The Saito Kinen Orchestra is an orchestra formed annually during the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto , which is held every August and September in Matsumoto city , Nagano , Japan. The orchestra is managed by the Saito Kinen Foundation.
101-586: In September 1984, under the leadership of Seiji Ozawa and Kazuyoshi Akiyama , a group of Japanese musicians from all over the world gathered together in Japan to perform a series of concerts in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the death of Hideo Saito —co-founder of the Toho Gakuen School of Music and mentor to those conductors and musicians. The series of memorial concerts performed in Tokyo and Osaka became
202-453: A 20th century American composer; the coloratura aria "Glitter and Be Gay", which Barbara Cook sang in the original production; and the grand finale "Make Our Garden Grow". West Side Story (1957) The other musical Bernstein was writing simultaneously with Candide was West Side Story . Bernstein collaborated with director and choreographer Jerome Robbins , book writer Arthur Laurents , and lyricist Stephen Sondheim . The story
303-601: A Bachelor of Arts, cum laude . Curtis Institute of Music After graduating from Harvard, Bernstein enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia . At Curtis, Bernstein studied conducting with Fritz Reiner (who is said to have given Bernstein the only "A" grade he ever awarded); piano with Isabelle Vengerova ; orchestration with Randall Thompson ; counterpoint with Richard Stöhr ; and score reading with Renée Longy Miquelle . In 1940, Bernstein attended
404-704: A Japanese combined orchestra which included the Toho Gakuen School of Music Orchestra and members of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra with solo cello Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and solo violist Nobuko Imai in a world-wide telecast (carried on the PBS television network in the United States) from the United Nations building in New York City. The concert included a work by Beethoven and Strauss's Don Quixote with
505-598: A Solemn Occasion with Sir Laurence Olivier narrating text from the UN Charter . The concert was televised by NBC Television Network . In April 1949, Bernstein performed as piano soloist in the world premiere of his Symphony No. 2: The Age of Anxiety with Koussevitzy conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra. On December 2, 1949, Bernstein conducted the world premiere of the Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie , with
606-585: A UK-based leading classical music magazine. The orchestra has recorded symphonies by Beethoven , Brahms , Tchaikovsky and Mahler . Its other recordings are of Stravinsky 's Oedipus rex , and the St Matthew Passion and Mass in B minor by J.S. Bach . Those recordings are done for Philips Records and Sony Music . The current and former directors are: A list of the current and former players: Seiji Ozawa Seiji Ozawa ( 小澤 征爾 , Ozawa Seiji , September 1, 1935 – February 6, 2024)
707-577: A broad swath of the classical music canon . Bernstein welcomed the Philharmonic's additions of its first Black musician, Sanford Allen , and its second woman musician, Orin O'Brien . Bernstein also shared the Philharmonic's commitment to connecting with as many New Yorkers as possible. That vision became a reality with the launch of the Concerts in the Parks in 1965, which Bernstein conducted often. Another milestone
808-533: A cast with Mirella Freni as Tatyana. He returned to the house in 2008 with The Queen of Spades , both productions described as passionate and electrifying. Ozawa created a controversy in 1996–1997 with sudden demands for change at the Tanglewood Music Center, which made Gilbert Kalish and Leon Fleisher resign in protest. Subsequent criticism by Greg Sandow generated controversy in the press. Ozawa used an unorthodox conducting wardrobe, wearing
909-591: A controversy with the NHK Symphony Orchestra when some players, unhappy with his style and personality, refused to play under him. Ozawa went on to conduct the rival Japan Philharmonic Orchestra instead. In July 1963, Ozawa was in New York to appear as a guest conductor, and while there appeared on the American television program What's My Line? . From 1964 until 1968, Ozawa served as the first music director of
1010-685: A festival in Matsumoto in 1992, later named the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival . A 2013 recording from the festival of Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges earned Ozawa his only Grammy Award in 2016, for best opera recording. In 1998, Ozawa conducted a simultaneous international performance of Beethoven's Ode to Joy at the opening ceremony of the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan . Ozawa conducted an orchestra and singers in Nagano, and
1111-531: A good American success story. The warm, friendly triumph of it filled Carnegie Hall and spread far over the air waves." Many newspapers throughout the country carried the story, which, in combination with the concert's live national CBS Radio Network broadcast, propelled Bernstein to instant fame. Over the next two years, Bernstein made conducting debuts with ten different orchestras in the United States and Canada, greatly broadening his repertoire and initiating
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#17328526949321212-554: A ground-breaking Best Supporting Actress award for Puerto Rican-born Rita Moreno playing the role of Anita. A film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg opened in 2021. In addition to Bernstein's compositional activity for the stage, he wrote a symphonic work, Serenade after Plato's "Symposium" (1954); the score On the Waterfront (1954); and Prelude, Fugue and Riffs , composed in 1949, but only premiered in 1955, for jazz big band and solo clarinet. In 1953, Bernstein became
