Leonard Bernstein at 100 – Anna Litvinenko (cello), Craig White (piano)

Conductor, composer, teacher, Leonard Bernstein inspired audiences in so many ways. He gave us ‘West Side Story’, ‘Candide’ and ‘On the Town’ but also the deeply spiritual ‘Kaddish Symphony’, the ‘Chichester Psalms’ and ‘Mass’, commissioned by Jackie Kennedy. The enigmatic ‘Three Meditations from Mass’ get to the core of Lenny’s breadth of invention and genius, which was beautifully expressed in this refined performance. This was intelligently framed by Britten’s complex Op. 65 Sonata, which references Shostakovich, and Copland’s light-hearted Waltz and Celebration from ‘Billy the Kid’, making a brilliant start to this sequence of Wednesday evening concerts celebrating Bernstein’s centenary.