Superstars

As a music lover, you may know a lot about classical music. You may know what a sonata or symphony or concerto is, but if you don’t, you can still enjoy the music. But one thing you definitely know is when you go to a music store to buy a Beethoven’s symphony, or Bruckner’s, or Mahler’s, nothing less than Berlin or New York Philharmonic under the superb baton of Maestro Herber von Karajan or Leonard Bernstein would satisfy you. Of course some former extraordinary superstars such as Arturo Toscanini are temporarily ignored here, just because of the poor quality of their recordings, although it is still worth a lot to listen to these mono archives, especially for music students and professionals.

Herbert Von Karajan was born in Salzburg on April 5, 1908. He began studying the piano at the age of four and performed for the first time in public at a charity concert the following year. Karajan studied at the Mozarteum Conservatory in Salzburg from 1916 until 1926 and was taught by Bernhard Paumgartner, who encouraged him to be trained as a conductor.

Leonard Bernstein was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, in 1918. He took piano lessons as a boy and attended the Garrison and Boston Latin schools. At Harvard University he studied with Walter Piston, and Edward Burlingame-Hill. Before graduating in 1939, he made an unofficial conducting debut with his own incidental music to The Birds and directed and performed in Marc Blitzstein's The Cradle Will Rock. Then, at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, he studied piano with Isabella Vengerova, conducting with Fritz Reiner and orchestration with Randall Thompson.

Notice specifically the great names as instructors in both cases: Bernhard Paumgartner, and Fritz Reiner, two great conductors of their time.

Karajan made his conducting debut in Salzburg on January 22, 1929. He first participated in the Salzburg Festival in 1933 and the following year conducted the Vienna Philharmonic for the first time. In 1938, he began his long association with the Berlin Philharmonic, but it took 18 years before 1956 when he was awarded the music director of the orchestra for life, after his precedent Wilhelm Furtwangler had died in 1954.

Bernstein was appointed to his first permanent conducting post in 1943, as assistant conductor of the New York Philharmonic. On November 14, 1943, he substituted on a few hours notice for the ailing Bruno Walter at a Carnegie Hall concert, which was broadcast nationally on radio, receiving critical acclaim. Soon orchestras worldwide sought him out as a guest conductor. In 1945 he was appointed music director of the New York City Symphony Orchestra, a post he held until 1947. After Serge Koussevitzky died in 1951, Bernstein headed the orchestral and conducting departments at Tanglewood, teaching there for many years. At last, Bernstein became music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1958.

Therefore in late 1950s, two incredible orchestras started a golden era of some 30 years under the batons of two superstars, and conquered the world with live concerts and tours as well as many immortal audio and video recordings.

Karajan’s long and distinguished recording career with the Berlin Philharmonic made him an international superstar. Over the years, these recordings consistently set new audio and musical standards against which other performances were judged, and of course most of them were with Deutsche Grammophon. Among his many honors, Karajan received two Gramophone awards for recordings with the Berlin Philharmonic in 1981: Mahler’s Ninth Symphony, best orchestral recording; and the complete Parsifal, record of the year. Throughout his career, Karajan championed the use of visual media and new audio technology to enhance musical expression. Beginning in 1965, Karajan produced films of concerts and operas in association with French film director Henri Georges Clouzot. Always interested in improving the listening experience for his audience, Karajan quickly adopted technological innovations. In January 1980, for example, Karajan made the first digital recording of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and at the Salzburg Easter Festival on April 15, 1981, joined Polygram, Philips and Sony in introducing the “Compact Disc Digital Audio System” to the music world.

Bernstein, for much of his career, including his legendary tenure as music director of the New York Philharmonic, recorded exclusively for Columbia/CBS Masterworks, which is now Sony Classical. This vast legacy of recordings, featuring his work as both composer and conductor, is now being remastered and collected in a comprehensive new Sony Classical series entitled Bernstein Century.