1313-489: A key role as a teacher and administrator at the Tanglewood Music Center, the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer music home that has programs for young professionals and high school students. In 1994, the BSO dedicated its new Tanglewood concert hall " Seiji Ozawa Hall " in honor of his 20th season with the orchestra. In recognition of his impact on the BSO, Ozawa was named music director laureate. On October 24, 1974, Ozawa conducted
1414-484: A leading role; a multiracial cast dancing as mixed race couples; and a Black concertmaster, Everett Lee , who eventually took over as music director of the show. On the Town became an MGM motion picture in 1949 , starring Gene Kelly , Frank Sinatra , and Jules Munshin as the three sailors. Only part of Bernstein's score was used in the film and additional songs were provided by Roger Edens . From 1945 to 1947, Bernstein
1515-410: A legacy of audio and video recordings. Bernstein was also a critical figure in the modern revival of the music of Gustav Mahler , in whose music he was most interested. A skilled pianist, Bernstein often conducted piano concertos from the keyboard. He shared and explored classical music on television with a mass audience in national and international broadcasts, including Young People's Concerts with
1616-513: A lifelong beloved friend. Sam took his son to orchestral concerts in his teenage years and eventually supported his music education. In May 1932, Leonard attended his first orchestral concert with the Boston Pops Orchestra conducted by Arthur Fiedler . Bernstein recalled, "To me, in those days, the Pops was heaven itself ... I thought ... it was the supreme achievement of the human race." It
1717-529: A lifelong frequent practice of conducting concertos from the piano. On January 28, 1944, Bernstein conducted the premiere of his Symphony No. 1: Jeremiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and soloist Jennie Tourel . In the fall of 1943, Bernstein and Jerome Robbins began work on their first collaboration, Fancy Free , a ballet about three young sailors on leave in wartime New York City. Fancy Free premiered on April 18, 1944, with
1818-470: A performance of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor to explain that the soloist, Glenn Gould , had chosen an idiosyncratic approach to the work. Bernstein explained that while he did not totally agree with it, he thought Gould's interpretation was an artistically worthy exploration. Bernstein questioned: "In a concerto, who is the boss: the soloist or the conductor?" The incident created
1919-642: A punch, and in a very real sense, while many more modern versions have come and gone this one still holds its own with the best of them." The composer would entrust Ozawa with the premiere of his opera Saint François d'Assise in Paris in 1983. In 1969 Ozawa and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra recorded an album of four works of Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu , Asterism For Piano And Orchestra, Requiem For String Orchestra, Green For Orchestra (November Steps II), and The Dorian Horizon For 17 Strings. Ozawa
2020-712: A quantum leap when, as the new music director of the New York Philharmonic, he put the orchestra's traditional Saturday afternoon Young People's Concerts on the CBS Television Network. Millions of viewers of all ages and around the world enthusiastically embraced Bernstein and his engaging presentations about classical music. Bernstein often presented talented young performers on the broadcasts. Many of them became celebrated in their own right, including conductors Claudio Abbado and Seiji Ozawa ; flutist Paula Robison ; and pianist André Watts . From 1958 until 1972,
2121-463: A second opera, A Quiet Place , which picked up the story and characters of Trouble in Tahiti in a later period. Wonderful Town (1953) In 1953, Bernstein wrote the score for the musical Wonderful Town on very short notice, with a book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green . Like the 1940 play, directed on Broadway by George S. Kaufman , it
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#17328526949322222-471: A stir that reverberated in the press for decades; see New York Philharmonic concert of April 6, 1962 § Legacy . In 1960, Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic marked the centennial of Gustav Mahler's birth with a series of performances. The composer's widow, Alma , attended some of Bernstein's rehearsals. That same year, Bernstein made his first commercial recording of a Mahler symphony (the Fourth) . Over
2323-538: A traveling musical group during the later stages of Rostropovich's life, with the goal of giving free concerts and mentoring students across Japan. On January 7, 2010, Ozawa announced that he was canceling all engagements for six months in order to undergo treatments for esophageal cancer . The doctor with Ozawa at the time of the announcement said it was detected at an early stage. Ozawa's other health problems included pneumonia and lower back problems requiring surgery in 2011. Following his cancer diagnosis, Ozawa and
2424-420: A turning point in musical theatre. In 1960, Bernstein prepared a suite of orchestral music from the show, titled Symphonic Dances from West Side Story , which continues to be popular with orchestras worldwide. A 1961 United Artists film adaptation , directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, starred Natalie Wood as Maria and Richard Beymer as Tony. The film won ten Academy Awards , including Best Picture and
2525-636: Is an updated retelling of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet , set in the mid-1950s in the slums of New York City's Upper West Side . The Romeo character, Tony, is affiliated with the Jets gang, who are of white Northern European descent. The Juliet character is Maria, who is connected to the Sharks gang, recently arrived from Puerto Rico . The original Broadway production opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on September 26, 1957, and ran 732 performances. Robbins won
