Leonard Bernstein - Kennedy Center Honors, 1980

Aired December 27, 1980

[@adrianusjacobus]

In 1987 I stood next to him in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam after he conducted Mahlers 4th. He was smoking cigarettes, like always whenever he wasn't conducting. He was quite small in length, but absolutely great in conducting.

[@wernerrohr7259]

Lenny was so outstanding together with his Co-Writer Stephen Sondheim...so amazing

[@pabuckie]

I loved when his daughter came out to sing and seeing his emotion! How beautiful! Love Lenny!

[@harridan.]

i found Bernstein's conducting to be brash and too fast....so i didn't listen to him for most of my life, then the Berlin Wall fell, i got old and the internet finally found me. watching him on my phone with cheap headphones from the grocery store i have become addicted to his Christmas Eve performance of The Ninth in 1989, when the wall fell; his timing had mellowed from his last recording of the Ninth, his expressions are priceless, his face rapt and filled with humor, the way he HOPPED into the air made me laugh out loud whilst weeping at the beauty of The Maestro's final symphony.... adding the children's choir and the 8 bass fiddles (usually 4) were a stroke of genius. Bernstein didn't live another year, however his parting gift of conducting the 9th has touched me more deeply than i can express

[@peterbridge9394]

Nice. Thanks for those comments.

[@tommoclement]

Lauren was a Class ACT.

[@BellaFirenze]

Bernstein announced his retirement from conducting on October 9, 1990. He died five days later, in his New York apartment at The Dakota, of a heart attack brought on by mesothelioma. He was 72 years old. A longtime heavy smoker, he had emphysema from his mid-50s. On the day of his funeral procession through the streets of Manhattan, construction workers removed their hats and waved, calling out "Goodbye, Lenny".

[@carolecarr5210]

Fantastic note - thanks.

[@BellaFirenze]

Thank you. I was in Manhattan at the time of the funeral and witnessed the event.@@carolecarr5210

[@rexlex1736]

Bernstein was THE musical stand-out of the 20th century. He will always be appreciated and GREATLY missed by those who did and DID NOT know him. RIP Lenny.

[@kathycahill1698]

Betty Comden and Adolph Greene always seemed like they'd be so fun to hang around with.

[@zerksepraga]

What a gargantuan heart this man has! He's a genius, but behind it was a huge force called love as evident in his statements, music, ideas, and interactions. So down-to-earth, lovable and every joyous...

[@dannydoc1969]

I was lucky enough to meet Mr. Bernstein and his family outside the Fillmore East. We were waiting to see the Grateful Dead. He also came to my grade school to give a young people’s concert. A true musical genius.

[@countalucard4226]

What a great place the Fillmore was. Three bands for $5. I saw Humble Pie and Cactus open so many times for the headliners.

[@aaronaardvark1361]

Agree - lucky you!

[@julieberkowitz2750]

Bernstein’s genius is incomparable

[@RyanHLee-nc7hg]

I have such a fondness for Lenny, who reminds me so much of my grandfather and his entire generation. Both of them had that captivating, charismatic New York attitude. May his memory be for a blessing. 🕯

[@sgsmozart]

My God!..Leonard Bernstein! ...So fabulous!

[@jbbevan]

I guess I was one of the Bernstein "kids" watching from Omnibus thru the last of the Young People's Concerts. At age 16 I was asked (at the last minute, also) to conduct Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (with full orchestra) and our dance department (at high school) dancing to that music. Three years later I conducted it again in an outdoor concert. An elderly Jewish man from New York (I being in Utah) came up to me afterward and introduced himself as the President of the Society of Friends of Music (New York). He said he knew Lenny personally, offered me warm congratulations on the performance, and left me with a warm handshake saying, "Lenny would have loved it." At age 19 it didn't get better than that...so I became a Mechanical Engineer !!

[@autumnleaves2766]

Loved the boogie woogie piano he played. What a multi-talented man, composer, teacher, pianist, conductor, are there any left like him now ? Love the Candide overture.

[@larrybloom810]

Wonderful tribute to Maestro!

[@leslieackerman4189]

He was also a wonderful and adored FATHER

[@barbiecrocker7420]

This is beautiful. I wish mom was still alive. I would connect to my 4K TV and watch this and others with her. Thank you

[@tamara8088]

Really beautiful tribute

[@josephcourtney2330]

What a tribute, 2 a man who's a master in his own lifetime. And, 2 have Mrs. Humphrey Bogart hosting this event was superb! Joe C.

[@jamesmoyner7499]

Well she wasn’t hosting the event. See there is a master of ceremonies like how Walter Cronkite was for years and then there is a person who introduces the specific tribute for a person so Bacall was doing that for Bernstein. You are right though she was a great choice to introduce this tribute segment for him and it was a good one.

[@sleazyslytherin6836]

This was a great tribute. His daughter writing him a song and the original On the Town duo, Betty Comden and Adolph Green coming through

[@antonspivack1436]

Nice to see a young Michael Tilson Thomas. I'm sure he'll receive the award someday.

