BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 1 / Concerto for Orchestra

Featuring

James Judd
Helen Medlyn
Nathan Gunn
New Zealand Symphony Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Bernstein stated that his Symphony No. 1 'Jeremiah' was about a crisis in faith, an issue that concerned him throughout his life.

Performer Biography

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the national orchestra of New Zealand, has a long recording history, including film scores for 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Fellowship of the Ring'.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Both the 'Jeremiah' Symphony and the 'Jubilee Games' Concerto for Orchestra affirm Bernstein's Jewish faith, with the latter representing a later affirmation.

Composition History

Bernstein completed the piano score for his First Symphony in just ten days and orchestrated it in three days and nights, with help from his sister and friends.

Compositional Technique

The first movement of Bernstein's Concerto for Orchestra 'Jubilee Games', titled 'Free-Style Events', involves a greater degree of improvisation than any other Bernstein piece.

Composition History

Leonard Bernstein's Symphony No. 1 'Jeremiah' was spurred to completion by a 1942 competition sponsored by the New England Conservatory of Music.

Compositional Technique

In 'Jubilee Games', Bernstein used numerical association, such as the 18/8 time signature in 'Diaspora Dances' to allude to the Hebrew word 'hai', meaning 'life', which equals the number eighteen.