2626-516: Is based on the autobiographical short stories, collectively titled My Sister Eileen , that were written by Ruth McKenney and published in the early 1930s by The New Yorker . They tell the story of two sisters from Ohio who move to New York City and seek success from their squalid basement apartment in Greenwich Village . Wonderful Town opened on Broadway on February 25, 1953, at the Winter Garden Theatre , starring Rosalind Russell in
2727-502: Is dated 1935. He majored in music with a final year thesis titled "The Absorption of Race Elements into American Music" (1939; reproduced in his book Findings ). One of Bernstein's intellectual influences at Harvard was the aesthetics Professor David Prall , whose multidisciplinary outlook on the arts inspired Bernstein for the rest of his life. One of Bernstein's friends at Harvard was future philosopher Donald Davidson , with whom Bernstein played piano duets. Bernstein wrote and conducted
2828-620: The Ballet Theatre (now the American Ballet Theatre) at the old Metropolitan Opera House , with scenery by Oliver Smith and costumes by Kermit Love . Bernstein and Robbins decided to expand the ballet into a musical and invited Comden and Green to write the book and lyrics. On the Town opened on Broadway's Adelphi Theatre on December 28, 1944. The show resonated with audiences during World War II , and it broke race barriers on Broadway: Japanese-American dancer Sono Osato in
2929-610: The Japan Philharmonic while still a student. He graduated in 1957. Ozawa travelled to Europe for further studies; he supported himself by selling Japanese motor scooters. He achieved the first prize at the 1959 International Competition of Orchestra Conductors in Besançon , France, which made him known internationally; Charles Munch , then the music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra , invited him to attend
3030-779: The Lifetime Achievement Award ) as well as an Academy Award nomination. He received the Kennedy Center Honor in 1981. As a composer, Bernstein wrote in many genres, including symphonic and orchestral music, ballet, film and theatre music, choral works, opera, chamber music, and pieces for the piano. Bernstein's works include the Broadway musical West Side Story , which continues to be regularly performed worldwide, and has been adapted into two ( 1961 and 2021 ) feature films, three symphonies, Serenade after Plato's "Symposium" (1954), and Chichester Psalms (1965),
3131-703: The NBC Symphony Orchestra , one of which featured Bernstein as soloist in Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major. In 1947, Bernstein conducted in Tel Aviv for the first time, beginning a lifelong association with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra , then known as the Palestine Symphony Orchestra. The next year, he conducted an open-air concert for Israeli troops at Beersheba in the middle of
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3232-1005: The New England Conservatory . Two years later, he made his solo debut with orchestra in Grieg 's Piano Concerto in A minor with the Boston Public School Orchestra. Bernstein's first two education environments were both public schools: the William Lloyd Garrison School , followed by the prestigious Boston Latin School , for which Bernstein and classmate Lawrence F. Ebb wrote the Class Song. Harvard University In 1935, Bernstein enrolled at Harvard College , where he studied music with, among others, Edward Burlingame Hill and Walter Piston . Bernstein's first extant composition, Psalm 148 , set for voice and piano,
3333-766: The Philharmonia Orchestra . On July 4, 1946, Bernstein conducted the European premiere of Fancy Free with the Ballet Theatre at the Royal Opera House in London. On August 6 he conducted opera professionally for the first time, with the American premiere of Benjamin Britten 's Peter Grimes at Tanglewood, commissioned by Koussevitzky. That same year, Arturo Toscanini invited Bernstein to guest conduct two concerts with
3434-778: The Ravinia Festival , the summer home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra . In 1969 he served as the festival's principal conductor. He conducted the Vienna Philharmonic first in 1966 at the Salzburg Festival . In his first post as music director, Ozawa led the Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) from 1965 to 1969. Basically every work on the programs, such as the symphonies by Beethoven , Tchaikovsky and Mahler were new for him, and he described
3535-634: The Six-Day War . The sequence of events was recorded for a documentary entitled Journey to Jerusalem . At the end of his life, Bernstein conducted a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in Berlin to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall . Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts , to Russian Jewish / Ukrainian Jewish parents, Jennie (née Resnick) and Samuel Joseph Bernstein, both of whom immigrated to
3636-680: The Sorbonne University , Harvard University , the New England Conservatory of Music , the University of Massachusetts Amherst , National University of Music Bucharest , and Wheaton College . He was a Member of Honour of the International Music Council . Source: Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( / ˈ b ɜːr n s t aɪ n / BURN -styne ; born Louis Bernstein ; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990)
3737-604: The Tony Award for Best Choreographer, and Oliver Smith won the Tony for Best Scenic Designer. Bernstein's score for West Side Story blends "jazz, Latin rhythms, symphonic sweep and musical-comedy conventions in groundbreaking ways for Broadway". It was orchestrated by Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal following detailed instructions from Bernstein. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked
