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Leonard Bernstein made one foray into Hollywood with an original film score: the 1954 romantic tragedy On the Waterfront, which is ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of all time. On Saturday, February 24 at 8pm, On the Waterfront will exuberantly come to life when the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) presents Richard Kaufman conducting Bernstein's electrifying score live, while the newly re-mastered film is shown in glorious high definition on the big screen with original dialogue intact.
"We conclude our Bernstein celebration this season with this film masterpiece that connects us, not only with this American musical genius, but also with Los Angeles' cinema history and our New West Symphony colleagues once again," said Thor Steingraber, The Soraya's Executive Director. "New West Symphony continues to be a great partner for us and to once again welcome back Richard Kaufman to his alma mater always makes for a special occasion."
New West Symphony collaborates regularly with The Soraya for the past few seasons. In addition to their recent collaboration on Bernstein on Stage, they've collaborated with The Soraya to present Buster Keaton's The General with live orchestral accompaniment, as well as Stewart Copeland's orchestral score to Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ.
Tickets for On the Waterfront, priced from $33-$68, are now available at ValleyPerformingArtsCenter.org News Release or by calling (818) 677-3000. The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) is located on the campus of California State University, Northridge (CSUN), 18111 Nordhoff Street Northridge, CA 91330-8448, at the corner of Nordhoff and Lindley.
About On the Waterfront
Based on his own original story, screenwriter and novelist Budd Schulberg teamed with successful Broadway director Elia Kazan, who found in Schulberg's script a story he wanted to tell. The film focuses on union violence and corruption amongst longshoremen detailing the widespread exploitation, extortion and racketeering on the New York waterfronts in the early 1950's. In the film, Terry Malloy (Marlon Brando) - a former boxer and now part-time enforcer for Johnny Friendly (Lee J. Cobb), the powerful mob boss who controls the longshoremen's union local - meets Father Barry, a waterfront priest (Karl Malden), and Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint), the grieving sister of a dock worker who was murdered for daring to testify against the corrupt union officials. Terry eventually decides to testify, too, pitting him against not only Friendly but his own brother Charley Malloy (Rod Steiger), Friendly's lieutenant.
The film swept the 1955 awards season and Bernstein's score was nominated for an Academy Award-one of twelve nominations. On the Waterfront was named Best Picture of 1955. It also received Academy Awards Best Director (Elia Kazan), Best Actor (Marlon Brando), Best Screenplay (Budd Schulberg), Best Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint), Best Art Direction (Richard Day), Best Cinematography (Boris Kaufman) and Best Editing (Gene Milford). In 1989, the film was deemed, "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the United States Film Registry
About the Music for On The WaterfrontLeonard Bernstein wrote only one original film score in his career, On the Waterfront, a story about a troubled longshoreman and one-time boxing contender who's gotten mixed up with the wrong crowd. Like Brando's characterization of Terry Malloy, Bernstein's score is a mixture of tenderness, violence, and nobility.
When Bernstein was asked to compose the score for On the Waterfront, he was 35, a major celebrity and unlikely candidate for the job. However, he felt "a surge of excitement" after seeing an early cut of the film and that he was "swept by my enthusiasm into accepting." The original New York Times review said, "Bernstein, who herein is making his debut as a movie composer... convincingly illustrated the murder and mayhem of the waterfront's sleazy jungles." Life referred to the film's "somber mood, created at the outset by a chilling musical score by Leonard Bernstein." And Time summed it up this way: "In his score for On the Waterfront, some critics heard a new note in Bernstein's music, a curiously piercing purity that seemed to burst from a hot core of originality."
About Bernstein at 100Leonard Bernstein at 100, a two-year global celebration of the life and career of the 20th century cultural giant with more than 1,000 events on six continents, kicks off at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, September 22, 2017 to officially launch celebrations, which continue worldwide through the end of August 2019
Leonard Bernstein's range of accomplishments was uniquely broad; in the new millennium, his legacy resonates more than ever. Bernstein at 100 will celebrate the career of this monumental artist by focusing on four pillars of Bernstein's legacy: his work as a Composer; Conductor; Educator; and Activist/Humanitarian.
