This was the title of the CSO Beyond The Score presentation last night. The first half of the Concert featured Conductor Steven Sloane on stage with the Orchestra while Actor Jonathin Mastro, made to look like LB in his twenties, was on an elevated platform stage right. Mastro would read excerpts of correspondance between LB and Copland,Koussevitsky, Bruno Walter, and some of Bernstein's other Romantic interests, including his wife Felicia,punctuated by excerpts from many Bernstein compositions. The musical fragments would reflect the mood of the letters and featured prominently from LBs 3 Symphonies, Broadway and Film Score, and works such as Dybbuk and his music featuring Violin and Orchestra (solos played by the CSO Concertmaster Robert Chen. The first half concluded with a letter that bernstein wrote after Felicia died, recounting a mourning where a recording of the Mozart Requiem was played to a hushed room. A Cantor the n appeared on the platform opposite Mastro and sang unaccompanied the Jewish Prayer For The Dead, Kaddish.
After the intermission the Orchestra then played the Overture from Candide, Facsimilie, and the Dances from West Side Story.
The was the first Beyond The Score to take place on 'prime time' Saturday night, as these programs are usually Sunday afternoon or Friday night affairs. It was a packed house, reflecting the increasing popularity of this format v. a traditional concert.
After the intermission the Orchestra then played the Overture from Candide, Facsimilie, and the Dances from West Side Story.
The was the first Beyond The Score to take place on 'prime time' Saturday night, as these programs are usually Sunday afternoon or Friday night affairs. It was a packed house, reflecting the increasing popularity of this format v. a traditional concert.
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