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Google has informed me that today is Leonard Bernstein's 100th birthday. Technically, today would have been his birthday if he hadn't died eighteen years ago, but details like that seem to have disappeared from the language and public awareness these days.
Anyway ...
Believe it or not, he means a great deal to me. Back in the Cretaceous, he hosted a semi-regular series called Young People's Concerts on TV. For many Boomers, myself included, they were our first introduction to classical music. (My parents had already taken care of jazz and Broadway show tunes.)
I loved those shows, and it was darned near impossible to pry me away from the set when one was on. The thing I remember most about them, aside from the amazing music, was that he talked directly into the camera as he explained a piece of music or why the orchestra had as many violinists as it did. Most importantly, he never spoke down to his young viewers.
So thank you, Maestro, for those concerts and West Side Story.
Anyway ...
Believe it or not, he means a great deal to me. Back in the Cretaceous, he hosted a semi-regular series called Young People's Concerts on TV. For many Boomers, myself included, they were our first introduction to classical music. (My parents had already taken care of jazz and Broadway show tunes.)
I loved those shows, and it was darned near impossible to pry me away from the set when one was on. The thing I remember most about them, aside from the amazing music, was that he talked directly into the camera as he explained a piece of music or why the orchestra had as many violinists as it did. Most importantly, he never spoke down to his young viewers.
So thank you, Maestro, for those concerts and West Side Story.
