<<  -- 5 --  David Wilkins    LEONARD BERNSTEIN 1918 - 1990

It's an interesting compendium. Personally, I would love to have seen a bit more bravery on the part of his record company by including some of his (yes- slow!) early Sibelius symphonies or rare excursions into Schubert and Bruckner; even (a desert-island disc of mine which many might believe negates my critical good-sense) his NYPO Tchaikovsky 'Pathetique'. That performance has, though, been re-issued in another cheap edition so one can't complain too much. It is amazingly individual -- on the 'love it or hate it and nothing much between' scale. Bernstein did, I believe, describe it in terms of being 'as far as you can go and still come back'. Not for everyday listening -- and the best performances of the greatest music surely shouldn't be that anyway -- it's guaranteed to leave you fuming or emotionally drained.

So -- a tenth anniversary is but an arbitrary focus. Writing as one who would be grateful to have another go at this subject in another ten years time, I think that we ought to be happy enough to celebrate the diversity that we have under the name of Leonard Bernstein. We might then have a clearer idea of whether the first two symphonies, 'Songfest', the violin concerto in all but name 'Serenade' and 'Chichester Psalms' have the strength to survive. 'West Side Story' seems unassailable and, I'm convinced, 'Candide' will find its true place. As a conductor, Bernstein's place with Karajan and Solti will, I expect, be solidified and his monumental achievement in the Mahler symphonies come to be regarded as the visionary performances that others have to challenge.

As to the man: well -- I guess that we might, by now, have heard most of the gossip and come to our own decision about whether to reject him as an incorrigible narcissist or accept him as a deeply fallible but ultimately well-meaning and dedicated artist. For the moment, the legend and the legacy certainly live on -- not least in the hearts and minds, I trust, of those who take the trouble to visit this Internet site. I certainly don't want to make the same mistake as I seem to have made in 1997 but we can all -- in our own individual ways, I hope -- join Lenny's shade in continuing to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.