Hill Auditorium Mezzanine Lobby
Reflecting on the Life and Legacy of Leonard Bernstein
In this pre-concert talk conductor Leonard Slatkin, a Bernstein protégé, and New York Philharmonic archivist/historian Barbara Haws reflect on Leonard Bernstein’s artistic and cultural legacies.
In his first book, Conducting Business: Unveiling the Mystery Behind the Maestro, Slatkin writes about seeing Bernstein conduct the Philharmonic while he was a student: “Watching the master was always a joy to me…clarity of beat and, more importantly, a genuine musical meaning conveyed by every gesture.”
Slatkin conducted the Philharmonic’s Bernstein memorial concert following his death in October 1990 as well as A Philharmonic Celebration: Remembering Lenny in June 1993. This year, Maestro Slatkin celebrates his 10th and final season as music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and his first season in the new role of Directeur Musical Honoraire with the Orchestre National de Lyon. His latest book, Leading Tones: Reflections on Music, Musicians, and the Music Industry, was released this fall.
Haws has been the archivist/historian of the New York Philharmonic since 1984 and in 2008 co-authored Leonard Bernstein: American Original with Maestro Bernstein’s brother, Burton.