Bernstein’s 100th: Creating beauty during ugly times

The American experience has been recorded over the centuries and if one were to select a handful of those whose works of art sought to do more than just entertain but actually reflect the culture of the time, then you would be hard-pressed not to include Leonard Bernstein.

Bernstein was more than just a conductor/composer, but an accomplished pianist, author and, most of all, a humanitarian. 

Whether he was composing for Broadway or for the concert hall, the roots of Bernstein’s iconic music dive into the urban-American life of the post-World War II era. And his contributions to the American cultural revolution that started in the 1930s (a time when artists were emigrating from Europe right as Hitler was rising to power) helped infuse a fresh mix of voices that would create some of the most memorable songs of our modern experience.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Bernstein’s birth, guest conductor Carl St. Clair, music director of the Pacific Symphony, will lead our Grand Rapids Symphony (GRS) through a sampling of Bernstein’s most popular music. The night’s selections pull from the 1950s — a very prolific period of composing for the artist. 

Joining our symphony on stage is American pianist Benjamin Pasternack, soloist for Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “Age of Anxiety,” and American coloratura soprano Celena Shafer, who will sing highlights from iconic “West Side Story,” “Trouble in Tahiti,” and “Arias and Barcarolles.”

In an era of such conflict and sorrow all over the world, the occasion to lift up humanity while celebrating the life of an artist who also lived during very dark times is why this is a concert not to miss. 

“Through it all, my father clung hard to the belief that by creating beauty, and by sharing it with as many people as possible, artists had the power to tip the earthly balance in favor of brotherhood and peace. After all, he reasoned, if humans could create and appreciate musical harmony, then surely they were capable of replicating that very same harmony in the world they lived in.” (from Jamie Bernstein’s “My Father’s Idealism”)

Bernstein’s 100 celebrations are happening all over the world this year and lucky for our humanity, we will have a chance to hear music composed after the world had experienced one of the most horrific conflict events of our modern history. Here’s to music that still has the power to resonate with humanity and hopefully inspires some much-needed harmony.

To learn how others around the globe are celebrating Bernstein’s 100, follow the artist’s website. For tickets to this weekend’s special birthday celebration of Bernstein’s life in music, please visit the GRS. 

Photo provided by Paul de Hueck.