-worldly in many ways, particularly poignant. Bernstein conducts the splendid Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.
bee
Bernstein in Paris: The Ravel Concerts
Title: Bernstein in Paris: The Ravel Concerts
Released: January 31, 2006
Type: Movie
The National Orchestra of France performs in the sumptuous Theatre des Champs Elysees before a Parisian audience. Leonard Bernstein conducts Ravel's virtuoso piano concerto from the keyboard. Starring: Bernstein, National Orchestra Of France, Marilyn Horne (vocalist), Boris Belkin (violin)
bee
Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 9 & 10 / Das Lied von der Erde
Title: Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 9 & 10 / Das Lied von der Erde
Character: Conductor
Released: November 22, 2005
Type: Movie
Filmed on tour at Berlin's Philharmonie, this account of the valedictory Ninth Symphony is an intense interpretation, expressing Bernstein's conviction that modern man had at last caught up with the message encoded in Mahler's last completed work. Having made his famous 1966 studio recording of "Das Lied von der Erde" in Vienna, Bernstein re-recorded this in Israel with the same searing subjectivity. René Kollo draws on the voice of a great Wagner tenor, while Christa Ludwig, the greatest exponent of the contralto songs at the time, is unbearably poignant in the final movement's fusion of elation and sadness.
bee
Title: 20th Century Greats
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: November 27, 2004
Type: TV
Howard Goodall examines the work of The Beatles, Cole Porter, Bernard Herrmann and Leonard Bernstein.
bee
Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note
Title: Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note
Character: (archival footage)
Released: October 27, 1998
Type: Movie
The life of the composer, shaped by his Jewish heritage, his morality and his playful sense of humor.
bee
Glenn Gould: Extasis
Title: Glenn Gould: Extasis
Character: Self (archival footage)
Released: December 31, 1993
Type: Movie
A collection of recollections and opinions of and about Glenn Gould, interspersed with excerpts of archive footage of the great Canadian pianist speaking and playing.
bee
The Art of Conducting: Great Conductors of the Past
Title: The Art of Conducting: Great Conductors of the Past
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: January 1, 1993
Type: Movie
Documentary about sixteen great conductors of the 20th century.
bee
Bernstein in Australia: Tchaikovsky
Title: Bernstein in Australia: Tchaikovsky
Released: January 1, 1992
Type: Movie
The New York Philharmonic takes the stage of the Sydney Opera House for their Australian debut, and acclaimed conductor Leonard Bernstein is there to guide them through Tchaikovsky's "Sixth Symphony" in this performance captured live on film in 1974 and directed for the screen by Noel Clark.
bee
Candide
Title: Candide
Character: Commentator
Released: October 15, 1991
Type: Movie
bee
Debussy, Images pour orchestre
Title: Debussy, Images pour orchestre
Character: dirigent
Released: January 1, 1991
Type: Movie
bee
Ode to Freedom
Title: Ode to Freedom
Released: December 25, 1989
Type: Movie
Conducted by Leonard Bernstein, this is an historic performance marking the fall of the Berlin Wall. Performed on Christmas Day 1989 in the former East Berlin, a concert that unites an cast former eastern and western Berlin musicians and vocalists, among with an international cast of musicians, for a moving performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
bee
Leonard Bernstein - Bernstein - Candide
Title: Leonard Bernstein - Bernstein - Candide
Character: Leonard Bernstein
Released: December 13, 1989
Type: Movie
This is the historic concert performance of the final operatic version of Bernstein's Candide. It was recorded on December 13, 1989 at the Barbican Centre, with Leonard Bernstein conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, with a stellar cast of operatic stars gracing the solo parts. The programme lasts a full 2hrs 27 mins. It marks the end of a long and tortured journey for the musical/operetta that spent much of its first 35 years as an orphan in the musical wilderness.
bee
Leonard Bernstein: The Rite of Spring in Rehearsal
Title: Leonard Bernstein: The Rite of Spring in Rehearsal
Released: March 26, 1988
Type: Movie
"The Rite of Spring is all about sex and reproduction. This is a beastly music brought to the highest, most refined point."