[@dmk941]

Yep. This year, 2019. And the ceremony is two days from when I'm posting this (Dec 6, 2019).

[@akshaygowrishankar7440]

He received the award about 5 months.

[@mantea54]

He received it in 2019

[@bman560]

Recently TCM showed his Young People's Concerts. Those were true masterpieces. I find it interesting that William Paley is seated behind Bernstein.

[@davidmintzer3743]

I thought it looked like Adolph Greene his collaborator and best friend.

[@Twentythousandlps]

William Paley featured him on his network for years, which made Bernstein a part of popular culture.

[@alanwitton5980]

A great musician very sadly missed

[@Wotan123456789]

What a genius!

[@TheJPCatholic]

8:28 Tilson was definitely Lenny’s student. He’s playing the overture exactly at the tempo Lenny wanted it since it’s an operetta. So many times it’s done too slowly. Tilson’s recording of West Side is also considered definitive by Lenny’s daughter.

[@Chrisyt272]

This was absolutely beautiful!

[@richardwilliams473]

At 7:32 we see a young Michael Tilson Thomas. He later went on to be the chief conductor of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra

[@vwsmusic]

I'm delighted to see this, just as I was delighted to see the piece honoring Leontyne Price. A thousand thanks for posting them.

[@viggo1115]

Thank you so much for publishing this precious video! 👏👏💖🎼🎶💯💐

[@bensexton254]

15:56 The man in probably his life's most fragile living moment...

[@julieberkowitz2750]

Listen to Leonard Bernstein talk about the Beatles and so many other things. Beyond amazing man

[@Maltsky3773]

Thanks for posting this. Loved Leonard Bernstein.

[@kennethfaught8754]

And . . . Jamie steals the show! ❤️🥲

[@terryscott8084]

I was the bass player on this gig! Honored!

[@marthabenson6940]

Thank you for posting

[@ber334]

Thank you

[@aaronaardvark1361]

I was pleasantly surprised of the quality of that 1980 video. And so much content in that 18:55 minutes! That said, I was expecting some mention to his having been responsible for the modern revival of the ten Mahler symphonies.

[@jonathanhos6031]

Tribute to Maestro Leonard Bernstein👏👏👏👏👏👏 🖒👍

[@dafnimbus]

I saw Lenny conduct Mahler's symphonies with the New York Philharmonic .

[@maureentopper3741]

Whoa...slow down that Candide!

[@emerybayblues]

Thank you for posting these from the golden age of the KCHs.

[@kittykate314]

I enjoyed this but would have loved a song from West Side Story.

[@johndumel4599]

Great Music !enney

[@nerolux2445]

Geniality

[@knuthartmann4846]

Bernstein gehört zu den Größten allzeit.

[@carolfraz588]

A master

[@kwabzycomposer]

Bernstein conducted by Maestro Bob Saget

[@appleseed2613]

Oh my. No Rhapsody in Blue? I know he didn't write it. But he made it.

[@rosemarysilva5697]

Seven Magnifcent,Big Country, National Geographic Theme....

[@antonspivack1436]

That's Elmer Bernstein.

[@navelpicker]

Lauren Bacall... Oh, my...

[@joelleson3313]

The overture to Candide: a challenging piece of Bernstein's music played by an orchestra that met the challenge.

[@nealhurwitz]

from 2020--- interesting!!!

[@t.updikerussell3471]

I mean really he played in Carnegie Hall shirtless. FUN, I had the best time. Gay and loving.

[@maxipaz5597]

Where was Mrs Carter?

[@MattWeisherComposer]

His daughter sounds a lot like Karen Carpenter in her lower range. That’s pretty cool.

[@labratamber]

No way does she sound like Karen Carpenter

[@MattWeisherComposer]

Amber Gordon I re-listened. And, for anyone that understands vocal tone, and who is a voice teacher, yes she does.

[@nealhurwitz]

xoxo

[@stvp68]

I couldn’t hear the names of the people who walked out at the end. I got Newman and Namath, but who were the other two men?

[@johnrandolph6121]

Eward Villella and Jacob Javits

[@stvp68]

John Randolph thanks!

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

@@johnrandolph6121 Loved seeing Villella!

[@vbplayer50]

I'm looking for the Danny Kaye tribute with Let There Be Peace On Earth.

[@andywalmart]

its listed on here,,,,just type in danny kaye kennedy center honors

[@vbplayer50]

@@andywalmart Thanks but that is just a 2 minute segment with Carl Reiner.

[@ettabeckner1144]

Is/was that Andre Previn at 06:43? Whomever it is/was, he didn't seem very happy. His applause, to me, seemed angry. Anyway. Maestro Bernstein! He's fun, funny, witty, captivating, brilliant and, well, very handsome. I wonder if he's conducting the Celestial Choir?💖💖💖💖

[@thezealouscellist1966]

That's conductor Zubin Mehta.

