Leonard Bernstein at 100: Beyond West Side Story

Great Composers Lecture Series at Hoff-Barthelson Music School

New Lectures Series for music aficionados begins February 15 with Leonard Bernstein at 100: Beyond West Side Story, presented by guest lecturer Michael Boriskin

Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s new Great Composers Lecture Series for music aficionados,  begins Thursday, February 15, 2018, at 7:30 pm with Leonard Bernstein at 100: Beyond West Side Story, and is followed by Ludwig van Beethoven: Madman? Genius? Both? on Friday, March 16, 2018, at 11:00 am. Both lectures will be presented by Copland House Artistic Director Michael Boriskin and take place at the School’s Behrens Bergman Auditorium, 25 School Lane, Scarsdale. Admission is $25 for one lecture; $40 for both. HBMS students may attend free of charge. Space is limited; reservations are strongly encouraged.

Leonard Bernstein at 100: Beyond West Side Story – West Side Story changed the face and sound of the American musical and brought its composer lasting, world-wide fame. But Leonard Bernstein wrote extravagant, eloquent, and provocative works in every medium, before and after his Broadway earthquake – symphonies, piano music, song cycles, film and theatrical scores, and much more. His music grappled with big, enduring topics and artists, including the Bible, the Catholic Mass, Plato, the “Age of Anxiety,” love, loss, and relationships, but he also excelled in the vignette, the nonsensical, and the zany. Just in time for the worldwide celebrations of the Bernstein Centennial in 2018, this session will explore the many musical facets of this wildly-gifted, ever-searching giant.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Madman? Genius? Both?  — “Mad,” “incomprehensible,” “repulsive,” “ludicrous,” “rambling,” “outrageous,” “mystifying” – those were just a few of the words prominent critics, experienced listeners, and even some accomplished musicians used in the first decades of the 1800s to describe Ludwig van Beethoven’s works. His music was always intense, dramatic, and deeply-expressive, but they often also inhabited mystical, ethereal, and primal realms (especially in his late works) that baffled and sometimes offended his audiences. This session will travel to those regions we now revere as sublime and awe-inspiring to hear what Beethoven – deaf by his mid-30s! – “heard” in his mind in some of the most enduring, searing, and profoundly eloquent musical works ever composed!

For additional information, or to reserve tickets:
hb@hbms.org; 914-723-1169; www.hbms.org

About Michael Boriskin:
Hailed by The New York Times as “our fearless tour guide, who offers an adventure for the audience,” internationally-acclaimed pianist Michael Boriskin performs in over 30 countries at major concert halls and festivals and as soloist with leading orchestras and chamber ensembles, and records extensively for important American and European labels. He is a much-sought-after lecturer in three languages on both sides of the Atlantic, and is a familiar presence on National Public Radio as a commentator, host, and performer. He has also served as a program advisor for the New York Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the U.S. Department of State, Columbia University’s Miller Theater, and many other leading organizations, and is the longtime Artistic and Executive Director of Copland House, the award-winning creative center for American music based at Aaron Copland’s National Historic Landmark home in northern Westchester.

About Hoff-Barthelson Music School:
Hoff-Barthelson Music School has achieved national recognition as a premier community music school for its unsurpassed leadership in education, performance and community service. With a faculty drawn from the region’s most talented teachers and performers, the School has long been one of Westchester County’s most cherished cultural resources. Whatever a student’s age or level of musical interest, HBMS’ diverse offerings provide the highest quality musical education, personally tailored to his or her specific passions and goals in a supportive and vibrant community. The School will celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2019-2020.

The Great Composers Lecture Series is made possible, in part, by ArtsWestchester with support from Westchester County Government, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Photo credit and caption: Michael Boriskin is guest lecturer for Hoff-Barthelson Music School’s Great Composers Lecture Series. Photo by Tracy Ketcher.