bee
The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein
Title: The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein
Character: Himself
Released: November 1, 1985
Type: Movie
This television essay from 1985 was written by Leonard Bernstein to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Gustav Mahler's birth. Recorded in Israel, Vienna and later in London, it is punctuated by biographical interludes and illustrated by musical examples drawn from the cycle of Mahler's works recorded by Bernstein. Bernstein talks, plays and conducts various orchestras (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker) and soloists (Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig, Edith Mathis, Lucia Popp, Walton Groenroos) in performances spanning 17 years. Leonard Bernstein also examines the roots of Gustav Mahler's inspiration. The programme also features music from the nine symphonies, 'The Song of the Earth' and the 'Wunderhorn Cycle'.
bee
Tanglewood: So you want to be a conductor
Title: Tanglewood: So you want to be a conductor
Character: Self
Released: May 27, 1985
Type: Movie
In 1985, cameras take a look inside the Berkshire Music Center, the most prominent pre-professional classical music academy in the US. Seiji Ozawa, Leonard Slatkin and others work with the next generation younger conducting talent.
bee
Tanglewood: A Place for Music
Title: Tanglewood: A Place for Music
Character: Self
Released: May 26, 1985
Type: Movie
A look at the activities of the Tanglewood Music Center, America's renowned summer Academy for talented musicians, singers, composers and conductors.
bee
The Making Of West Side Story
Title: The Making Of West Side Story
Character: Self / Conductor
Released: May 1, 1985
Type: Movie
A documentary which shows, in great detail, the making of the 1985 Bernstein-conducted recording of the entire score of "West Side Story", featuring operatic stars.
bee
Night of 100 Stars II
Title: Night of 100 Stars II
Character: Self
Released: March 10, 1985
Type: Movie
This special is the second "Night of 100 Stars" to benefit The Actors Fund of America. Edited from a seven-hour live entertainment marathon that was taped February 17, 1985, at New York's Radio City Music Hall, this sequel to the 1982 "Night of 100 Stars" special features 288 celebrities.
bee
Brahms The Piano Concertos
Title: Brahms The Piano Concertos
Character: Conductor
Released: December 11, 1984
Type: Movie
Between 1981 and 1984 Leonard Bernstein recorded nearly all of Brahmss orchestral works with the Wiener Philharmoniker to honor the 150th anniversary of the composer's birth in 1983. For the concertos, Bernstein enlisted the services of some of the finest Brahms interpreters of the time: the violoninst Gidon Kremer, the cellist Mischa Maisky and the pianist Krystian Zimerman. Leonard Bernstein, Krystian Zimerman, and the Wiener Philharmoniker, it's very hard to get a better group of musicians for these masterpieces. Mr. Zimerman and Mr. Wolfgang Herzer's piano cello duets in the third movement of Brahms' second is simply tearful.
bee
Bernstein Brahms Symphonies
Title: Bernstein Brahms Symphonies
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 1984
Type: Movie
Here is the most convincing presentation of Brahms' symphonies that I personally have ever experienced. There is no explaining a gift like Leonard Bernstein, a true legend and one of the truly great ones of the 20th century (and a great Brahms conductor!). I have followed his career and recordings both at the NY Philharmonic and at Vienna (other places too). His brilliance and incandescence are revelatory in these Brahms performances. His view of a thorough-going romantic Brahms expressing his passionate control of an inner rage in classical form is convincing. He and this great Vienna orchestra give a consistent statement of it. And, of course, Bernstein's introductory comments are without peer.
bee
Joseph Haydn Mass: In Tempore belli
Title: Joseph Haydn Mass: In Tempore belli
Character: dirigent
Released: January 1, 1984
Type: Movie
bee
The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala
Title: The Metropolitan Opera Centennial Gala
Character: Conductor
Released: January 1, 1983
Type: Movie
In celebration of its 100th anniversary in 1983, the Metropolitan Opera hosts a four-hour performance uniting some of the world's most spellbinding opera singers and conductors. The event includes a ballet from Samson et Dalila and boasts incredible classical performances from Kathleen Battle, Plácido Domingo, Jose Carerras, Leonard Bernstein, Marilyn Horne, Leona Mitchell, Luciano Pavarotti and many more.
