Leonard Bernstein 1918–1990
The Age of Anxiety Symphony Nr. 2 for piano and orchestra
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Symphony Nr. 6 in F Major op. 68 Pastorale
Kirill Gerstein piano
Thomas Guggeis conductor
10am pre-concert talk in main auditorium by Klaus-Albert Bauer
buy tickets for this concert HERE
Music is always a reflection of its time. Bernstein's Age of Anxiety, written between 1947 - 1949, inspired by a poem by Auden, describes people's uncertain and changeable feelings after World War II. The poem's about four young people drowning their fears and loneliness in a New York bar, desperately seeking stability and faith in a world they no longer recognise.
Bernstein's symphony with solo piano – he could have called it a piano concerto – keeps faith with the poem. Five moments follow the prologue in the bar, in which the four people get drunk, drive through the city, and party before going their own separate ways. The music's eclectic and has elements of jazz and echoes of Ravel, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Gershwin.
As it's nickname Pastorale suggests, Beethoven's 6th symphony is usually interpreted as a cheerful, idyllic symphony. The fact that it was composed at the same time as his 5th, shows that the composer's cheerfulness was short-lived. Life was anything but idyllic: Vienna was occupied by French troops in 1805 and Beethoven was struggling with personal and family problems. His dream of a cheerful life in the country in his Pastorale provided a contrast to the personal and political threats and upheavals of his time.
