Leonard Bernstein - June, 1963

from Letter from Leonard Bernstein to Louis (surname unknown), 25 June 1963:

Dear Louis I have finally listened to the recordings of ancient pianists & composers that you so kindly sent me. It has been a ball! Grieg performing his Papillon like a young lady just out of conservatory, Busoni stuttering his octaves, Ravel heavy and rhythmically obscure, [Teresa] Carreño running out of gas in the Liszt Rhapsody, [Vladimir] de Pachmann setting an all-time record for ritards at the end of Chopin’s C# minor waltz, et al, et al - and all marvelously authentic, surprising, other-planetary, incredible. It is a thrill to hear these records: we not only extend our …   more >>
cite as

Leonard Bernstein, Letter from Leonard Bernstein to Louis (surname unknown), 25 June 1963. In Nigel Simeone (ed.), The Letters of Leonard Bernstein (City of New Haven, 2013). https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1388426916401 accessed: 9 November, 2024

Listeners

Leonard Bernstein
Composer, Conducting
1918-1990

Listening to

hide composers
Papillon
written by Edvard Grieg
performed by Edvard Grieg
waltz in C sharp minor
written by Chopin
performed by Vladimir de Pachmann

Experience Information

Date/Time June, 1963
Medium playback
Listening Environment in private, indoors, solitary

Notes

Bernstein was responding to a letter from an admirer who had sent him a bunch of period recordings


Originally submitted by Ivan Hewett on Mon, 30 Dec 2013 18:08:36 +0000