bee
Benjamin Britten: A Time There Was…
Title: Benjamin Britten: A Time There Was…
Character: Himself
Released: January 9, 1979
Type: Movie
A portrait of one of England's greatest composers. Winner of the Prix Italia.
bee
Title: The Kennedy Center Honors
Character: Self
Released: December 28, 1978
Type: TV
The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture.
bee
Bernstein Beethoven Overtures
Title: Bernstein Beethoven Overtures
Character: Conductor
Released: November 30, 1978
Type: Movie
Excellent Bernstein performance. Interesting version for String Orchestra. Interesting video details to introduce your friends to classic orchestral music (lets them to understand the sound of each instrument the music comes from).
bee
Beethoven Fidelio
Title: Beethoven Fidelio
Character: Conductor
Released: November 4, 1978
Type: Movie
This production is a gala affair; the sets are traditional (evocative of 18th-19th century Spain); the lighting is bright, so colors are good and one can see all of the action. Singers are generally well chosen and perform admirably. However, at this point, slight reservations creep in; although Janowitz (Fidelio/Leonore) and Kollo (Florestan) look "good" and act well, the singing parts tax them a bit when pushed to the limit. Most of the time that doesn't matter, and an argument can be made that a little vocal strain is in character with their dire plight. Ideally, for me, Vickers as Florestan would have added extra vocal heft and more sensitive acting than Kollo.
bee
Leonard Bernstein: Reflections
Title: Leonard Bernstein: Reflections
Character: Himself
Released: October 13, 1978
Type: Movie
Leonard Bernstein discusses his Boston childhood, his musical growth at Harvard and the Curtis Institute and the influence of great masters like Reiner, Mitropoulos and Koussevitzky. He shares his feelings on the primacy of tonal music and speculates on the nature of the creative process. From Carnegie Hall, scene of his début, to the living room of his home and his private studio overlooking New York's Central Park, Reflections explores the artist's varied and colourful career.
bee
Leonard Bernstein conducts Stravinsky & Bach
Title: Leonard Bernstein conducts Stravinsky & Bach
Character: dirigent
Released: January 1, 1977
Type: Movie
bee
Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Symphony No's 1 & 2
Title: Leonard Bernstein: Chichester Psalms Symphony No's 1 & 2
Character: Self / Conductor
Released: January 1, 1977
Type: Movie
Leonard Bernstein performs three of his own compositions with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at the Philharmonic in Berlin.
bee
Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6
Title: Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 4, 5 & 6
Character: Conductor
Released: August 22, 1976
Type: Movie
For Mahlerites, his symphonies are much more than musical performances--they can be an emotional or spiritual journey through the struggles, fears, and triumphs of life. This Sixth Symphony is a 1976 performance in the Vienna Musikvereinssaal with PCM stereo and DTS 5.1. The 2 dvd set also includes the 4th and 5th symphonies, which are performed as magnificently as the Sixth.
bee
Bernstein Mahler Rehearsal
Title: Bernstein Mahler Rehearsal
Released: July 8, 1976
Type: Movie
"Four Ways to Say Farewell" is a personal introduction to Mahler and his Ninth Symphony, during which Leonard Bernstein is seen and heard rehearsing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Filmed in 1971, this rehearsal was directed by Humphrey Burton,
bee
The Unanswered Question IV : The Delights and Dangers of Ambiguity
Title: The Unanswered Question IV : The Delights and Dangers of Ambiguity
Character: Himself
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: Movie
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse: Bernstein provides two distinct meanings of the term ambiguity. The first is "doubtful or uncertain" and the second, "capable of being understood in two or more possible senses"
bee
The Unanswered Question V : The Twentieth Century Crisis
Title: The Unanswered Question V : The Twentieth Century Crisis
Character: Himself
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: Movie
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse: Lecture 5 picks up at the early twentieth century with an oncoming crisis in Western Music. As these lectures have traced the gradual increase and oversaturation of ambiguity, Bernstein now designates a point in history that took ambiguity too far.
