Ovation TV to Launch Film About Philharmonic Conductor

LOS ANGELES, September 3:
Ovation TV will celebrate the 90th anniversary of American conductor and
composer Leonard Bernstein’s birth, and the 50th anniversary of his debut at
Carnegie Hall, with the premiere of Leonard Bernstein Reflections.

This 1978 film is being
released for the first time in the U.S. and will debut exclusively on Ovation
TV on September 23 at 8 p.m. Leonard Bernstein Reflections takes viewers from the Leonard Bernstein Festival
in Israel in 1977 to the stage of his famous debut at Carnegie Hall in New York
and into the privacy of his home and studio. The program was produced, directed
and photographed by Peter Rosen.

Bernstein became the first
American born and trained musical director of the New York Philharmonic, a post
he held until 1970 when he became laureate conductor. International acclaim
followed Bernstein’s tours with the Philharmonic, his hundreds of recordings
and his conducting engagements.

Carnegie Hall will open
its 118th season on September 24 with music director Michael Tilson Thomas
leading the San Francisco Symphony in an all-Bernstein program, which launches
Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds, a citywide festival celebrating the
man.

Kris Slava, the senior VP
of programming and production for Ovation
TV, said: “This is one of those hidden gems that we live to uncover. The
minute director Peter Rosen told me about it, I knew we had to have it. There
are certain parts of the film that just send chills up your spine. You get to
hear Bernstein himself telling the famous story of how Bruno Walter fell sick
and young Bernstein took the baton at the last minute, launching his triumphant
career with a standing ovation. Never before has there been such a personal
portrait of Bernstein told through his own words. It brings a renewed
appreciation of this gifted man and his far-reaching influence.”

—By Jackie Stewart