[@ettabeckner1144]

@@thezealouscellist1966 Thank you.

[@stevendaniel5649]

Lennie !!!!

[@Cathleen7259]

Karen and her husband Al are the sweetest couple ever together. She was the Loveliest Lady I had ever met when we were staying at R&R with Liz at the beach at North bitch in a house, and oh we had so much fun scrapbooking for her granddaughter, and we just sat at the table together and she had a shopping bag full of papers and ribbons and all kinds of things to go on pages and we just sat for hours working on her scrapbook and I just love you Karen and I heard she was the representative for Eucerin skincare products and she gave me anything that she thought I needed to use and when I had skin cancer on my back I had laser surgery and it hurt so bad and my dermatologist Dr Daniel Frum told me to keep Aquaphor on my incision because I was swimming everyday and it made it heal and it never came back! Thank you so much for years of products and being my good friend and for helping me with supporting me during interviewing with Ethan Allen Furniture in Lynwood WA and sharing Your granddaughter Mallorie with her pictures we had so much fun scraping together pictures of her and wait till you get to meet my granddaughter Irelan oh my goodness she is beautiful and her eyes are the same size marbles she has had all of her life and she’s been in protection with her mom and her husband and her Mom Kathy and their 😊the details needs to come later on this week because arrests are coming up in our family today and tomorrow and you both are going to be together in our family I need to discuss this with my daughter and my parents and I have to get permission from the family before I can do anything nowadays. Will definitely be helping you out Kathy with your family and Irelan has been approved with her husband to work with me and my family is going through this whole situation with you guys and you have to get through this whole process and I’m very grateful for you Kathy and your mom and is she alive? We are all very happy that you are all ok And things are changing very quickly and moving forward with the baby and your mom is very important for you so please realize that I love you very much and I will always be here for you if you need me or anything but I have many more people to help me with this situation who are there now so I was not expecting anyone other than you and your husband in your bedroom so you are my friend now but I would always appreciate one hundred percent honesty and I truthfully am dissapointed in Kathy for not holding her agreement with my Family and my Mother Teresa was dying and asking me why you had broken your word and not even sent her any pictures of her granddaughter? And then Irelan you lied to me about CPS and you were safe and you invited me to go to war over you which is still ok because it shouldn’t have happened. Yet my friend Kari Lake is wonderful and I think you should go and visit with her because she has been talking about you and we need to know more about you because you’re not supposed to make up your Mom had cancer and died? I need an explanation please 🙏 Thank you Q

[@kwabzycomposer]

7:31 hey look it's younger Bob Saget.

[@pumukliboti]

Lauren Bacall… Jesus Christ…SAVAGE at 16:23!!

[@ZelphKinderhook]

Thanks for uploading this! But I gotta say, who had the lame idea to have Lenny's daughter sing? People want to hear HIS music, not hers....sigh. It probably replaced the Wonderful Town and West Side Story sections haha...

[@johnrandolph6121]

I have to agree. I suppose it's a prime example of nepotism.

[@heula1]

And, worst of all, she's flat.

[@captainhaddock6435]

@@johnrandolph6121 What's that got to do with nepotism? It's a celebration honoring Leonard Bernstein, not the audience. It's the most natural thing for talented kids to perform their own works at celebrations of their parents - and, yes, she is talented, even if it's - shudder - popular music! And you can see how incredibly moved he was, that's the most delightful thing about this event. Seriously, Lenny would be appalled by this elitist attitude. I love your channel, but I didn't think you were such a snob. This attitude is the reason why young people shy away from classical music

[@johnrandolph6121]

@@captainhaddock6435 Are you responding to me? If so, you certainly have put a lot of words in my mouth.

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

@@captainhaddock6435 I am a Classical musician , and I agree with your comment completely. It was important to their relationship that she sang for him. Besides, Lenny could handle any genre of music.

[@binondoprincedone-j4008]

Im looking at his NOSE

[@MrMjolnir69]

Neighbours.

[@richardbullis6263]

No Jamie if this was opera I can say yes. But no to this song.

[@foodboi2046]

Wow, Bernstein's daughter didn't really inherit his talent, did she?

[@sarahhearn-vonfoerster7401]

Doesn't matter to any Father, does it? That she tried does matter

[@morganfisherart]

Oh, leave her alone! She sang from the heart, sweet and sincere, and made him cry. You really have a problem with that?

[@zerksepraga]

Jammie is original on her own merit.

[@aaronaardvark1361]

I thought that she was good. And she did bring tears to his eyes. What did you think about Gloria Estévan’s daughter tribute to her mother?

[@avremig]

MTT poor treatment of Candide. Way too fast and brash

[@johnrandolph6121]

It's fast but the tempo is almost identical to Bernstein's recording with the New York Philharmonic. (MTT's is two seconds shorter.) But if you listen to Bernstein's later recording with the London Symphony.....that one is quite a bit slower.