3838-489: The Vienna State Opera . He had conducted at the house before, Verdi's Ernani and Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin in 1988, Pique Dame in 1992 and Verdi's Falstaff in 1993, and began his tenure with productions of Janáček's Jenůfa and Krenek's Jonny spielt auf . In 2005, he founded Tokyo Opera Nomori [ fr ] and conducted its production of Richard Strauss's Elektra . On February 1, 2006,
3939-560: The 1940–41 season to be his assistant, but the plan fell through because of union issues. In 1937, Bernstein sat next to Aaron Copland at a dance recital at Town Hall in New York City. Copland invited Bernstein to his birthday party afterwards, where Bernstein impressed the guests by playing Copland's challenging Piano Variations , a work Bernstein loved. Although he was never a formal student of Copland's, Bernstein regularly sought his advice, often citing him as his "only real composition teacher". Bernstein graduated from Harvard in 1939 with
4040-537: The 53 Young People's Concerts comprised the most influential series of music education programs ever produced on television. They were highly acclaimed by critics and won numerous Emmy Awards . Some of Bernstein's scripts, all of which he wrote himself, were released in book form and on records. A recording of Humor in Music was awarded a Grammy award for Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) in 1961. The programs were shown in many countries around
4141-601: The Berkshire Music Center (now the Tanglewood Music Center ) the following year to study with Munch and Pierre Monteux . Shortly after his arrival there, Ozawa won the Koussevitzky Prize for outstanding student conductor, Tanglewood's highest honor, which earned him a scholarship to study conducting with Herbert von Karajan . Ozawa moved to West Berlin . Under the tutelage of Karajan, Ozawa caught
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4242-456: The Boston Symphony Orchestra and the New York premiere in Carnegie Hall on the afternoon of December 10. Part of the rehearsal for the concert was recorded and released by the orchestra. When Koussevitzky died in 1951, Bernstein became head of the orchestra and conducting departments at Tanglewood . The 1950s comprised the most active years of Bernstein's career. He created five new works for
4343-670: The Broadway stage, composed several symphonic works and an iconic film score, and was appointed music director of the New York Philharmonic with whom he toured the world, including concerts behind the Iron Curtain. Bernstein also harnessed the power of television to expand his educational reach, and he married and started a family. In 1950, Bernstein composed incidental music for a Broadway production of J. M. Barrie's play Peter Pan . The production, which opened on Broadway on April 24, 1950, starred Jean Arthur as Peter Pan and Boris Karloff in
4444-717: The Department of State also sponsored Bernstein and the Philharmonic on a 50-concert tour through Europe and the Soviet Union, portions of which were filmed by the CBS Television Network. A highlight of the tour was Bernstein's performance of Shostakovich 's Fifth Symphony , in the presence of the composer, who came on stage at the end to congratulate Bernstein and the musicians. New York Philharmonic Innovations Bernstein's innovative approach to themed programming included introducing audiences to composers less-performed at
4545-491: The New York Philharmonic Bernstein was appointed the music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1957, sharing the post jointly with Dimitri Mitropoulos until he took sole charge in 1958. Bernstein held the music directorship until 1969 when he was appointed "Laureate Conductor". He continued to conduct and make recordings with the orchestra for the rest of his life. Bernstein's television teaching took
4646-403: The New York Philharmonic, Bernstein made his major conducting debut at short notice—and without any rehearsal—after guest conductor Bruno Walter came down with the flu. The challenging program included works by Robert Schumann , Miklós Rózsa , Richard Wagner , and Richard Strauss . The next day, The New York Times carried the story on its front page and remarked in an editorial, "It's
4747-541: The New York Philharmonic. 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. He conducted Mahler's Resurrection Symphony to mark the death of president John F. Kennedy , and in Israel at a concert, Hatikvah on Mt. Scopus , after
4848-630: The Saito Kinen Orchestra is an orchestra formed annually, there are no regular members. It originally consisted of Saito's former students and the graduates from the Toho Gakuen School of Music. However, as the original members age, the orchestra has been adding new members, among them Ozawa's former students and friends. In 2008, the Orchestra was voted the world's 19th greatest orchestra by a panel of critics assembled by Gramophone Magazine ,
4949-506: The San Francisco Symphony on a European tour, which included a Paris concert that was broadcast via satellite in stereo to San Francisco station KKHI . He was involved in a 1974 dispute with the San Francisco Symphony's players' committee that denied tenure to the timpanist Elayne Jones and the bassoonist Ryohei Nakagawa, two young musicians Ozawa had selected. He was committed to contemporary music then, for example commissioning San Francisco Polyphony from György Ligeti in 1975. During
5050-416: The Seijo Junior High School in 1950, Ozawa broke two fingers in a rugby game. Hideo Saito , his teacher at the Toho Gakuen School of Music , brought him to a performance of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5 , ultimately shifting his musical focus from piano performance to conducting. He studied conducting and composition, achieving first prizes in both fields, and worked with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and
