Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "Leonard Bernstein" – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification. The concert was televised live, worldwide, on Christmas Day, 1989. 9 in Berlin to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall. At the end of his life, he conducted an historic performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. The sequence of events was preserved for posterity in a documentary entitled Journey to Jerusalem. Kennedy, and in Israel at a world famous concert, Hatikvah on Mt. He conducted Mahler's "Resurrection Symphony"" at the funeral of President John F. Through his educational efforts, including several books and the creation of two major international music festivals, he influenced several generations of young musicians.Ī lifelong humanitarian, Bernstein worked in support of civil rights protested against the Vietnam War advocated nuclear disarmament raised money for HIV/AIDS research and awareness and engaged in multiple international initiatives for human rights and world peace. Through dozens of national and international broadcasts, including Young People's Concerts with the New York Philharmonic, he sought to make music both intelligible and enjoyable to all. He was the first conductor to share and explore classical music on television with a mass audience. A skilled pianist, he often conducted piano concertos from the keyboard. He was also a critical figure in the modern revival of the music of Gustav Mahler, in whose music he was most passionately interested. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic and conducted the world's major orchestras, generating a significant legacy of audio and video recordings. His works include three symphonies, Chichester Psalms, Serenade after Plato's "Symposium", the original score for the film On the Waterfront, and theater works including On the Town, Wonderful Town, Candide, and his MASS.īernstein was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra. His best-known work is the Broadway musical West Side Story, which continues to be regularly performed worldwide, and has been adapted into two ( 19) feature films. Īs a composer he wrote in many genres, including symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theatre music, choral works, opera, chamber music and works for the piano. Bernstein was the recipient of many honors, including seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, sixteen Grammy Awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center Honor. According to music critic Donal Henahan, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history". Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American conductor to receive international acclaim. Leonard Bernstein ( / ˈ b ɜːr n s t aɪ n/ BURN-styne August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian.
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