AboutConductorHistoric Concerts
Leonard Bernstein's debut concert with the New York Philharmonic was a moment that made headlines. From that first historic moment and throughout his career, Bernstein gave concerts that not only changed the way audiences heard and listened to music, but also celebrated great events in history, such as the end of the Six-day war in Israel and the reunification of Germany. We present a few such concerts and would enjoy hearing your stories of historic concerts by Bernstein that you may have attended.
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The Debut Concert (1943)
"I strode out and I don't remember a thing from that moment – I don't even remember intermission – until the sound of people standing and cheering and clapping."
Beersheba (1948)
In the midst of the tiny new state's War of Independence, when just about the entire Arab world was attacking.
Mt. Scopus (1967)
Bernstein himself remarked later, "I'm amazed the concert came off so well. Everything was against it: the wind, the sun. But somehow nothing seemed to matter."
Berlin Wall (1989)
On the plaza, thousands of spectators, quietly and emotionally moved, watched with bated breath this musical event televised from the hall: Bernstein, Beethoven's scepter in his hand, joining in the call for freedom.