All data collected using this site for commercially published use should be confirmed and verified by contacting the new york philharmonic archives. Leonard bernsteins the age of anxiety, symphony no. I confess that i havent read the poem, but the phrase age of anxiety has certainly seeped into the way we, broadly, as a people, talk about the times, be it the 1940s or the 1960s or the nows. Begun the summer of 1947, completed march 20, 1948, on commission from the koussevitzky foundation, and dedicated it for serge koussevitzky, in tribute. Bernsteins second symphony, titled the age of anxiety after a poem by w.
Audens poem of the same name, and dedicated to serge koussevitzky. Bso music director andris nelsons continues the orchestras seasonlong celebration of leonard bernsteins centennial with the composers symphony no. In audens poem, four lonely people meet in a bar and try, through alcohol, to establish some kind of connection. But perhaps the most valuable item here is bernstein s symphony no. In the 1980s he often performed it with the composer as conductor, and he brings a. Audens poem of the same name, combines jungian psychology with issues of faith and sexuality, both issues for auden and bernstein. Bernstein philippe entremont leonard bernstein new york philharmonic age of anxiety symphony no.
With the age of anxiety, he created a historical and psychological diagnosis of the soul and of the time in the guise of a baroque pastoral poem. Auden, the movements follow the narrative in which four lonely strangers who meet in a wartime new york bar and spend the evening ruminating on their lives and the human condition. The piece was composed from 1948 to 1949 in the us and israel, and was revised in 1965. Mal jahren wurde, dessen zweite sinfonie mit dem beinamen the age of anxiety zur auffuhrung bringt. According to music critic donal henahan, he was one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in american history.
From the time he read the age of anxiety in 1948 the composition of a symphony based on it acquired an almost compulsive quality, he wrote, describing an extreme personal identification of myself with the poem, the essential line of which. The poem deals, in eclogue form, with mans quest to find substance and identity in a shifting and increasingly industrialized world. During the summer of 1947 bernstein had read audens long poem the age of anxiety, which depicts an encounter between four individuals in new york city during wartime. Audens poem deals with issues that would occupy bernstein throughout his lifealienation, friendship, family, faithand it seems likely that bernstein was particularly attuned to its sometimes gay overtones, grappling as he was at that time with fitting his. History and analysis audens fascinating and hairraising eclogue had already begun to affect me lyrically when i first read it in the summer of 1947. When leonard bernstein celebrated his 70th birthday, krystian zimerman was asked to perform symphony no.
Marianne moore, new york times the age of anxiety 1947, perhaps the finest of them all, tests audens ideas within the experience of modernity. The symphony is presented as a series of variations, but not variations around an initial theme. Bernstein dedicated the work in tribute to koussevitzky, who was completing his twentyfiveyear tenure in boston. Throughout his career robert schumann became intensely. The poem highlights human isolation, a condition magnified by the lack of tradition or religious belief in the. Oct 31, 2018 with this in mind, i set out to answer the following question does bernsteins the age of anxiety deserve to be called one of the great symphonies of the 20th century. The 80th season finale concert new york commemorating leonard bernsteins centennial july 4th, 2018 leonard bernstein symphony. Jean louis steuerman is a deft piano soloist, and the orchestra again does itself proud under mr. Auden, written mostly in a modern version of anglosaxon alliterative verse. Bernsteins longtime mentor serge koussevitzky commissioned the symphony, and the age of anxiety premiered on april 8, 1949, with koussevitzky conducting the boston symphony and bernstein playing the piano solo.
No one could accuse bernsteins ghost of seamless construction in his multisectional grabbag of styles from 1948, inspired by wystan audens poem, the age of anxiety thats poetic for postwar angst but it can be made to hang together, and periodically transcend obeisance to aaron copland who by then had delivered himself of the helium. Hes referring to the intriguing piece of music that was playing when i turned on the radio. Rosetta, quant, emble, and malin represented, for auden, carl jungs fourfold division of the. Krystian zimerman and simon rattle perform bernsteins. Auden s poem of the same name, and dedicated to serge koussevitzky. The age of anxiety, programmatic symphony for piano and orchestra by american composer leonard bernstein. Bernstein found the poem fascinating and hairraising. Audens poem the age of anxiety and created a work for piano and orchestra that offers a musical conversation among four strangers searching for meaning in an unsettled world. I have a deep suspicion that every work i write, for whatever medium, is really theatre music in some way. The companys three associate choreographers respond to the varied styles of bernstein s music in ballets that are lyrical, beautiful, exuberantand moving. Its a quite interesting piece, a musical portrayal of the paradoxical character of bernstein himselfpart classical, part jazz. Mar 20, 2018 leonard bernstein first read audens the age of anxiety. It inspired a symphony by composer leonard bernstein, the age of anxiety symphony no. Audens the age of anxiety isnt even the best work of art called the age of anxiety.
