With Lenny, it came to be more and more about Lenny...

...less and less about... whoever.

Another angle: He was not a great studio artist, thus his live recordings often turn out the best. Try his Haydn "Mass in Time of War", likewise his very early book club "Stadium Symphony" recordings, which were more-or-less dashed off (as in live).

Recently I had occasion to hear again his final concert, with the BSO at Tanglewood -- Beethoven's Seventh. It was... OK, and thus perhaps best forgotten.

Bernstein once said that his criterion for conducting a work was: "Will it give me an orgasm?" Funny, he never conducted Wagner.

clark

A beautiful retrospective by Peter Gutmann (Open in New Window)

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - I don't think - for the most part - that I'm a Leonard Bernstein fan. - sjb 11:43:28 05/17/07 (21)

As many have said of Lenny . . . - psgary 09:39:27 05/20/07 (0)

Thanks everyone!! - sjb 09:58:17 05/18/07 (0)

I'm appreciating Bernstein more and more while Ormandy--sadly--is fading away. - jdaniel 08:34:26 05/18/07 (1)

Ormandy..... - Todd Krieger 10:37:21 05/18/07 (0)

With Lenny, it came to be more and more about Lenny... - clarkjohnsen 08:24:02 05/18/07 (0)

Stick with the earlier NYPO stuff. - markrohr 05:22:05 05/18/07 (0)

Re: Lenny and slow tempos.... - C.B. 04:35:57 05/18/07 (0)

His Mahler set is regarded as a benchmark by some - John C. - Aussie 22:46:48 05/17/07 (0)

Re: I don't think - for the most part - that I'm a Leonard Bernstein fan. - Brian Cheney 18:24:51 05/17/07 (1)

Thanks! - sjb 21:28:10 05/17/07 (0)

Converted - Amphissa 17:30:03 05/17/07 (2)

I Generally Convert the Other Way...... - Todd Krieger 10:25:59 05/18/07 (0)

"Gimme some insight, gimme some personal perspective, gimme your soul laid out on that podium" - sjb 17:54:32 05/17/07 (0)

his Haydn symphonies - docw 16:44:31 05/17/07 (2)

Re: his Haydn symphonies - sjb 17:59:09 05/17/07 (1)

for my Dad, who started me in the music aspect of the hobby,... - docw 10:46:37 05/18/07 (0)

I would have agreed with you a few years ago..... - Chuck Y 13:49:37 05/17/07 (1)

Re: I would have agreed with you a few years ago..... - sjb 17:55:11 05/17/07 (0)

Sure is a proliferation of it - dpy 13:33:59 05/17/07 (1)

550 cd's on Amazon just for symphonies. - sjb 17:57:15 05/17/07 (0)

Follow Ups

With Lenny, it came to be more and more about Lenny... - clarkjohnsen 08:24:02 05/18/07 (0)

With Lenny, it came to be more and more about Lenny...

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