Leonard Bernstein
• One of the most widely performed composers of the 20th century
• Works successfully bridge between classical and popular idioms, combining jazz-inspired energy and theatrical panache
• Acclaimed stage works include West Side Story, On the Town and Candide
• Dance collaborations with Jerome Robbins including Fancy Free, Facsimile and The Dybbuk
• One of the most admired conductors of the post-war era, particularly associated with the New York, Israel, and Vienna philharmonics; Boston and London symphony orchestras; and Tanglewood Festival
• Important role as an educator, including pioneering work on television
• Output recorded extensively on Sony and Deutsche Grammophon
Works by Leonard Bernstein include:
Symphony No.2 'The Age of Anxiety' (1949) for piano and orchestra
Candide (1956/88) Comic operetta in two acts
Symphonic Dances from 'West Side Story' (1960) for orchestra
Mass (1971) A theatre piece for singers, players and dancers
Looking Ahead: Chichester Psalms is performed by countertenor Key’mon Murrah, LA Phil, and Los Angeles Master Chorale at the Hollywood Bowl, led by Gustavo Dudamel (Sep 9), and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and May Festival Chorus, led by Marin Alsop (Nov 16-17)
"Bernstein's music is cross-over without compromise, a corpus of work that simply had to be." — Independent