I was privileged to have sung in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus for this once-in-lifetime experience. It was divine; Mahler's 2nd, Leonard Bernstein conducting The Cleveland Orchestra, and Blossom Festival Chorus with Bernstein's favorite soloists.
I too sang with the chorus that summer and remember it so well. All came back with the attention this year to the new movie. Truly divine experience. Amy Paller
Very cool. I grew up in Cleveland Heights and enjoyed many concerts at Severence Hall and Blossom. Question: was this concert in any way dedicated to George Szell, who was to pass away only two weeks after this date?
@@wehaveasituation The Orchestra and Szell were just returning from a tour of Japan. The administration had secured the services of Leonard Bernstein for this one time event, to raise funds for the newly born Blossom Festival that was just getting off the ground. If George Szell showed signs of illness on the tour is not known by me, nor had I heard that at the time. To my knowledge, Bernstein was not a substitution, rather a big name draw for the box office benefit. The Mahler and Bernstein program seems intentional, because he was the person who was drawing attention to the somewhat forgotten composer. Perhaps there is a historian at Severance who could better answer your question.
@@wehaveasituation I checked Donald Rosenberg's book titled The Cleveland Orchestra Story Second to None. There is a good section which talks about Szell and his health and Bernstein beginning on page 388. Rosenberg states because Szell had taken on the Asia tour he had withdrawn from conducting the 1970 season at Blossom music center. Many guest conductors had been engaged including Leonard Bernstein. There was no dedication to George Szell.
The photo above was taken during a Mahler 2nd performance with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, earlier that same summer. It was during the first rehearsal for this (Cleveland) performance that Bernstein stopped the orchestra and said to them "You guys are so f.......'n good!! During the Scherzo (curiously absent from this post), he called out to the percussionist playing the RUTE (the birch rod used on the bass drum) "Excuse me...Ruth-ie, ruth--ie", as if that was the percussionist's name. My roommate at the time was the audio engineer for the Cleveland Orchestra, and he relayed these things to me later that fall.
1970 was the Summer than George Szell died and this performance probably had "something" to do with that. But that also means that Szell's Cleveland was still probably the top orchestra in the country. So this is a very important performance on many levels. Bernstein said in a post-interview after receiving the Kennedy Center Honors (here on UA-cam, also). that he and Szell were surprisingly good friends (though they were polar-opposites in personality) and that they used to play duets together on the piano. My sister was at Blossom that Summer studying cello with Harrell. Amendment: Szell did not die until 3 weeks after this performance...so they were not cause and event related.
What a fantastic piece of classical music! Thank you for sharing! We're loving it! Just liked and subbed to your channel. Can't wait to hear more classical music from you!
Yes Lynn Harrell was principal cellist at this time. I have a photograph of Bernstein conducting the performance at blossom, and you can just make out about a third of the image of Lynn Harrell. Added information; Lynn Harrell was the godson of Robert Shaw.
I was privileged to have sung in the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus for this once-in-lifetime experience. It was divine; Mahler's 2nd, Leonard Bernstein conducting The Cleveland Orchestra, and Blossom Festival Chorus with Bernstein's favorite soloists.
I too sang with the chorus that summer and remember it so well. All came back with the attention this year to the new movie. Truly divine experience. Amy Paller
So great to hear from you who shared that experience.
Were you a part of the COC or Akron Symphony Chorus?
Very cool. I grew up in Cleveland Heights and enjoyed many concerts at Severence Hall and Blossom. Question: was this concert in any way dedicated to George Szell, who was to pass away only two weeks after this date?
@@wehaveasituation
The Orchestra and Szell were just returning from a tour of Japan. The administration had secured the services of Leonard Bernstein for this one time event, to raise funds for the newly born Blossom Festival that was just getting off the ground. If George Szell showed signs of illness on the tour is not known by me, nor had I heard that at the time. To my knowledge, Bernstein was not a substitution, rather a big name draw for the box office benefit. The Mahler and Bernstein program seems intentional, because he was the person who was drawing attention to the somewhat forgotten composer. Perhaps there is a historian at Severance who could better answer your question.
@@wehaveasituation
I checked Donald Rosenberg's book titled The Cleveland Orchestra Story Second to None. There is a good section which talks about Szell and his health and Bernstein beginning on page 388. Rosenberg states because Szell had taken on the Asia tour he had withdrawn from conducting the 1970 season at Blossom music center. Many guest conductors had been engaged including Leonard Bernstein. There was no dedication to George Szell.
The photo above was taken during a Mahler 2nd performance with the Boston Symphony at Tanglewood, earlier that same summer. It was during the first rehearsal for this (Cleveland) performance that Bernstein stopped the orchestra and said to them "You guys are so f.......'n good!! During the Scherzo (curiously absent from this post), he called out to the percussionist playing the RUTE (the birch rod used on the bass drum) "Excuse me...Ruth-ie, ruth--ie",
as if that was the percussionist's name. My roommate at the time was the audio engineer for the Cleveland Orchestra, and he relayed these things to me later that fall.
1970 was the Summer than George Szell died and this performance probably had "something" to do with that. But that also means that Szell's Cleveland was still probably the top orchestra in the country. So this is a very important performance on many levels. Bernstein said in a post-interview after receiving the Kennedy Center Honors (here on UA-cam, also). that he and Szell were surprisingly good friends (though they were polar-opposites in personality) and that they used to play duets together on the piano. My sister was at Blossom that Summer studying cello with Harrell. Amendment: Szell did not die until 3 weeks after this performance...so they were not cause and event related.
Merci infiniment pour ce précieux témoignage de l’art de Bernstein !
What a fantastic piece of classical music! Thank you for sharing! We're loving it! Just liked and subbed to your channel. Can't wait to hear more classical music from you!
Where is the third movement?🤥
第一楽章：0:00
第二楽章：23:20
第三楽章：
第四楽章：47:42
第五楽章：53:15
第六楽章：1:03:24
Wasn't Lynn Harrell the principal cellist around this time?
Yes Lynn Harrell was principal cellist at this time. I have a photograph of Bernstein conducting the performance at blossom, and you can just make out about a third of the image of Lynn Harrell.
Added information; Lynn Harrell was the godson of Robert Shaw.
Als Szell schon auf dem Sterbebett lag.
Who are the vocal soloists?
Lorna Haywood & Christa Ludwig
Lorna Haywood and Christa Ludwig were the soloists.