The Score | Marathon Mahleriana

Gustav Mahler and Leonard Bernstein were music directors of the New York Philharmonic—about a half-century apart. Bernstein made performing Mahler’s symphonies one of his life passions, and in true over-the-top Lenny fashion this winter the New York Philharmonic presented “Bernstein’s Mahler Marathon: The Sony Recordings” at the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. The free thirteen-hour marathon featured Bernstein’s recordings of Mahler symphonies with the Philharmonic. During the marathon, Bernstein’s marked scores from the Philharmonic’s Leon Levy Digital Archives were projected in real time with the music, and music students and fans volunteered to “page turn” the digital scores. Radio and TV host Fred Child served as emcee, and there were readings from Bernstein’s writings on Mahler as well as video clips of Bernstein talking about Mahler. A few days before the marathon, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center also presented a “Bernstein/Mahler ‘Titan’ Training” to prepare audience members for the marathon, and the library hosted Leonard Bernstein at 100, a traveling exhibit from the Philharmonic archives including Bernstein’s marked scores, scripts, photographs, videos, and the podium he used at summer concerts in the 1940s.