The young Leonard Bernstein and musicians | Photo by the New York Times/New York Philharmonic Archives
In this Bernstein centennial year, we’ve looked back to that November afternoon in 1943 when the 25-year-old assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic substituted, on a few hours notice, for the ailing Bruno Walter. The Carnegie Hall concert was broadcast nationally on radio. Bernstein’s performance received critical acclaim and put him on the front page of the New York Times.
The NY Philharmonic program from November 14, 1943 | Photo by the New York Philharmonic Archives
There was no time for a rehearsal, only a brief conversation with Bruno Walter, who was in bed with the flu.
Conductor Bruno Walter
Bernstein was especially concerned about the piece that opened the concert, Schumann’s Manfred Overture:
“The thing that was obsessing me, possessing me, was the opening of the Schumann overture, which is very tricky because it starts with a rest – the downbeat is a rest. If they don’t come in together, the whole concert is sunk. I mean, I can’t once go ‘bop, bop, bop,’ and make sure they can do it. So, this was like a nightmare. I had to go on and do, untried, this thing of such difficulty.”
Bernstein succeeded. You can hear the broadcast below:
And you can read more of Bernstein’s recollection of that day here.
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Alan Chapman
Alan Chapman, in addition to his weekday morning program, is also the host and producer of two weekend programs: Modern Times and A Musical Offering.
After receiving his undergraduate degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he earned a Ph.D. in music theory from Yale University. He is currently a member of the music theory faculty of the Colburn Conservatory. He was a longtime member of the music faculty at Occidental College and has also been a visiting professor at UCLA and UC Santa Barbara. His analytical work has appeared in the Journal of Music Theory and in The New Orpheus: Essays on Kurt Weill, winner of the Deems Taylor Award for excellence in writing on music.
Well known as a pre-concert lecturer, Alan has been a regular speaker on the L.A. Philharmonic's "Upbeat Live" series since its inception in 1984. He also works closely with the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Pacific Symphony. His lectures have been presented by virtually every major performing organization in southern California. He has been heard globally as programmer and host of the inflight classical channel on Delta Airlines.
Alan is also active as a composer/lyricist. His songs have been performed and recorded by many artists around the world and have been honored by ASCAP, the Johnny Mercer Foundation, and the Manhattan Association of Cabarets. His children's opera Les Moose: The Operatic Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle was commissioned by LA Opera for its 1997-98 season. Alan frequently appears in cabaret evenings with his wife, soprano Karen Benjamin. They made their Carnegie Hall debut in 2000 and performed at Lincoln Center in 2006. Their recent CD, Que Será, Será: The Songs of Livingston and Evans, features the late Ray Evans telling the stories behind such beloved songs as "Mona Lisa" and "Silver Bells."