5151-433: The Tokyo Opera Nomori in 2005. Ozawa rose to fame after he won the 1959 Besançon competition . He was invited by Charles Munch , then the music director of the BSO, for the following year to Tanglewood , the orchestra's summer home, where he studied with Munch and Pierre Monteux . Winning the festival's Koussevitzky Prize earned him a scholarship with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic and brought him to
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#17328526949325252-421: The Toronto Symphony Orchestra recorded Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie that Koussevitzky had commissioned and Bernstein first conducted with the BSO. In Ozawa's version, the first in North America, Yvonne Loriod was the pianist as in the premiere. The recording was nominated for a Grammy Award . When it was reissued on CD in 2004, a reviewer noted: "The orgiastic fifth and 10th movements still pack quite
5353-437: The United States from Rivne , Russian Empire (now in Ukraine). His grandmother insisted that his first name be Louis , but his parents always called him Leonard . Bernstein legally changed his name from Louis to Leonard when he was 16. To his friends and many others, Bernstein was simply known as "Lenny". Bernstein's mother had moved to stay with her parents in Lawrence toward the end of her first pregnancy and, since he
5454-411: The Vienna State Opera announced that he had to cancel all his 2006 conducting engagements because of illness, including pneumonia and shingles . He returned to conducting in March 2007 at the Tokyo Opera Nomori. Ozawa stepped down from his post at the Vienna State Opera in 2010, to be succeeded by Franz Welser-Möst . He was named an honorary member of the Vienna Philharmonic then. In 2021, he conducted
5555-435: The age of 88. Daniel Froschauer , speaking for the Vienna Philharmonic, wrote: "We are happy to have experienced so many artistic highlights with Seiji Ozawa. It was a gift to be able to go on a long journey with this artist, who was characterized by the highest musical standards and at the same time humility towards the treasures of musical culture as well as his loving interaction with his colleagues and his charisma, which
5656-505: The attention of Leonard Bernstein , who made him his assistant with the New York Philharmonic in 1961. He became artistic director of the festival and education program in Tanglewood in 1970, together with Gunther Schuller . In 1994, the new main hall there was named after him. Ozawa conducted world premieres such as György Ligeti 's San Francisco Polyphony in 1975 and Olivier Messiaen 's opera Saint François d'Assise in Paris in 1983. He received numerous international awards . Ozawa
5757-407: The attention of Leonard Bernstein , who then appointed him as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic , where Ozawa served during the 1961–1962 and 1964–1965 seasons. He first conducted at Carnegie Hall in 1961 and first conducted the San Francisco Symphony in 1962. Ozawa remains the only conductor to have studied under both Karajan and Bernstein. In December 1962 Ozawa was involved in
5858-419: The audience as patient and supportive in a later interview. Concerts were held at the Massey Hall ; they played for the opening of the new Toronto City Hall in 1965, for the Commonwealth Arts Festival in Glasgow and the Expo 67 in Montreal. Ozawa made notable recordings with the TSO, including the Symphonie fantastique by Berlioz in 1966, a highly lauded recording by music critics. In 1967, Ozawa and
5959-477: The beginning of the career of the Saito Kinen Orchestra. In the beginning of the orchestra's establishment, its members would consist of Saito's former students who agreed with Ozawa and Akiyama that they should assemble in Japan for the memorial concerts. At first they performed without payment. In 1987 the Orchestra made its first tour of Europe in Vienna , Berlin , Frankfurt , Paris , and London . Between 1989 and 1991, it toured in Europe and America. In 1990
6060-424: The center of the city. On December 10, 1949, Bernstein made his first television appearance as conductor with the Boston Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall . The concert, which included an address by Eleanor Roosevelt , celebrated the first anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly 's ratification of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights , and included the premiere of Aaron Copland 's Preamble for
6161-513: The composer: "I'm so sympathetic to Mahler: I understand his problem. It's like being two different men locked up in the same body; one man is a conductor and the other a composer ... It's like being a double man." Opening Lincoln Center On May 14, 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower broke ground for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts . On September 23, 1962, the New York Philharmonic moved from Carnegie Hall to its new home, Philharmonic Hall (now David Geffen Hall ). Bernstein conducted
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#17328526949326262-405: The desert during the Arab-Israeli war . In 1957, he conducted the inaugural concert of the Mann Auditorium in Tel Aviv. In 1967, he conducted a concert on Mount Scopus to commemorate the Reunification of Jerusalem , featuring Mahler's Symphony No. 2 and Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto with soloist Isaac Stern . The city of Tel Aviv added his name to the Habima Square (Orchestra Plaza) in
6363-472: The dual roles of George Darling and Captain Hook . The show ran for 321 performances. In 1951, Bernstein composed Trouble in Tahiti , a one-act opera in seven scenes with an English libretto by the composer. The opera portrays the troubled marriage of a couple whose idyllic suburban post-war environment belies their inner turmoil. Ironically, Bernstein wrote most of the opera while on his honeymoon in Mexico with his wife, Felicia Montealegre . Bernstein