bee
The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics
Title: The Unanswered Question III : Musical Semantics
Character: Himself
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: Movie
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse:Semantics is the study of meaning in language, and Bernstein's third lecture, "musical semantics", accordingly, is Bernstein's first attempt to explain meaning in music. Although Bernstein defines musical semantics as "meaning, both musical and extramusical" this lecture focuses exclusively on the "musical" version of meaning.
bee
The Unanswered Question VI : The Poetry of Earth
Title: The Unanswered Question VI : The Poetry of Earth
Character: Himself
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: Movie
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse: This lecture takes its name from a line in John Keats' poem, "On the Grasshopper and Cricket". Bernstein does not discuss Keats' poem directly in this chapter, but he provides his own definition of the poetry of earth, which is tonality. Tonality is the poetry of earth because of the phonological universals discussed in lecture 1. This lecture discusses predominantly Stravinsky, whom Bernstein considers the poet of earth.
bee
The Unanswered Question II : Musical Syntax
Title: The Unanswered Question II : Musical Syntax
Character: Himself
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: Movie
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse: Syntax refers to the study of the structural organization of a sentence, or as Bernstein summarizes, "the actual structures that arise from that phonological stuff."
bee
Title: The Unanswered Question - Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard Bernstein
Character: Presenter
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: TV
The 1973 Norton Lectures by Leonard Bernstein, presented at his alma mater Harvard University, explores all types of music, including: folk music, pop songs, symphonies, tonal and atonal works; all taught by legendary master composer and conductor, Leonard Bernstein.
bee
The Unanswered Question I : Musical Phonology
Title: The Unanswered Question I : Musical Phonology
Character: Himself
Released: January 11, 1976
Type: Movie
This series comprised six lectures on music, which cumulatively took the title of a work by Charles Ives, The Unanswered Question. Bernstein drew analogies to other disciplines, such as poetry, aesthetics, and especially linguistics, hoping to make these lectures accessible to an audience with limited or no musical experience, while maintaining an intelligent level of discourse: Phonology is the linguistic study of sounds, or phonemes. Bernstein's application of this term to music results in what he calls "musical phonology".
bee
Bernstein Gerhswin & Ives
Title: Bernstein Gerhswin & Ives
Character: Himself
Released: January 1, 1976
Type: Movie
Leonard Bernstein conducts four pieces by American composers: George Gershwin's 'An American in Paris' and 'Rhapsody in Blue' and Charles Ives' 'Symphony no. 2' and 'The Unanswered Question'. 'American in Paris', 'Rhapsody in Blue' and 'The Unanswered Question' are all performed by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra at London's Royal Albert Hall in June 1976, while Ives' Symphony no. 2 is performed by Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks in the Congress Hall of the Deutsche Museum, Munich in June 1987.
bee
Bernstein: Tchaikovsky: Symphonies No. 4 & 5
Title: Bernstein: Tchaikovsky: Symphonies No. 4 & 5
Character: Conductor
Released: July 17, 1975
Type: Movie
In a pair of passionate performances, American composer Leonard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic in Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 4 and Andante Cantabile, then leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the Russian composer's Symphony no. 5. Russian violinist Boris Belkin also makes his American debut as the soloist in Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major.
bee
Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
Title: Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 7 & 8
Character: Himself
Released: July 17, 1975
Type: Movie
Leonard Bernstein made these recordings during his wonderfully productive collaboration with the Wiener Philharmoniker in the mid-1970s when he was at the peak of his career. Humphrey Burton's direction is, as always, very fine, giving the viewer/listener both the larger picture and highlighting individual soloists, players or groups of musicians and, of course, the maestro. The video and audio tracks show their age, but are quite acceptable even for today's standards. Bernstein's Seventh is everything one could desire: dark and spooky, highly sensual, but also structurally strong and assertive where needed. Bernstein's reading does not gloss over breakdowns in tonality and the foreshadowing of later musical developments.
