Join us as we take a look at this (and recent) weeks’ top stories from the Leonard Bernstein Centennial around the globe. Find more using the hashtag #Bernsteinat100.
1. And the Oscar goes to…
…Leonard Bernstein! (Well, not exactly, but…) Sunday night’s Academy Awards featured a few Bernstein-relevant highlights, like several clips from West Side Story included in beautifully-produced film montages sprinkled throughout the ceremony.
Rita Moreno presented the award for Best Foreign Language Film – and wearing the same dress that she wore to the Awards in 1962, when she won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Anita in West Side Story.
Rita Moreno explains why she re-wore the dress she won an #Oscar in (for #WestSideStory from 1962) to this years #AcademyAwards https://t.co/Hz7nyIBeMF pic.twitter.com/cfjGRhpd0x
— Variety (@Variety) March 5, 2018
Also in attendance: Eva-Marie Saint, who presented the award for Best Costume Design. Saint also won Best Supporting Actress for her role as Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront in 1954 – a film that boasts Bernstein’s one and only film credit. Saint won over the audience immediately with her opening comment, “I just realized something: I’m older than the Academy!”
93-year-old actress Eva Marie Saint: “I just realized something: I’m older than the Academy.” https://t.co/CtuVZEtJTK #Oscars pic.twitter.com/5Qcbdx7P78
— ABC News (@ABC) March 5, 2018
2. Enter to win Alsop’s complete Bernstein recordings
To celebrate the release of Marin Alsop’s complete Bernstein recordings, Naxos is giving away the box set plus a world-premiere DVD titled “Larger than Life.” Enter here:
3. How much do you know about Bernstein and Brandeis University?
Test your knowledge of Leonard Bernstein at Brandeis University by taking this quiz. Then read more in the latest issue of Brandeis’s “State of the Arts” magazine.
4. Exhibit honors Bernstein’s Jewish identity
Michele Alperin, a contributing writer for the New Jersey Jewish News, interviewed Ivy Weingram, curator of the National Museum of American Jewish History’s Bernstein exhibit, about Bernstein’s Jewish identity and how that influenced his work as a composer and conductor. A highlight:
[Bernstein] thought about the faith we have in each other and the faith we have in our nation’s leaders and in our government.… He lived through World War II and the Holocaust, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam era, a lot of weighty historic moments that would challenge his and a generation’s faith.
5. “My father, Leonard Bernstein:” an interview with Alexander
Richard Morrison of The Times spoke with Alexander Bernstein about life with his father, touching on Lenny’s sexuality, his social politics, and his love of people. (You do have to register to read the article, but registration is free.)
More #Bernsteinat100
- Find something you love about Bernstein this week? What are your favorite or fun Bernstein mentions? Tweet or FB message us @ClassicalOrg. And remember, if you go to an event, tag @ClassicalOrg on Twitter or Facebook and use the hashtag #Bernsteinat100.
