Master Class

March 30, 2009 9:06 AM

Two musical masters impart their knowledge: Stephen Sondheim teaches students from the Guildhall School of Music: "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music (more), "My Friends" from Sweeney Todd, "Later" from A Little Night Music, and "Not Getting Married" from Company. Leonard Bernstein gives his lectures titled "The Unanswered Question" at Harvard (the full series on DVD here), speaks about Mahler's 9th, rehearses "Rite of Spring" with a youth orchestra (2, 3, 4, 5, 6), and performs "Journey into Jazz" (a "Peter and the Wolf" kind of story, but for jazz instead of classical music).
posted by ocherdraco (5 comments total)

I've watched those Sondheim clips a million times and they don't stop being wonderful. The "Rite of Spring" clips are also truly fascinating. Thanks for this!
posted by bookwo3107 at 11:09 AM on March 30, 2009

Thank you, thank you ocherdraco!

"Not Getting Married" never fails to raise my heart-rate via anxiety! SUCH good writing (and she was quite a performer herself!).
posted by greekphilosophy at 11:10 AM on March 30, 2009

Ricky Leecock told me that when he was filming Leonard Bernstein conducting Beethoven in Israel, Lenny sent Ricky out to buy a jock strap because Lenny was afraid his erection would show in the film.
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:20 AM on March 30, 2009 [2 favorites]

This is fantastic, Ocherdraco, thanks so much.
posted by Mali at 11:44 AM on March 30, 2009

I briefly thought about paying another $5 for a sock puppet account just so I could favourite this post again!

This comment and my eternal gratitude will have to do. Great post, ocherdraco!
posted by crossoverman at 1:23 PM on March 30, 2009