The poem is a narrative that follows a woman and three men, all lonely, who meet in a bar and form a drinking friendship for that night because of their common insecurities. The piece was composed from 1948 to 1949 in the us and. Bernstein with conductor serge koussevitzky after performance of age of anxiety, symphony no. Audens poem deals with issues that would occupy bernstein throughout his lifealienation, friendship, family, faithand it seems likely that bernstein was particularly attuned to its sometimes gay overtones, grappling as. Age of anxiety definition, a symphony 1949 by leonard bernstein. Auden, is a work of the composerconductors relative youth, dating from 19481949, when he was just turning thirty. Audens long poem the age of anxiety addresses bernstein s theme so strongly that one almost suspects the poem defined certain ideas for bernstein in artistic terms. Composerconductors, performed on feb 9, 2007 at avery fisher hall at lincoln center. Leonard bernstein and serge koussevitzky, premier of age. Sinfonie 2 the age of anxiety zimerman, krystian, bernstein, leonard. Full of praise for zimermans performance, bernstein asked the pianist to perform the piece again when the composer turned 100. The age of anxiety was hot off the press when bernstein encountered it. From that moment, the composition of a symphony based on the age of anxiety acquired an almost compulsive quality. August 25, 1918 october 14, 1990 was an american composer, conductor, author, music lecturer, and pianist.
Bernsteins symphony premiered april 8, 1949, with the boston symphony orchestra. The london symphony orchestra performs bernsteins symphony no. Royal ballet debuts liam scarletts the age of anxiety. One of posthumous friend of the column leonard bernsteins friends mailed him a copy of the poem, and wrote the following note in the margins. Apr 09, 2010 audens the age of anxiety isnt even the best work of art called the age of anxiety. Krystian zimerman and leonard bernstein play bernstein. Leonard bernsteins the age of anxiety for piano and. Created soon after wwii in the age of mccarthyism, audens poem grapples with themes of human isolation and faith.
Nov 27, 2018 the second symphony by leonard bernstein, the age of anxiety, based on a poem of the same name by w. In the age of anxiety liam scarlett responds to bernstein s. Lies and lethargy police the world in its periods of peace. Audens long poem the age of anxiety addresses bernsteins theme so strongly that one almost suspects the poem defined certain ideas for bernstein in artistic terms. In the summer of 1947, a young bernstein first read w.
The second symphony by leonard bernstein, the age of anxiety, based on a poem of the same name by w. Audens message one of man desperately seeking faith in a seemingly faithless world resonated with bernstein, who resolved to compose a musical representation. The orchestration features a prominent piano solo in addition to orchestral forces and a large battery of percussion. Israel philharmonic orchestra the music published on this channel is exclusively dedicated to. Nov 01, 2017 i confess that i havent read the poem, but the phrase age of anxiety has certainly seeped into the way we, broadly, as a people, talk about the times, be it the 1940s or the 1960s or the nows. Audens extravagant, booklength poem would go on to win a pulitzer prize in 1948, but it began to stir bernsteins musical imagination immediately. Bernsteins second symphony, was heavily inspired by w. Made available online with permission from the family of photographer howard s. Yugen, the age of anxiety, corybantic games london, royal opera house 15 march 2018 gallery of pictures by dave morgan uk. But perhaps the most valuable item here is bernsteins symphony no. Auden captured the mood of an uneasy generation with his postwar the age of anxiety, a work that inspired bernsteins second symphony, a musical dialogue among four strangers searching for happiness in an unsettled world. The age of anxiety assures us that fear and lust have, in faith and purity, a cure so potent we need never know panic or be defeated by self. The age of anxiety by leonard bernstein 19181990 sheet.
The age of anxiety for piano and orchestra was commissioned by his longtime mentor serge koussevitzky in 1949. It was both hailed as his best work to date and damned as his one failure. Krystian zimerman and simon rattle perform bernsteins the. The royal ballet celebrates the centenary of leonard bernstein s birth with this all bernstein collection. Auden was a charming moralist, wistful yet pitiless, affectionate yet weighed down by emotional pain. Leonard bernsteins symphony, inspired by the poem, is the better.
Most eagerly awaited was liam scarletts the age of anxiety, a new work based on the long and difficult auden poem of that title and set to bernsteins symphony no. Krystian zimerman and simon rattle perform bernsteins the age of anxiety. Following intermission comes dmitri shostakovichs symphony no. Rosetta, quant, emble, and malin represented, for auden, carl jungs fourfold division of the psyche feeling, intuition, sensation, and thought. Product details bernstein celebration the royal ballet.
Leonard bernsteins centennial with his symphony no. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the u. Seven decades later im in the kitchen rinsing the dinner dishes and listening to wwfm on the bose wave when an announcer mentions the age of anxiety. Auden, is more obscure than the other works, and certainly more challenging. Few pianists have lived as long with leonard bernsteins imposing and virtuoso second symphony as krystian zimerman. Described as a baroque eclogue, the poem was the last of audens long poems. At least one of them finds the core of faith, said bernstein, which is what one is afterand. Krystian zimerman piano, berliner philharmoniker, sir simon rattle.
Listening to bernsteins age of anxiety in anxious times. Bernstein philippe entremont leonard bernstein new. Orchestra sheet music book by leonard bernstein 19181990. It was inspired by the long poem the age of anxiety 1947 by englishborn poet w. For conductor marin alsop, bernsteins idiosyncratic second symphony inspired by w. During the summer of 1947 bernstein had read audens long poem the age of anxiety, which depicts an encounter between four individuals in new york city. Official website of the boston symphony orchestra, inc. Audens masterful narrative poem, the age of anxiety. Bernstein s second symphony, titled the age of anxiety after a poem by w.
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