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The Final Years

Episode 5 of 5

Donald Macleod reveals how after his wife's death in 1978, Leonard Bernstein began thinking his own mortality and creating a legacy.

Donald Macleod discovers that Bernstein's final years were anything but quiet despite declining health with much of his work being autobiographical. Felicia Bernstein's death in June 1978, not long after the reconciliation with her husband, left a gaping void in Bernstein's life. He began contemplating his own mortality and leaving a legacy in his final decade is including a song cycle named after a remark by President Eisenhower who preferred music with a good tune, "not all them Arias and Barcarolles". Works featured in this programme include 'The Great American Opera' and 'A Quiet Place'.

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1 hour

Last on

Fri 10 Sep 2010 12:00

BBC Radio 3

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