Leonard Bernstein on Charles Ives Symphony N 2 (SUB SPA)

[@a.sebastian2861]

What a wise man! What a knowledge! What a Culture! What a Magister! What a great teacher when I was a boy and I saw her TV programs made to another boys and girl, a long time ago, but start from them, I began to study music. I'm very much oblige to you, Mr. Bernstein.... You still continue being alive for musiciens and music lovers.

[@a.sebastian2861]

Prited's error: her=his. Excuse me.

[@LateNotes]

a great teacher

[@antonio_rioseco]

This wonderful speech is a Masterpiece in itself .What an Artist was Bernstein!! Charles Ives a Master too!

[@revlamb731]

I loved playing Ives compositions in college symphonic band!

[@anonymous203020]

The movie Maestro brought me here in 2024

[@gabrelconner9146]

Love this so much

[@reev9759]

Wow. His voice, towards the end of his life.

[@contactkeithstack]

What a national treasure bernstein is.

[@juanss347]

Gracias por los sub títulos en español!

[@infinitelymusical]

edifying and enjoyable!

[@theclandestinum]

Funny enough, on the DVD you can see Bernstein doing the same speech in German and in English, you can choose, and it´s in the same venue. Weird!

[@muzomanoz]

I love Lenny!

[@robycdc]

I thank Bernestin because he this evening give me a good opportunity to escape from my great ingnorance!

[@jlastre]

Bernstein articulates the problem I always had with most puck even while growing up in that era. Most punk musicians didn't even know how to play their instruments. While it might have been minimalist it was not primitive.

[@brtherjohn]

I believe this is the Bavarian Radio Symphony, and performed in Munich - only because someone else had posted the actual concert as such. (Also, I didn't recognize anyone from the NYPO here.) Nonetheless, it's great to have this pre-concert chat from LB!

[@mikery12]

One way to tell it's not an American audience. No one laughs at his self-deprecating jokes, such as not being in good voice.

[@brentmarquez4157]

I just finished a biography on Ives by Jan Swafford who points out Bernstein characterizing Ives as a primitive and how incorrect that is. Hearing this speech must be what Swafford was referencing and I have to admit that's a curious way to characterize Ives. His music was more complex than probably any contemporary of his. Hardly primitive. His approach was anti intellectual at heart so maybe that has something to do with it.

[@marcallen4532]

Bernstein was WRONG calling Ives a "Grandma Moses." Bernard Herrmann was the hero of Charlie's championship.

[@brentmarquez4157]

@@marcallen4532 I'm not familiar with the Bernard Hermann connection. I know Henry Cowell was also a supporter. The more I listen to Ives, the more I'm astounded at what an original and idiosyncratic voice he had as a composer. Before reading Swafford's bio I was a little lost on his work since it's so personal, but after understanding the transcendental, utopian progressive (in the best sense of the term) optimism, uninhibited experimentalism and mysticism themes and philosophies Ives was coming from, it all made much more sense and opened the door to his art for me. There's a lot going on there philosophically and artistically, esp for a "grandpa". I also don't remember Bernstein ever performing the works like the 4th symphony.

[@marcallen4532]

@@brentmarquez4157 Herrmann discovered Ives' self published 114 Songs in 1927 -1928 when he was a teenager of 16 0r 17. He contacted Mr. Ives, met him they befriended one another. He then evangelized for the great man introducing all he encountered to the music -Aaron Copland and Leopold Stokowski among others. Herrmann was later the chief conductor of the Columbia Broadcasting Systems Radio orchestra (The opposite number to Toscanini on NBC) where he championed Ives' music giving numerous broadcast premiers of his music.

[@marcallen4532]

Swafford's biography of Ives is the finest I've ever read. The prose sounds like Ives' music. Brilliant.

