Works

 
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

In 1976, Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner collaborated on the musical "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue", which ran for only seven performances on Broadway at the Mark Hellinger Theatre. The music has been reworked into an orchestral suite, a choral work, "A White House Cantata", and various…

A Musical Toast

A Musical Toast was composed for the memorial concert of Bernstein's colleague André Kostelanetz.

A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place, an opera in three acts, continues the story of the family first presented in Trouble in Tahiti, acting as a sequel. A revision of A Quiet Place in 1984 incorporated Trouble in Tahiti into the second act as flashbacks.

Anniversaries for Orchestra

A suite of 11 Anniversaries arranged for orchestra by Garth Edwin Sunderland, each one written for a different person in Bernstein’s life.

Anniversaries for Piano

Seven Anniversaries, Four Anniversaries, Five Anniversaries, Thirteen Anniversaries Each set of Anniversaries consists of individual movements, each written for a different person in Bernstein’s life.

Arias and Barcarolles

After Bernstein's performance at the White House in 1960, President Eisenhower remarked, "You know, I liked that last piece you played: it's got a theme. I like music with a theme, not all them arias and barcarolles."

Brass Music

Leonard Bernstein completed his suite of brass pieces on April 8, 1959. They were written for members of the New York Philharmonic and received their premier at Carnegie Hall. The pieces were commissioned by the Juilliard Musical Foundation. This set of pieces is rarely performed as a set and are …

Bridal Suite

A pièce d’occasion written for songwriter-lyricist Adolph Green and actress-comedienne Phyllis Newman upon their marriage, the suite, “in 2 parts with 3 encores,” was intended to be played side by side by the Greens.

Candide

The comic operetta, Candide, captures Voltaire's depiction of the cynicism of society expressed through the protangonist's education in optimism, banishment from his beloved Cunegonde, travels, trials, and disillusionment with humanity, before ending on a hopeful tone in "Make Our Garden Grow".

Chichester Psalms

Chichester Psalms is tuneful, tonal and contemporary, featuring modal melodies and unusual meters. From the time of its sold-out world premiere at Philharmonic Hall on July 15, 1965 conducted by the composer himself, it was apparent that Bernstein had created a magically unique blend of Biblical H…

One of Bernstein’s last works, the Concerto for Orchestra was written for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Dance Suite for Brass Quintet

Bernstein's final composition, each of the five movements is dedicated to a choreographer-friend of his.

Divertimento

Leonard Bernstein composed Divertimento for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's centenary, dedicating the piece, "With affection to the Boston Symphony Orchestra in celebration of its First Centenary." Having served as assistant to BSO conductor Serge Koussevitzky at the Berkshire Music Center, Bernst…

Dybbuk, a ballet by Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, is a fascinating exploration of Jewish mysticism, full of ghostly spirits and black magic. The score by Bernstein is among his most atonal and serialist compositions.

Facsimile

Facsimile, the second ballet by Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins, was commissioned by the American Ballet Theatre, and the music was composed by Bernstein in the three weeks between the close of the 1946 season at Tanglewood and the opening of the New York City Symphony season. The ballet depi…

Leonard Bernstein and Jerome Robbins first collaborated in the mid-1940s on the instantly popular ballet Fancy Free, commissioned by American Ballet Theatre. First performed on April 18, 1944, this work, a piece about three sailors on shore-leave in New York City, served as inspiration for their n…

A short fanfare for brass and percussion, composed for the 25th Anniversary of the High School of Music and Art in New York City.

A short fanfare for ensemble penned for a gala held in DC on the eve of John F. Kennedy's inauguration.

Four Sabras

The sabra is a cactus-type plant with tough thorns on the outside and sweet flesh inside. In common usage, it is applied to native-born Israelis. The Sabras in this piece are: 1) Ilana, the Dreamer; 2) Idele, the Hassidele (little Jew, the little Hassid); 3) Yosi, the Jokester; and 4) Dina, the To…

Halil: Nocturne

Bernstein dedicated Halil "to the spirit of Yadin [Tenenbaum] and his fallen brothers.” Tanenbaum was an Israeli flute student killed in his tank close to the Suez Canal during the 1973 war. The title "Halil" is the Hebrew word for flute.

 
 
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