6464-448: The first American conductor to appear at La Scala in Milan, conducting Cherubini's Medea , with Maria Callas in the title role. Callas and Bernstein reunited at La Scala to perform Bellini's La sonnambula in 1955. On November 14, 1954, Bernstein presented the first of his television lectures for the CBS Television Network arts program Omnibus . The live lecture, entitled "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony", involved Bernstein explaining
6565-419: The gala opening concert featuring works by Mahler , Beethoven , and Vaughan Williams , as well as the premiere of Aaron Copland's Connotations . In 1964, Bernstein conducted at the Metropolitan Opera for the first time in Franco Zeffirelli 's production of Verdi's Falstaff . In subsequent years, Bernstein returned to The Met to conduct Cavalleria rusticana (1970) and Carmen (1972), as well as at
6666-424: The globe, including works by Dmitri Shostakovich , Pierre Boulez , and György Ligeti . Bernstein championed American composers, especially those with whom he had a close friendship, such as Aaron Copland , William Schuman , and David Diamond . This decade saw a significant expansion of Bernstein and the Philharmonic's collaboration with Columbia Records , together they released over 400 compositions, covering
6767-496: The inaugural year of the Tanglewood Music Center (then called the Berkshire Music Center) at the Boston Symphony Orchestra 's summer home. Bernstein studied conducting with the BSO's music director, Serge Koussevitzky , who became a profound lifelong inspiration to Bernstein. He became Koussevitzky's conducting assistant at Tanglewood and later dedicated his Symphony No. 2: The Age of Anxiety to his beloved mentor. One of Bernstein's classmates, both at Curtis and at Tanglewood,
6868-409: The legendary jazz club the Village Vanguard . On April 21, 1942, Bernstein performed the premiere of his first published work, Sonata for Clarinet and Piano , with clarinetist David Glazer at the Institute of Modern Art in Boston. Bernstein would later make his New York Philharmonic conducting debut. On November 14, 1943, having recently been appointed assistant conductor to Artur Rodziński of
6969-435: The longest tenure of any music director there, surpassing the 25 years held by Serge Koussevitzky . He conducted more world premieres, including works by Ligeti and Tōru Takemitsu . Ozawa won his first Emmy Award in 1976, for the BSO's PBS television series, Evening at Symphony ; in 1994, he was awarded his second Emmy for Individual Achievement in Cultural Programming for Dvořák in Prague: A Celebration . He played
7070-444: The musical score for the production Davidson mounted of Aristophanes ' play The Birds , performed in the original Greek. Bernstein recycled some of this music in future works. While a student, Bernstein was briefly an accompanist for the Harvard Glee Club as well as an unpaid pianist for Harvard Film Society's silent film presentations. Bernstein mounted a student production of The Cradle Will Rock , directing its action from
7171-706: The neighborhood children to put on shows ranging from Bizet's Carmen to Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore . He would often play entire operas or Beethoven symphonies with his younger sister, Shirley. Leonard's youngest sibling, Burton, was born in 1932, 13 years after Leonard. Despite the large age differences, the three siblings remained close their entire lives. Sam was initially opposed to young Leonard's interest in music and attempted to discourage his son's interest by refusing to pay for his piano lessons. Leonard then took to giving lessons to young people in his neighborhood. One of his students, Sid Ramin , became Bernstein's orchestrator for West Side Story and
7272-541: The next seven years, he recorded the entire Mahler symphony cycle with the New York Philharmonic (except for the 8th Symphony , which was recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra ). The combination of concert performances, television talks, and recordings led to a renewed interest in Mahler, especially in the United States. Bernstein claimed that he identified with the works on a personal level, and once wrote of
7373-669: The novelist Haruki Murakami embarked on a series of six conversations about classical music that form the basis for the book Absolutely on Music . His last concert took place on November 22, 2022, with the Saito Kinen Orchestra where he conducted, in a wheelchair, Beethoven's 'Egmont' Overture , which was broadcast live to Koichi Wakata , an astronaut onboard the International Space Station . Ozawa died of heart failure at his home in Tokyo, on February 6, 2024, at
7474-487: The orchestra a last time, on a Japan tour featuring the slow movement from Mozart's Divertimento, K. 136. Ozawa had three brothers, Katsumi, Toshio, and Mikio, the latter becoming a music writer and radio host in Tokyo. Ozawa's first wife was the pianist Kyoko Edo [ ja ] . His second wife was Miki Irie [ ja ] ("Vera"), a Russian-Japanese former model and actress (born in 1944 in Yokohama ). He
7575-554: The orchestra was invited to the Salzburg Festival . In May 1992, the Saito Kinen Foundation was established. In September of the same year, the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto was held for the first time. As well as activities for the annual Festival such as performing symphonies , operas and vocal compositions , and holding musician tutorials, the orchestra has also performed concerts in Tokyo. Since