"'Bernstein at 100 will explore my father's legacy from every angle - and that's a lot of angles," his daughter Jamie Bernstein said. "I'm thrilled to be part of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to connect his multiple achievements to the 21st century, as well as introduce his legacy to new generations."
Bernstein was a man of the globe, and so there will be major events in London, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, Rome, Budapest, and Warsaw, as well as in Japan, China, India, Brazil, Australia, South Africa and Israel. Other Los Angeles performances include Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and more.
For the complete calendar of events, visit LeonardBernstein.com/News/Calendar.
About Richard Kaufman, Conductor
Richard Kaufman has devoted much of his musical life to conducting and supervising music for film and television productions, as well as performing film and classical music in concert halls and on recordings. The 2017-2018 concert season marks Richard's twenty-sixth season as Principal Pops Conductor of Orange County's Pacific Symphony. He holds the permanent title of Pops Conductor Laureate with the Dallas Symphony, and is in his eleventh season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert series, CSO at the Movies, conducting classic and contemporary film music, as well as classical music used in motion pictures. Richard regularly appears as a guest conductor with symphony orchestras throughout both the United States and around the world including Cleveland, St. Louis, San Diego, Indianapolis, Utah, Edmonton, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, and the RTE Concert Orchestra in Dublin, Ireland. Richard has conducted throughout Australia, including sold-out performances at the Sydney Opera House. Following his 2014 conducting debut at the Catalina Island Museum Silent Film Gala, Richard returned to Catalina in 2015, conducting the 1925 classic thriller, Phantom of the Opera with Organist Dennis James. In May 2015, Kaufman made his conducting debut with the Boston Pops, substituting for John Williams at the Annual Pops Film Night. This past summer, Mr. Williams graciously invited him to share the podium at the annual Tanglewood Film Night. During the summer of 2016, Richard also conducted a live performance of Michael Giacchino's score for Star Trek Beyond with the San Diego Symphony, accompanying the film in its gala world premiere. It was the first time a film was presented outdoors in IMAX.
With a life-long passion for film music, Richard often conducts programs featuring live performances of entire scores while the film is shown. These include Amadeus, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Bride of Frankenstein, Psycho, Fantasia, On the Waterfront, Pirates of the Caribbean 1 & 2, Singin' in the Rain, Vertigo, Silverado, Star Trek 2009, Star Trek Beyond, the Chaplin classic City Lights and numerous other silent films. In April, 2014 at the Virginia Arts Festival, Richard conducted the world premiere performance of Stewart Copeland's score for the 1925 silent classic Ben Hur. Following the premiere, he has joined composer/soloist Stewart Copeland in performances of this exciting work with orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Pacific Symphony, and the Luxembourg Philharmonie. Richard received the 1993 Grammy Award in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance for a recording he conducted with the Nuremberg Symphony.
About New West Symphony
Founded in 1985, the New West Symphony is a professional orchestra that draws its players from the rich talent pool of professional Los Angeles area musicians. The Symphony presents an annual Masterpiece Series concert season and provides many educational opportunities for local youth through its annual Symphonic Adventures concerts, its traveling Music Van, and the Harmony Project of Ventura County. For more information go to www.newwestsymphony.org and follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newwestsymphony.
.jpg?format=auto&width=1400 "New West Symphony Performs Bernstein's ON THE WATERFRONT Score Live To The Film At The Soraya")
Leonard Bernstein made one foray into Hollywood with an original film score: the 1954 romantic tragedy On the Waterfront, which is ranked by the American Film Institute as one of the ten best films of all time. On Saturday, February 24 at 8pm, On the Waterfront will exuberantly come to life when the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) presents Richard Kaufman conducting Bernstein's electrifying score live, while the newly re-mastered film is shown in glorious high definition on the big screen with original dialogue intact.