Leonard Bernstein: Omnibus - The Historic TV Broadcasts
List Price:
Our Price: $26.98
You Save: $23.00 (46%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Alistair Cooke, Benny Goodman, Carol Burnett, Hans Conried, Leonard BernsteinBrand: Koch International
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, Box set, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 449 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2010-01-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: E1 Entertainment
Product features:
- OMNIBUS: LEONARD BERNSTEIN (DVD MOVIE)
DVD Reviews of Leonard Bernstein: Omnibus - The Historic TV Broadcasts
DVD Review: Superb product, only minor picture issues
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Read more: [...]
Description of Leonard Bernstein: Omnibus - The Historic TV Broadcasts
Hosted by Alastair Cooke, Omnibus was a monumental series, featuring diverse live broadcasts on science, the arts and the humanities. This historic collection includes seven episodes featuring lectures, performances and master classes from the legendary conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein. Includes: Beethoven?s Fifth Symphony (1954), The World of Jazz (1955), The Art of Conducting (1955), American Musical Comedy (1956), Introduction to Modern Music (1957), The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach (1957) and What Makes Opera Grand? (1958).Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Glenn Gould on Television: The Complete CBC Broadcasts, 1954-1977Release date: 2011-10-24; DVD
Best price: $66.15
Price in other shops:
Young People's Concerts (Softcover) (Amadeus)by Leonard Bernstein
Amadeus Press; Amadeus Press; Published: 2006-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.26
Price in other shops:
![Bernstein in Rehearsal & Performance: Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 [DVD Video] Image](/images/Bernstein-in-Rehearsal-Performance-Shostakovich-Symphony-No-1-DVD-Video-B0015XHQZI-X.jpg)
Bernstein in Rehearsal & Performance: Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 [DVD Video]Naxos OF America INC; Release date: 2008-04-29; DVD
Best price: $16.98
Price in other shops:
The Infinite Variety of Musicby Leonard Bernstein
HAL LEONARD CORPORATION; Published: 2007-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.69
Price in other shops:
Little Drummer Boy: Essay on Mahler by Leonard BernsteinUniversal Studios; Release date: 2007-09-11; DVD
Best price: $15.41
Price in other shops:
John Gielgud - Ages of Man - John GielgudE1E; Release date: 2010-12-21; DVD
Best price: $14.91
Price in other shops:
The Joy of Music Leonard BernsteinAmadeus Press; Amadeus Press; Published: 2004-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
The Making of West Side Story - Leonard BernsteinUni; Release date: 2005-08-09; DVD
Best price: $16.88
Price in other shops:
Leonard Bernstein - Young People's Concerts / New York PhilharmonicBERNSTEIN,LEONARD; Release date: 2004-09-28; DVD
Best price: $89.99
Price in other shops:
The Unanswered Question - Six Talks at Harvard by Leonard BernsteinRelease date: 2001-11-20; DVD
Best price: $57.49
Price in other shops: