Bernstein programme on BBC4 next week

[ARBurton]

Next week`s Radio Times reveals a programme about Bernstein at the BBC promising "clips" from various items.
Same old story. BBC mines its archives for - an hour of clips. Why don`t they show some full programmes/concerts? I know I`m wasting my breath asking this question, but really.....

[Orphical]

Next week`s Radio Times reveals a programme about Bernstein at the BBC promising "clips" from various items.
Same old story. BBC mines its archives for - an hour of clips. Why don`t they show some full programmes/concerts? I know I`m wasting my breath asking this question, but really.....

I do agree. I'd love to see the documentary about his performance of Enigma Variations

[Nick Armstrong]

Next week`s Radio Times reveals a programme about Bernstein at the BBC promising "clips" from various items.
Same old story. BBC mines its archives for - an hour of clips. Why don`t they show some full programmes/concerts? I know I`m wasting my breath asking this question, but really.....

Agreed too.

In fact it's a mini-'series' starting this Friday with an equivalent programme about "André Previn at the BBC": http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06gxxxh

Would you mind if I adjusted the title of this thread to accommodate both?

[Dave2002]

I do agree. I'd love to see the documentary about his performance of Enigma Variations

That would be interesting. I listened to the CD recently - it is very slow - though I didn't hate it. Another later Bernstein performance is of the New World Symphony with the Israel PO - which is also slow in parts. I suspect there's a NYPO version from earlier (there is) which is much faster - though I'll have to check. It might be interesting to know how deliberate this all was, and what justification there was - if any. I have a fondness for Bernstein, though often his earlier performances are more compelling I think. Bernstein also gave talks - such as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79D5sOD5duE - Dvorak again.

[makropulos]

I do agree. I'd love to see the documentary about his performance of Enigma Variations

The Enigma documentary has been released on DVD along with the finished performance: http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/i...ssics/ICAD5098

[makropulos]

That would be interesting. I listened to the CD recently - it is very slow - though I didn't hate it. Another later Bernstein performance is of the New World Symphony with the Israel PO - which is also slow in parts. I suspect there's a NYPO version from earlier (there is) which is much faster - though I'll have to check. It might be interesting to know how deliberate this all was, and what justification there was - if any. I have a fondness for Bernstein, though often his earlier performances are more compelling I think. Bernstein also gave talks - such as this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79D5sOD5duE - Dvorak again.

I don't know if you'd call it a justification, but certainly when LB gave Tchaikovsky's Pathétique with the NYPO in 1986 (recorded by DG), he was at pains to point out that he wanted to come to the piece afresh, restudy it carefully, and try to find new insights - and, I suppose, also, to take some risks. He used a new set of parts and asked the strings to play the original printed bowings (by Tchaikovsky) which delighted him. Whether the 17-minute finale is convincing is a matter of opinion (personally, I think he just about makes it work, and I find it very moving), but the other movements are mostly straightforward and pretty impressive.

Certainly 'late' Bernstein (about which I'm trying to write an article at the moment for the M-Z installment of the DG giant boxes that should be out next year) is not all about slow speeds. His later Schubert 9 performances (RCOA in CD, BRSO on DVD) and Mozart (the late symphs with the VPO) are anything but sluggish. I think they have even greater vitality than his earlier readings (such as the NYPO 40 and 41).