Bernstein's "hateful" luck

Synopsis

Looking back on a famous person’s life and career, one often notes quirky patterns of coincidences. Take the American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein, for instance.

On today’s date in 1943, Leonard Bernstein was exactly one day short of his 25th birthday, and, at the Public Library in Lenox, Massachusetts, accompanied the singer Jennie Tourel in the premiere of a new song cycle for which he had just composed both the words and the music.

The song cycle was entitled “I Hate Music!” and offered, from a child’s perspective, some devastatingly direct observations on art and life.

The following day, on his 25th birthday, the New York Philharmonic’s music director, Artur Rodzinski, invited Bernstein to be Assistant Conductor of the New York Philharmonic… Now, fast forward to November that same year.

On November 13, 1943, Jennie Tourel and Bernstein were at Town Hall, giving the New York premiere of “I Hate Music!” The very next day, Leonard Bernstein stepped in at short notice for the indisposed Bruno Walter, and made his debut conducting the orchestra during the Philharmonic’s live Sunday afternoon national radio broadcast from Carnegie Hall.

The 25-year old Bernstein’s surprise—and successful—conducting debut made the front page of the New York Times, and his career was launched with a splash. Just a coincidence, of course, but we suspect Bernstein had a special soft spot for his little song cycle with the “tongue-in-cheeky” title.

Music Played in Today's Program

Leonard Bernstein (1918 - 1990) I Hate Music! Jennie Tourel, mezzo-soprano; Leonard Bernstein, piano Sony 60697

Miklos Rosza (1907 - 1995) Theme, Variations and Finale The New Zealand Symphony; James Sedares, cond. Koch 7191

On This Day

Births

• 1803 - French composer Adolphe Adam, in Paris;

• 1837 - French composer and organist Théodore Dubois, in Rosnay;

• 1910 - German-born American composer Bernhard Heiden, in Frankfurt;

• 1919 - Danish composer Niels Viggo Bentzon, in Copenhagen;

• 1949 - American composer Stephen Paulus, in Summit, N.J.;

Deaths

• 1985 - American composer Paul Creston, age 78, in San Diego, Calif.;

Premieres

• 1846 - Suppé: operetta "Dichter und Bauer" (Poet and Peasant), in Vienna;

• 1907 - Elgar: "Pomp and Circumstance"March No. 4, in London;

• 1943 - Bernstein: song-cycle "I Hate Music!" at the Public Library in Lenox, Mass., with mezzo-soprano Jennie Tourel and the composer at the piano; The New York premiere of this work occurred on November 13, 1943 (the day before his surprise conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic), with the same performers;

• 1980 - Lutoslawski: Double Concerto, for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra, in Lucerne, Switzerland by oboist Heinz Holliger, harpisy Ursula Holliger, and the Collegium Musicum conducted by Paul Sacher;

Others

• 1724 - Handel performs on the organ at St. Paul's Cathedral in London before the royal princesses Anne and Caroline (Gregorian date: Sept. 4);

• 1968 - Czech conductor and composer Rafael Kubelik launches an appeal to world musicians to boycott performances in the five nations which invaded Czechoslovakia on August 20-21 until their military forces evacuate the country; The appeal was joined by Igor Stravinsky, Arthur Rubinstein, Yehudi Menuhin, Otto Klemperer, Bernard Haitink, Claudio Arrau, and others.