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LEONARD BERNSTEIN TRIBUTE: "OMNIBUS"
July 22, 2018  | By David Bianculli  | 2 comments

TCM, 8:00 p.m. ET

 

TCM continues and concludes its salute to composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein tonight, honoring the 100th anniversary of his birth, and each day of the salute has been even more exciting than the one before it. Friday we got some of the films for which Bernstein composed the music, including the classic West Side Story. Yesterday we got a sampling of episodes, from the first and tenth seasons, of CBS’s New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts, which suckered me in for an all-night deep dive. (The most unexpected treat, it turns out, was the episode about modes, which included such ear-catchingly recent examples of specific musical modes as “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks and “Norwegian Wood” by the Beatles.) And today, TCM caps its Bernstein weekend – my favorite TCM programming stunt of the year to date – with a generous sampling of episodes of Bernstein’s appearances on TV’s iconic, early arts series Omnibus, hosted by Alistair Cooke, who later was tapped as host for the initial years of PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre. The Omnibus series was presented, over its decade-long run, by all three networks: CBS from 1952-56, ABC for one season in 1956-57, and NBC from 1957-61. According to TCM, tonight’s seven installments of Omnibus featuring Bernstein, beginning at 8 p.m. ET with his deconstruction and performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, all come from the show’s final season in 1961. Other Omnibus topics tonight include “The World of Jazz” (8:45 p.m. ET), “The Art of Conducting” (9:45 p.m. ET), “American Musical Comedy” (10:45 p.m. ET), “Modern Music: The Music You Love to Hate” (12:15 a.m. ET), “The Music of J.S. Bach” (1:15 a.m. ET), and, finally, “What Makes Opera Grand” (2:30 a.m. ET). It’s worth noting, though, that the evening’s “Beethoven 5th Symphony” opener also was the topic for Bernstein’s TV premiere way back in November 14, 1954 – which also was on Omnibus. So whether this evening’s TCM salute begins with a 1961 Omnibus remake of Bernstein’s classic TV lecture on Beethoven, or slips in his 1954 debut, it’s an event building an evening around.

 
 
 
 
 
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2 Comments
 
 
Mark N
I have been watching The Leonard B shows....what can you say...I grew up because of his Young People's Concerts....and Omnibus(thank you Mom and Dad making me watch)wound up looking at OTHER music honestly...but wanted to say...His Jazz show...when they played at the end....you could hear the early birthings of West Side Story....what he shared with us..what an amazing gentleman
Jul 23, 2018   |  Reply
 
 
Mark Isenberg
This could have been so much better produced and promoted by TCM but it is different. A few of us are old enough to remember the Young People Concerts on CBS but not Omnibus. Too bad Mr.Sondheim could not have contributed to this.
Jul 22, 2018   |  Reply
 
 
 
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