Make Our Garden Grow: Bernstein at 70

[fgonzalez43]

Jerry Hadley's death was an absolute tragedy. I realize that everytime I hear this piece.

[HarryTheHoudini]

Forget it, the tears just came out of my eyes

[cuchelo1]

What an amazing thing to give the world this music, and then sit and listen to a company like this perform it. It's no wonder he was so overcome with emotion at the end.

[jeffduck2]

Alongside "Somewhere", this is the closest we'll ever get to Eden on Earth.

[Bandman630]

Bernstein...the man...the legend..

[doobeedoo58]

lol they cut out the part where he says....tank you Renard...full makin tanga wooll gall den glow

[FENNYMAN]

A stunning performance of a stunning song. Part of Bernstein's wonderful legacy!

[joyousdog1]

Nice to see this on Youtube -- I was in the chorus that day!

[doobeedoo58]

I saw this performance on PBS when it first ran...the part I like was chopped off at the beginning of this piece...where Ozawa says.."..an' tahnk you Rennald Belnsteen fall makin Tanger Wood galden glow"

[1HiMimi]

This is the best one. Upshaw's voice resembles Barbara Cook from the OC most. The tempo here is faster than Bernstein's performance 2 years later, the piece is about a minute shorter in all. Like many dying conductors, he drags it out. The effect of this version on Lenny is about the same as on me. Great stuff.

[paolovid]

Jerry Hadley, my god what a voice, what a tragedy... Rest in peace

[soaringvulture]

Fabulous piece. Mr. Bernstein knew how to write a finale. But it looked to me like he was working really hard to keep from running up on the stage and stealing the baton from Ozawa.

[GpD79]

@soaringvulture I was totally thinking the same thing! I would LOVE to know what was going through his mind at that moment!

[kateholli]

so sad LB died so young...

so sad Jerry Hadley killed himself...

[dbrel]

@kateholli My old voice teacher was friends with Jerry ( had dated him in college), and had just seen him in Paris a few months before. He was apparently depressed as the "aging" tenor that wasn't getting the roles he wanted any longer, and also financial issues. It was a very sad day for the music world to lose such a beautiful voice...

[tommieboy1657]

@dbrel But I don't understand how he could have had financial troubles... He made so much recordings, he did a lot of performances... An opera singer isn't supposed to be a poor man, right?

It must have been frustrating for an opera singer like him to have a voice that couldn't handle the roles he wanted...

Very sad...

[dbrel]

@tommieboy1657 Unfortunately, it's not that uncommon for an ageing opera singer's voice to "change" -- age does that. Many stop singing as this is happening, so as to only leave their youthful voice in the ear of listeners. Beverly Sills was a perfect example. She stopped singing when she felt her voice could no longer handle the roles. Jerry Hadley, unfortunately, could not make the switch mentally into older characters with slightly lower, heavier voices.. As for the money, just poor decisions

[Babs22h]

ms upshaw is fantastick! i really like her sound on the piece and it cuts through the orchestra beautifully! surprisingly I too prefer her sound to other sopranos i've heard-- renee flemings vibrato though lovely and particular to her is a bit distracting in this piece for me.

[kimmyswimmy]

absolutely gorgeous....gives me chills every time.

[gymnofrater]

i'm agreed with dbrel... i like dawn upshaw's performace more than the others of thispiece on youtube. but her voice is my favorite in a lot of categories!

[dbrel]

I think I prefer Dawn's performance of this to any other on YouTube.. She has such a pure sound...

[JaredPaul54]

Jerry Hadley left us way too soon. Such a loss

[dbrel]

You are so right... My former voice teacher was friends with him (they dated in college), and tells wonderful stories of her last trip to Paris and how Jerry , who happened to be there with Paris Opera, was so gracious to she and her husband.. Such a loss..

[antod11]

So, so, so beautiful, makes me weep every time.

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

i liked the boo boo right at the beginning

[licoricestic]

@IfYourMomWereATaco yeah no kidding lol

[jwinder2]

@IfYourMomWereATaco There is no "boo boo" at the beginning; that is what Bernstein wrote.

[IfYourMomWereATaco]

@jwinder2 I have performed this piece five times now. The first flute completely misses the first three notes.

[uggy999]

Dawn Upshaw is so beautiful

[furiozara]

Amazing!!!