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(More customer reviews)Leonard Bernstein's name has become a legacy unto itself. Besides being one of the most well-known All-American musicians (composing, conducting, pianist), the man had a presence that surpassed his musical talent. The Omnibus series featured a plethora of famous personalities, however Bernstein's appearances made for notable nights of television. Omnibus stood for culture. Viewers tuning in were guaranteed something high-class and refined. In that way Bernstein satisfies, but measured against the rest of the Omnibus's library, Bernstein did much more than that. His episodes, simple in presentation as they often have little more than Leonard sitting at a piano or walking about talking about a classical piece of music, are magnificent. Bernstein's music proved him a great storyteller using notes and clefs, but the Omnibus series allowed him to come across as the brilliant persona which understood music intimately and sought to share it with those around him.
And so he does.
Bernstein's run on the show started with an iconic piece of music: Beethoven's Fifth. He breaks the music down into its composite parts and helps the audience understand exactly why the deaf composer's accomplishments are worthy of praise. It's a brilliant kick-off to the legend's run on Omnibus. Hearing Bernstein lecture on pieces of classical music could easily seem tiresome and dull, and in the hands of anyone less capable and devoted that's certainly it would come across.
Bernstein doesn't let that happen. Consider this one of the most engrossing lessons in Music Theory you've ever undertaken. The series employs visuals so as to avoid having a man talking into a camera for entire episodes straight. Moving on from Beethoven's signature piece, Bernstein wanders across the musical gamut covering topics few could cover in such depth and with such eloquence. Jazz. Musical Comedy. Conducting. Johannes Sebastian Bach. Opera. Handel. It's a whirlwind tour of everything Bernstein himself found intriguing in music, and it's presented in a way that will find an audience in even the most black-and-white resistant audiences.
The picture can't hide its age. A slight layer of fuzz blurs the features' definition, and in many cases it would be enough to warrant bemoaning the lack of restoration efforts taken on Omnibus's behalf. Yet, we can't really complain. With over half a century of to degrade in some studio's vaults, the film hasn't become unwatchable, and, to its credit, the sound is quite remarkable and deep for what it is. It's an old series and it shows, but not once is it ever bad enough to turn off. The content alone will let you ignore any minor shortcomings in preservation to enjoy the sights and sounds of Bernstein's recorded majesty.
Episodes include:
Disc 1: "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" (33 minutes) and "The World of Jazz" (45 minutes)
Disc 2: "The Art of Conducting" (48 minutes) and "American Musical Comedy" (76 minutes)
Disc 3: "Introduction to Modern Music" (49 minutes) and "The Music of J.S. Bach" (64 minutes)
Disc 4: "What Makes Opera Grand?" (76 minutes) and *Bonus* "Handel: Messiah" (58 minutes)
If you don't appreciate classical music, consider this the equivalent of Fantasia where instead of brief instances of Walt Disney's talking being interrupted by cartoons to musical masterpieces, Leonard talks you through the process of building a moment in musical history and then demonstrates the conducting talent which made him such a legend. We'll assume you have the attention span that doesn't require colorful cartoons, because if you can't muster that much, you need not look here; for this is a product to be loved by music lovers and any who enjoy insightful glances into history.
You couldn't really ask for a better tour guide into the depths of history's musical archives than Leonard Bernstein. His approach is interesting to the musically adept for its subject matter and the source of the analysis, and to the inept for his novel approach to understanding both the musicians and they pieces they created.
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The Golden Age of Television\'s most distinguished production, Omnibus brought sophistication, refinement and sparkling intelligence to a national audience. Leonard Bernstein, whose Omnibus appearances rank among the series highlights, made his television debut with "Beethoven\'s Fifth Symphony" in 1954 and later won two Emmy Awards for his presentations on jazz, conducting, musical comedy, 20th century composition and Bach. Now, for the first time since their original live broadcasts, these acclaimed performances can be seen in their entirety, restored and re-mastered on DVD.
Includes: "Beethoven\'s Fifth Symphony" (CBS, 11/14/54), "The World of Jazz" (CBS, 10/16/55), "The Art of Conducting" (CBS, 12/4/55), "American Musical Comedy" (ABC, 10/7/56), "Introduction to Modern Music" (ABC, 1/13/57), "The Music of J.S. Bach" (ABC, 3/31/57) and "What Makes Opera Grand?" (NBC, 3/23/58) – plus a bonus live performance of Handel\'s Messiah (CBS, 12/25/55), featuring the internationally-acclaimed soloist William Warfield, with Bernstein conducting the Symphony of the Air
Accompanying the collection is a 24-page booklet featuring photographs, program credits and a modern-day assessment by the prominent music critic John Rockwell.
Click here for more information about Leonard Bernstein: Omnibus - The Historic TV Broadcasts (2010)
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