7676-523: The original score for the Elia Kazan drama film On the Waterfront (1954), and theater works including On the Town (1944), Wonderful Town (1953), Candide (1956), and his Mass (1971). Bernstein was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra. He was music director of the New York Philharmonic and conducted the world's major orchestras, generating
7777-444: The piano as the composer Marc Blitzstein had done at the infamous premiere. Blitzstein, who attended the performance, subsequently became a close friend and mentor to Bernstein. As a sophomore at Harvard, Bernstein met the conductor Dimitri Mitropoulos . Mitropoulos's charisma and power as a musician were major influences on Bernstein's eventual decision to become a conductor. Mitropoulos invited Bernstein to come to Minneapolis for
7878-614: The piano for dance classes in Carnegie Hall . He found work with Harms-Witmark, transcribing jazz and pop music and publishing his work under the pseudonym "Lenny Amber". ( Bernstein means " amber " in German.) Bernstein briefly shared an apartment in Greenwich Village with his friend Adolph Green . Green was then part of a satirical music troupe called The Revuers, featuring Betty Comden and Judy Holliday . With Bernstein sometimes providing piano accompaniment, The Revuers often performed at
7979-491: The production was a box office disaster, running for only two months for a total of 73 performances, the cast album became a cult classic, which kept Bernstein's score alive. There have been several revivals, with modifications to improve the book. The elements of the music that have remained best known and performed over the decades are the Overture, which quickly became one of the most frequently performed orchestral compositions by
8080-560: The role of Ruth Sherwood, Edie Adams as Eileen Sherwood, and George Gaynes as Robert Baker. It won five Tony Awards , including Best Musical and Best Actress. Candide (1956) In the three years leading up to Bernstein's appointment as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein was simultaneously working on the scores for two Broadway shows. The first of the two was the operetta -style musical Candide . Lillian Hellman originally brought Bernstein her idea of adapting Voltaire 's novella . The original collaborators on
8181-614: The show were book writer John Latouche and lyricist Richard Wilbur . Candide opened on Broadway on December 1, 1956, at the Martin Beck Theatre , in a production directed by Tyrone Guthrie . Anxious about the parallels Hellman had deliberately drawn between Voltaire's story and the ongoing hearings conducted by the House Un-American Activities Committee , Guthrie persuaded the collaborators to cut their most incendiary sections prior to opening night. While
8282-544: The symphony's first movement with the aid of musicians from the "Symphony of the Air" (formerly NBC Symphony Orchestra ). The program featured manuscripts from Beethoven's own hand, as well as a giant painting of the first page of the score covering the studio floor. Six more Omnibus lectures followed from 1955 to 1961 (later on ABC and then NBC) covering a broad range of topics: jazz, conducting, American musical comedy, modern music, J. S. Bach , and grand opera . Music director of
8383-439: The time such as Gustav Mahler , Carl Nielsen , Jean Sibelius , and Charles Ives (including the world premiere of his Symphony No. 2 ). Bernstein actively advocated for the commission and performance of works by contemporary composers, conducting over 40 world premieres by a diverse roster of composers ranging from John Cage to Alberto Ginastera to Luciano Berio . He also conducted US premieres of 19 major works from around
8484-566: The time, he impressed by "the brilliance of his interpretations, with his supreme command of the most intimidatingly complex scores and as a graceful, even glamorous stage performer". In 1970, Ozawa and Gunther Schuller became artistic directors of the Berkshire Music Festival in Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO). Ozawa became music director of the BSO in 1973. He remained in that position for 29 years,
8585-442: The traditional formal dress with a white turtleneck instead of the usual starched shirt, waistcoat , and white tie . In an effort to merge all-Japanese orchestras and performers with international artists, Ozawa, along with Kazuyoshi Akiyama , founded the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1984, named after his teacher. Since its creation, the orchestra has gained a prominent position in the international music community, establishing
8686-597: The two Japanese soloists. In December 1979, Ozawa conducted a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Beijing Symphony Orchestra . This was the first time since 1961 that the symphony was performed live in the People's Republic of China due to a ban on Western music. Ozawa made his debut with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City in 1992, conducting Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin (opera) , in
8787-469: The world, often with Bernstein dubbed into other languages, and the concerts were later released on home video by Kultur Video . In 1958, Bernstein and Mitropoulos led the New York Philharmonic on its first tour south of the border, through 12 countries in Central and South America. The United States Department of State sponsored the tour to improve the nation's relations with its southern neighbors. In 1959,
8888-496: Was Lukas Foss , who remained a lifelong friend and colleague. Bernstein returned to Tanglewood nearly every summer for the rest of his life to teach and conduct the young music students. Bernstein received a diploma in conducting from Curtis in 1941. Soon after he left Curtis, Bernstein moved to New York City where he lived in various apartments in Manhattan . Bernstein supported himself by coaching singers, teaching piano, and playing
