Clash of Music's Titans: An examination of the infamous Brahms 1st piano concerto ft. Leonard Bernstein and Glenn Gould
April 6, 1962 was a fateful night for a number of reasons. Most notably it featured a surprising and now infamous interaction between two musical giants: Leonard Bernstein and Glenn Gould. Before the performance of Brahms' 1st piano concerto with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein decided to publicly speak and disown himself from the performance to follow, while soloist Glenn Gould was still backstage. Today we take a look at why Bernstein decided to speak, why Gould decided on his interpretation, what transpired, and the fallout. Join us for an examination of one of music's great controversies!
Follow this event link to tune in!
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/pno-musical-clash-of-giants-bernstein-gould
Check out the Performance!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuxPKikM0NI
We are going to be using this thread to gather suggestions and questions!
- What questions do you have on this topic?
- Any particular area you would like me to focus on?
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Maestro' Bernstein's introduction is fascinating! He said the only other time he encountered this type of disagreement over a piece of music was...the last time he performed with Glenn Gould!
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I so appreciate Mr. Bernstein's respect for Mr. Gould's interpretation. While Bernstein clearly states he disagrees with Gould's interpretation, he does respect that Gould is acting "in good faith" and that Gould is "a thinking musician". That there is a "sporting element" to music, and that it is an adventure. Bravo! Such broadmindedness is refreshing! "Refreshing" - another word Bernstein used regarding Gould's interpretation.
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At the time of the that April 6, 1962 concert: Bernstein - 44 yrs. / Gould - 30 yrs.
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This was wonderful! Thank you for posting it for us. At 57:35 of the radio interview (the last 4 minutes of the above video), an interviewer speaks with Gould about the performance and Bernstein's speech "distancing himself from it". It is a fascinating conversation. Gould said he was chuckling backstage while Bernstein made those remarks. Some have said that the concert helped usher in Gould's departure from the concert stage. His last live performance was given in LA almost exactly two years from that 1962 concert with Bernstein - on April 10, 1964 at Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles.
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How many times did Bernstein conduct Brahms concerto 1?
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jkshcircle That is a good question: I can look into it, but I imagine many times as it was standard concerto in the repertoire!
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jkshcircle I took a look. That answer isn't as easily accessible as one may think because, as Dominic pointed out, it was part of the standard concerto repertoire. And Bernstein was with the New York Philharmonic for 40 years; the Boston Symphony Orchestra for 31 years; the Vienna Philharmonic for 24, and more! So, unless one can access the programs over those many decades, it would be difficult to find that answer. Please go here for more information about L. Bernstein: https://www.leonardbernstein.com/about/conductor.
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