bee
Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3
Title: Mahler - Symphonies Nos. 1, 2 & 3
Character: Himself
Released: August 17, 1973
Type: Movie
Beginning with the First Symphony, Bernstein reveals Mahler's position at the hinge of modernism, while emphasizing his emotional extremism. The uplifting Second "Resurrection" Symphony, with which Bernstein had an especially long and close association, is recorded here in a historic performance from 1973, set in the Romanesque splendor of Ely Cathedral. In the Third, Bernstein encompasses the symphony's spiritual panorama like no other conductor, with the Vienna Philharmonic players alive to every nuance.
bee
Title: Le Grand Échiquier
Character: Self
Released: January 12, 1972
Type: TV
bee
Das Lied von der Erde: A Personal Introduction
Title: Das Lied von der Erde: A Personal Introduction
Character: Self (conductor and commentator)
Released: January 1, 1972
Type: Movie
During a break in rehearsals with the Israel Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein sat down at the piano to film an introduction to the poetry and music of Gustav Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.
bee
Title: Great Performances
Character: Self
Released: January 28, 1971
Type: TV
The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.
bee
Beethoven's Birthday: A Celebration in Vienna with Leonard Bernstein
Title: Beethoven's Birthday: A Celebration in Vienna with Leonard Bernstein
Character: Self / Narrator
Released: December 16, 1970
Type: Movie
In this documentary portrait prepared for the anniversary of Ludwig Van Beethoven's 200th birthday, Leonard Bernstein illustrates his analysis with excerpts from his performances of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major and the Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony.
bee
Bernstein In Vienna: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major
Title: Bernstein In Vienna: Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major
Character: Self / Conductor / Pianist
Released: June 7, 1970
Type: Movie
In Vienna's Musikverein, Leonard Bernstein and the Vienna Philharmonic celebrates Ludwig Van Beethoven's 200th birthday with a joyful performance of his Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major. Maestro Bernstein conducts the orchestra from the keyboard in this historic concert.
bee
Bernstein in Vienna: Beethoven, The Ninth Symphony
Title: Bernstein in Vienna: Beethoven, The Ninth Symphony
Character: Self / Conductor
Released: April 4, 1970
Type: Movie
To play Beethoven's music is to give oneself over completely to the child-spirit which lived in that grim, awkward, violent man. Without that utter submission it is impossible to play the Adagio of the Ninth. Or, Heaven knows, the first movement. And the Finale? Most of all! It is simply unplayable unless we go all the way with him, as he cries out "Brüder!" - Leonard Bernstein
bee
King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Title: King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis
Character: Self (archive footage)
Released: March 24, 1970
Type: Movie
Constructed from a wealth of archival footage, the documentary follows Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from 1955 to 1968, in his rise from regional activist to world-renowned leader of the Civil Rights movement. Rare footage of King's speeches, protests, and arrests are interspersed with scenes of other high-profile supporters and opponents of the cause, punctuated by heartfelt testimonials by some of Hollywood's biggest stars.
bee
Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution
Title: Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution
Character: Self
Released: April 25, 1967
Type: Movie
Documentary on the "Rock Revolution".
bee
Title: Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution
Character: Self
Released: April 25, 1967
Type: TV
In this CBS News report, Leonard Bernstein examines creativity in pop music of the mid 1960s. This is probably one of the first examples of pop music being examined as a "serious" art form.
bee
Man of Three Worlds: Luchino Visconti
Title: Man of Three Worlds: Luchino Visconti
Character: Self - Interviewee
Released: April 24, 1966
Type: Movie
BBC television program exploring Visconti’s mastery of cinema, theater, and opera direction.