8989-561: Was a Japanese conductor known internationally for his work as music director of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra , the San Francisco Symphony , and especially the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO), where he served from 1973 for 29 years. After conducting the Vienna New Year's Concert in 2002, he was director of the Vienna State Opera until 2010. In Japan, he founded the Saito Kinen Orchestra in 1984, their festival in 1992, and
9090-665: Was a visiting music professor at Brandeis University from 1951 to 1956. In 1952, he created the Brandeis Festival of the Creative Arts , where he conducted the premiere of Trouble in Tahiti on June 12 of that year. The NBC Opera Theatre subsequently presented the opera on television in November 1952. It opened on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre on April 19, 1955, and ran for six weeks. Three decades later, Bernstein wrote
9191-519: Was also felt by the audience." His obituary in The New York Times noted: "In the waning years of his life, Mr. Ozawa came to recognize the wisdom that comes from years of music making. 'A musician's special flavor comes out with age,' he told [Haruki] Murakami in the 2016 book of conversations. 'His playing at that stage may have more interesting qualities than at the height of his career. ' " Ozawa held honorary doctorate degrees from
9292-491: Was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to receive international acclaim. Bernstein was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history" according to music critic Donal Henahan . Bernstein's honors and accolades include seven Emmy Awards , two Tony Awards , and 16 Grammy Awards (including
9393-578: Was at this concert that Bernstein first heard Ravel's Boléro , which made a tremendous impression on him. Another strong musical influence was George Gershwin . Bernstein was working as a music counselor at a summer camp when news came of Gershwin's death. Bernstein interrupted lunch in the mess hall, and then played Gershwin's second Prelude as a memorial. On March 30, 1932, Bernstein played Brahms 's Rhapsody in G minor at his first public piano performance in Susan Williams's studio recital at
9494-516: Was joined by choruses singing from Beijing, Berlin, Cape Town, New York City, and Sydney – as well as the crowd in the Nagano Olympic Stadium . This was the first time a simultaneous international audio-visual performance had been achieved. On New Year's Day 2002, Ozawa conducted the Vienna New Year's Concert , the first Japanese in a long tradition. In 2002, he stepped down from the BSO music directorship to become principal conductor of
9595-451: Was married to her from 1968 until his death in 2024. The couple had two children, a daughter named Seira and a son named Yukiyoshi . During his tenure with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Ozawa opted to divide his time between Boston and Tokyo rather than move his family to the United States as he and his wife wanted their children to grow up aware of their Japanese heritage. Ozawa and the cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich formed
9696-493: Was music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1970 to 1976. In San Francisco, he combined Bernstein's charismatic style with the flower power of the west coast, wearing long hair and flowery shirts, and sometimes conducting cross-over programs. In 1972, he led the San Francisco Symphony in its first commercial recordings in a decade, recording music inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . In 1973, he took
9797-759: Was sickly as an infant, he stayed there until he was strong enough to join his father in Boston , where he eventually attended the Boston Latin School . When he was 15, the family moved to nearby Newton, Massachusetts . Bernstein's father was the owner of the Samuel J. Bernstein Hair Company. It held the exclusive distribution rights for the Frederick's Permanent Wave Machine in the 1920s and 1930s, which made Samuel wealthy. In Bernstein's early youth, his only exposure to music
9898-478: Was the Philharmonic's first visit to Japan in 1961, when Bernstein led acclaimed Philharmonic concerts and engaged in cultural exchange. Over the years, he led the Orchestra on tours to 144 cities in 38 countries. Bernstein initiated the Philharmonic's informal Thursday Evening Preview Concerts, which included Bernstein's talks from the stage, a practice that was unheard of at the time. In one oft-reported incident, on April 6, 1962, Bernstein appeared on stage before
9999-572: Was the first Japanese conductor recognized internationally and the only one of superstar status. Ozawa was born on September 1, 1935, to Japanese parents in the Japanese-occupied Manchurian city of Mukden, now known as Shenyang in China. He began piano lessons at age seven. When his family returned to Japan in 1944, he began studying piano with Noboru Toyomasu, with a focus on the works of Johann Sebastian Bach . After graduating from
10100-650: Was the household radio and music on Friday nights at Congregation Mishkan Tefila in Roxbury , Massachusetts. When Bernstein was ten years old, Samuel's sister Clara deposited her upright piano at her brother's house. Bernstein asked for lessons, and subsequently had a variety of piano teachers in his youth, including Helen Coates, who later became his secretary. In the summers, the Bernstein family would go to their vacation home in Sharon, Massachusetts , where young Leonard conscripted all
10201-582: Was the music director of the New York City Symphony, which had been founded the previous year by the conductor Leopold Stokowski . The orchestra (with support from Mayor Fiorello La Guardia) had modern programs and affordable tickets. In 1946, Bernstein made his overseas debut with the Czech Philharmonic at the inaugural Prague Spring International Music Festival . He also recorded Ravel's Piano Concerto in G major as soloist and conductor with
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