The Age of Anxiety: Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2

Leonard Bernstein first read Auden’s The Age of Anxiety: A Baroque Eclogue in the summer of 1947, shortly after it was published. Auden’s extravagant, book-length poem would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize in 1948, but it began to stir Bernstein’s musical imagination immediately. Between 1947 and 1949, he would compose an unconventional symphony … Continued

New York, New York! Bernstein’s Three Dance Episodes from On the Town

The year following Leonard Bernstein’s legendary debut as a conductor with the New York Philharmonic was one of seemingly miraculous success for the 25-year-old musician. After filling in for an ailing Bruno Walter on November 14, 1943, he became one of America’s most sought-after guest conductors, and by April he was conducting the premiere of … Continued