bee
Title: Goldene Kamera Verleihung
Character: Self
Released: January 25, 1966
Type: TV
bee
The Creative Performer
Title: The Creative Performer
Released: January 31, 1960
Type: Movie
Leornard Bernstein conducts the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, first with pianist Glenn Gould performing Bach's Keyboard Concerto #1 in D minor and then with soprano Eileen Farrell singing the "Suicidio!" aria from Amilcare Ponchielli 's opera "La Gioconda". Finally, composer Igor Stravinsky takes over the podium, conducting the last three scenes from his ballet "The Firebird". Bernstein also gives an opening talk on the vagaries of musical score notation and introduces each of the three guest performers. Originally aired on January 31, 1960 on CBS Television as part of its Ford Presents series.
bee
Title: New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts
Released: January 18, 1958
Type: TV
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.
bee
Satchmo the Great
Title: Satchmo the Great
Released: October 4, 1957
Type: Movie
In this 1957 biography film of the jazz-great Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong, he and his band tour the world as American good-will ambassadors bring jazz at its best to the people of the world. Within the film, the life of Louis Armstrong is portrayed through the music. One of the outstanding scenes in this "biography/docudrama" shows blind songwriter W. C. Handy, with tears streaming down his face, as Armstrong, backed by Leonard Bernstein leading the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, play Handy's immortal "St. Louis Blues."
bee
Title: Tony Awards
Character: Self - Recipient
Released: April 1, 1956
Type: TV
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway productions and performances, and an award is given for regional theatre.
bee
Title: Omnibus
Released: November 9, 1952
Type: TV
Omnibus is an American, commercially sponsored, educational television series.
bee
Title: The Ed Sullivan Show
Character: Self
Released: June 20, 1948
Type: TV
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan. It was replaced in September 1971 by the CBS Sunday Night Movie, which ran only one season and was eventually replaced by other shows. In 2002, The Ed Sullivan Show was ranked #15 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.
bee
Title: Bambi Awards
Character: Self
Released: January 1, 1948
Type: TV
The Bambi, often called the Bambi Award and stylised as BAMBI, is a German award presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television to personalities in the media, arts, culture, sports, and other fields "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year", both domestic and foreign. First held in 1948, it is the oldest media award in Germany. The trophy is named after Felix Salten's book Bambi, A Life in the Woods and its statuettes are in the shape of the novel's titular fawn character. They were originally made of porcelain until 1958, when the organizers switched to using gold, with the casting done by the art casting workshop of Ernst Strassacker in Süßen.
bee
Title: What Makes Music Symphonic? (Young People's Concert No. 4)
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: TV
Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic demonstrate the techniques of repetition and variation in the development of symphonic music as well as the uses of sequence and imitation.
bee
Mahler Symphony no. 3: Bernstein
Title: Mahler Symphony no. 3: Bernstein
Character: Director
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
Great presentation of the legendary american conductor Leonard Bernstein, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Christa Ludwig (contralto solo), the Vienna State Opera Chorus and the Vienna Boys Choir playing the Symphony No. 3 of Gustav Mahler, in 1973.
bee
Zimerman und Bernstein - Sternstunden der Musik
Title: Zimerman und Bernstein - Sternstunden der Musik
Character: Self
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
bee
Bernstein | Mahler Lieder
Title: Bernstein | Mahler Lieder
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
bee
Leonard Bernstein: The Gift of Music
Title: Leonard Bernstein: The Gift of Music
Released: December 31, 1969
Type: Movie
Leonard Bernstein narrated by legendary screen star Lauren Bacall. The movie also relies extensively on Bernstein's own words to provide the counterpoint to the abundant visual material. Highlights include excerpts of Bernstein conducting masterworks by Beethoven and Mahler, as well as of the maestro with the New York Philharmonic in Moscow in 1959 before an audience which included composer Dmitri Shostakovich and the dissident poet Boris Pasternak. It also contains never-before-seen footage, such as outtakes from televised concerts and interviews. Among these special treats: the dashing 28-year-old maestro representing the U.S. at the 1947 Prague Spring Festival – possibly the earliest extant film of Leonard Bernstein.