A Musical Tribute To Leonard Bernstein

September 28, 2015 By: Lisa Danca  

This past Thursday, September 24, I had the pleasure of attending the first music department concert of the semester-A Musical Tribute To Leonard Bernstein. 

Bernstein wasn’t just one of Massachusetts’ greatest composers, he was also a controversial legend in 20th century music. He wrote art songs, operatic solos, and Broadway ballads and his music explored his opinions on love, politics, and religion. The concert was performed by faculty members Tiffany Baxter, mezzo-soprano and Dr. Beverly Soll, pianist in our university’s Recital Hall.

For Baxter, participating in a musical tribute to Bernstein has been a dream of hers for the past fifteen years. She said during the show that she knew it would eventually happen after she found Bernstein stamps at her local post office. “I love that Leonard Bernstein cared deeply about society and women’s roles and religion. He grappled with tough questions and expressed that in his music. I love that he took risks as a composer. He wasn’t afraid to write music that was ‘outside the box’ or even controversial.”

“Tonight will be a roller coaster. The pieces won’t always be pretty, so you’ll have to take it as is. But by the end of night, you should have a better sense of who Leonard Bernstein was.” Soll said to the audience before she played. The concert was split up into five sections- Kid Songs, Recipes, Love and Loss, Tributes, and Faith and Renewal.

“Initially I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard of Leonard Bernstein in the context of West Side Story. Upon arrival, I was intrigued by his piece on the program ‘The Mountain Disappears.’  I really enjoyed the piece about making a strew in a hurry,‘Plum Pudding Rabbit At Top Speed.' It was jagged and almost intentionally obtuse. I also liked the piece he dedicated to his mother,‘Arias and Barcarolles.' It was very beautiful." stated history major, Michael Patalano.

The biggest reason I went was to hear selections from West Side Story, my all-time favorite musical, but at the end  of the production I was more blown away, as Stoll promised, by Bernstein’s breath of work. We Vikings are fortunate to have such a talented music department. There were several moments I even felt ASMR. Be sure to check out the music department’s next concert starring saxophonist and faculty member, Amy McGlothlin, on October 5th.

Check out Baxter and Soll’s performance of ‘I Feel Pretty’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t7Mq5XXkDw 

Contributor’s Note: Lisa Danca’s is a vocally classified alto.