[@RichardDJanda]

Well put! It's not really even clear what Bernstein meant by "primitive". He probably thought he was giving a compliment, by comparing Ives and his music with Picasso and his turn toward "primitivism" (in 1907 with "Les demoiselles d'Avignon"). But that contradicts Bernstein's main point. Ives had heard, assimilated, analyzed, and synthesized a vast spectrum of music, from folk (primitive?) to popular to patriotic to religious to classical. It would have been better if Bernstein had called Ives "fresh and iconoclastic", or "a native/natural talent". And he could strengthened his remarks by citing examples of European composers' use of folk song. A Russian song (roughly 'Glory to the Sun High in the Sky') collected in 1790 was quoted by all of Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Rachmaninoff, Arensky, and (in a 20th-century work for brass) Oskar Böhme. As for the originally Portuguese popular song or dance that came to be called "La follia", listing the composers who have quoted it or written variations on it since ca. 1600 requires a whole website!

[@AllenJones-w3p]

Lenny's speaking voice got deeper in his later years.

[@archangecamilien1879]

Oh my...5:20...way before Schoenberg...I had no idea...

[@archangecamilien1879]

7:47 I would have been so nervous, haha, he clearly hadn't plan to have someone do that...they tend to have them rehearsed and they know what to play when they turned from the audience...that first guy, haha...a little cringy...

[@MrAndrespo]

El gran Ives, el gran Lenny

[@CalmBefore6]

makes sense since he starts with the whole the whole part about his driver in munich.

[@bonesband3251]

I think early punk and some early new wave music is very "primal" and genuine. I think if Ives was born in the 50's he would maybe experiment with punk and industrial/electronic music.

[@enigmatic9118]

Absolutely! This speech was excellent, except for the dig at modern music. Art transcends genre and time.

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

@@enigmatic9118 Most modern music is absolute rubbish ,Maestro Bernstein knew what was good music .Only GOOD music transcends genres.

[@enigmatic9118]

@@sarahjones-jf4pr you're wrong, but ok. 🤡

[@philnewton3096]

7;22 What was or is the other title of Turkey in thev straw?

[@eric.esoteric]

Rather interesting...

[@beeble2003]

I don't recognise the hall as one in London, as claimed in the description. Bernstein starts his speech by talking about the driver who collected him from Munich airport, so I'm pretty sure it's Munich, as you suggest.

[@RedZed1974]

14:19 Old dude not having any of it. "Pfah! fuchen das Ives und Bernstein" he says in fake German cuz I don't know it.

[@felixnauta]

8:35 como algunos personajes de estadounidenses en el extranjero de Henry James.

[@yaschaeffer]

10:42 Didn’t know that Weird Al could play trombone…. 😂

[@cooperwilliams2595]

someone help me,,, the guys' voice sounds like Jenkins from TAZ

[@RyanPagels]

Actually, nearly all Germans can speak English. They have to learn it in primary school.

[@fabianpohwu]

but bernstein can speak german very well and its funny that he chose to speak in English to a group of german audience.

[@paulc4547]

fabian poh ww

[@mikeallan3546]

He gave the same speech in German at this concert, it is also on You Tube kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJm8q36vh7SArKs

[@albertnortononymous9020]

“I’m not in very good voice todecade.”

[@wilkinsmusicfl4141]

Phil Lesh brought me here.

[@jslasher1]

Besides, many in the audience do not speak or understand the English language.

[@CalmBefore6]

lovely speech..but knowing my fellow germans, Im sure not more than 20% of the audience know what he is talking about :D

[@jdebruynviolin]

Smoking will mess your voice up. :P Great man, though.

[@SenorMorgenStern]

Did he just dis punk! What a fraud;-) Anyway, what an appropriate use of a captured european audience to inform and prepare them for the forthcoming performance of an american composer. Good stuff.

[@nstix2009xitsn]

What's wrong with Lenny's voice? He doesn't sound at all like himself.

[@windarranger]

ouch....come on trumpet :-\

[@ThrillaPark]

Anyone know what year this was? Thx.

[@theonicholaidis]

2011

[@Miro3119619]

Leonard Bernstein died in 1990 so no way this piece was performed in 2011

[@filiphegr5604]

I think 1988/1987-1989, because Bernstein had flu , which he contracted in London on excesses his musical Candide. Just maybe.

[@wandereratmyhome]

Munich, June 1987

[@johnreitz4320]

2015, Lennie is just a hologram......

[@RasberrySkittle]

Why so much focus on his nationality? Great composers transcend borders.

[@robertbloom1637]

dont sing lenny