Macon Magazine

Ovations365.com O V AT I O N S 3 6 5 . c o m MACON MAGAZINE OVATIONS by matt miller "He was a night owl," Jamie Bernstein said of her famous father, Leonard. "He could never shut his motor off … so much of his most creative times happened in the middle of the night." As Jamie Bernstein - an accomplished narrator, writer and radio host - explained, these bursts of midnight-oil-fueled musical inspiration could just as easily draw her dad to the piano at an after-hours party as it would to his home studio. But the results were always brilliant and singularly Bernstein. "He would be the last one at a party still playing the piano at four o'clock in the morning, coming up with these ideas," she said. This proclivity lies at the heart of "Late Night with Leonard Bernstein," an intimate portrait of Leonard Bernstein that will play in Macon on March 8 at Wesleyan College. The show aims to recreate for a concert audience the moments of inspiration, humor, beauty and experimentation that friends and family came to expect from the legendary musician, conductor and composer in those magical predawn hours. The show, which opened in 2011 with a well received run at Lincoln Center and continued at Copland House, an intimate venue in Westchester County, N.Y., (about an hour north of New York City), incorporates familiar Bernstein favorites with rarities and celebrated tunes in their unfamiliar original contexts. In addition, the performance - which features vocalist Amy Burton, pianists John Musto and Michael Boriskin, along with spoken interludes by Jamie Bernstein - incorporates diverse works by some of Bernstein's favorite composers and artists, including Aaron Copland, Schubert, Noel Coward and Chopin, as well as rare video and audio clips that capture Bernstein in his many creative moods. "He really was such a larger-than-life figure," said Boriskin, pianist and Copland House artistic and executive director. " 'Late Night with Leonard Bernstein' is a really creative and enchanting program that gives us a more personal, private view of Bernstein, who was, after all, not only one of America's greatest musicians, but also an extraordinarily public and theatrical figure." The original idea for the performance came about when the New York City Opera presented a revival of Bernstein's 1983 dramatic opera, "A Quiet Place." "George Steel (general manager and artistic director of New York City Opera) arranged for 'A Quiet Place' to be done," Jamie Bernstein said. "And then he created all of these events around the opera, and 'Late Night...' was one of them." From there, the four- person show played for packed houses in the New York area, and the cast is currently set to take the "Late Night with Leonard Bernstein" on the road. "There was interest throughout the country, with various presenters, as in Macon," Boriskin said. "We're really excited to bring this intimate celebration of Leonard Bernstein's life and music to Porter Auditorium," Rosemary Spiegel of the Macon Concert Association, which is sponsoring the concert, said. "This will really be a special concert and a unique event for Macon." For Jamie Bernstein, "Late Night with Leonard Bernstein" is a unique opportunity to share a glimpse of her famous father outside of the concert halls, opera houses and lecterns where he was so at home. "This is just the way he was, coming up with zany late-night ideas," she said. "I love telling stories about my father. He was such a character, and my family was all such fans of his music, and we just enjoyed his presence. It's great to share this with the world." "Late Night with Leonard Bernstein," featuring the original cast, will be performed Friday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. at Wesleyan College's Porter Auditorium. It is sponsored by the Macon Concert Association. For more information, call 478-301-5470. Late night with Leonard Performance captures one of America's greatest musicians Leonard Bernstein, who died in 1990, was a composer, conductor, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States to receive worldwide acclaim. According to The New York Times, he was "one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history." His accomplishments include being the long-time music director of the New York Philharmonic and conducting concerts with most of the world's leading orchestras. He may be best known for his music for "West Side Story," as well as "Candide," "Wonderful Town" and "On the Town." Bernstein with his daughter Jamie & son Alex courtesy of the Bernstein estate.

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