The Air Force Brass Quintet

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Lenny B

Hi all,

I'm feeling crummy this morning so I thought I'd take some time and blog.  On Monday we listened to Bernstein's Dance Suite.  I was definitely reminded of Stravinsky during the Waltz.  It was quirky, a bit off kilter  and fun.  I'm sure that Bernstein drew some inspiration from him.  How could he not?  I thought Dave made a great point in class that Bernstein was trying to keep himself relevant.  The fifth movement, MTV, was a call to the new generation of music listeners.  I think he's making a reference towards young people that are stimulated not only by the music, but from visual images associated with it.  On a side note, my friend Jon and I were obsessed with Bernstein back in college.  At one point I had a picture of him conducting taped to my locker at school.  We called him Lenny B, hence the title of this post.  He was such an inspired conductor, educator, and composer.  I could watch West Side Story right now!  It's so addictive.  In fact, let's take some time and watch a video of him conducting I Feel Pretty.

Enjoy!
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1 comment:

  1. Megan SmallApril 11, 2012 at 8:40 PM

    I like this video, especially at 0:22....no wonder horn players are always known as the weirdos. Also, thinking about Bernstein, I think it would be cool to look at how he writes for brass in his orchestra pieces. The pieces I am familiar with, West Side Story and his Symphony No.1, have a lot of cool brass parts.

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