There are certain differences to keep in mind when dealing with these two stars. First of all, recordings of Bernstein seem to be much more natural, just the same as a live concert. You cannot draw a line between forte and fortissimo, for instance. Sometimes even the breathing of the players could be heard. But Karajan supervised the recording process himself, and used technology to balance the sound effects and dynamics. It would be of great interest to compare these two in the first movement of Tchaikovsky’s fourth. The wide range of extreme piano (pppp) to extreme forte (ffff), just as the composer needed, could be heard in the Karajan’s recording, but in extreme pianissimo parts nothing can be heard unless the volume is increased! Secondly, Karajan often uses faster tempos, maybe a result of the players’ virtuoso and pride that obviously has certain influence on the conductor too. Compare Karajan with Karl Bohm (with his Vienna Philharmonic) in the Mozart’s 40th symphony, first movement. The former is faster in tempo by at least 10 beats per minute.

And at last, in Karajan’s recordings of concertos, not so many great names could be recognized. Maybe again as a result of his pride, he thought his name on the record cover would be more than enough. Compare, for instance, the Beethoven’s Violin Concerto performed and recorded by the two legendary artists. The Karajan recording, of course with Berlin Philharmonic and Christian Ferras as soloist, is one of the worst recordings of the concerto, while the Bernstein performance conducting New York Philharmonic with Isaac Stern playing the solo part, is absolutely the best.

In total it is advisable to forget both Karajan and Bernstein when dealing with the Baroque or early classics, and preferably listen to Imusici with Felix Ayo, or St. Martin-in-the-fields with Neville Mariner for Baroque music, and Vienna Philharmonic with Karl Bohm for early classic music and specifically Mozart, instead.

Karajan was the recipient of many honours and awards, including the “Médaille de Vermeil” in Paris, the Gold Medal of the Royal Philharmonic Society in London (other conductors who have received this award include Arturo Toscanini, Sir Thomas Beecham and Bruno Walter.)

Bernstein received many honours as well. He was elected in 1981 to the American Academy of Arts and Letters, which gave him a gold medal. The National Fellowship Award in 1985 applauded his lifelong support of humanitarian causes. He received the MacDowell Colony's gold medal; medals from the Beethoven Society and the Mahler Gesellschaft; the Handel Medallion, New York City's highest honor for the arts; a Tony Award (1969) for distinguished achievement in the theater.

Herbert Von Karajan never composed a single piece of music, at least something that could be named.

Inspired by his Jewish heritage, Leonard Bernstein completed his first large-scale work, Symphony No. 1 “Jeremiah” in 1943. The piece was first performed with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in 1944, conducted by the composer, and received the New York Music Critics' Award. Koussevitzky premiered Bernstein's Symphony No. 2 “The Age of Anxiety” with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Bernstein as piano soloist. His Symphony No. 3 “Kaddish”, composed in 1963, was premiered by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. Kaddish is dedicated "To the Beloved Memory of John F. Kennedy." Other major compositions by Bernstein include Symphonic Dances from West Side Story (1960); Halil for solo flute and small orchestra (1981); Missa Brevis for singers and percussion (1988); Thirteen Anniversaries for solo piano (1988); Concerto for Orchestra: Jubilee Games (1989); and Arias and Barcarolles for two singers and piano duet (1988.)

It may be of interest to know that Bernstein was a Jewish (and not a Zionist, two terms that are often mistaken), while Karajan was accused of being a Nazi. When he set foot in New York to perform music in 1940's, 750 members of the American Federation of Musicians signed a petition seeking to prevent the Berlin Philharmonic concerts and protesting the US Government subsidy of the tour. At the opening concert, pickets representing Zionist Youth marched in front of Carnegie Hall. But the fact is that all Karajan’s life was concenterated on music. He lived in a world of music, and he was never interested in politics. Nazi or not, not a single artist has done what he has done in performing the nine Beethoven’s symphonies, Mahler’s, Brahms’, and Bruckner’s symphonies, and Richard Strauss symphonic poems. You listen to “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” under Karajan with Berlin Philharmonic, and you will not bear to listen to any other performances of the masterpiece.

Herbert von Karajan died in Salzburg on July 16, 1989. Karajan was the father of two daughters: Isabel, and Anabel.

Leonard Bernstein died in 1990. Bernstein was the father of three children: Jamie, Alexander, and Nina, and the grandfather of two: Francisca, and Evan.