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
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