Symphony No.1 Jeremiah for Mezzo-Soprano and Orchestra

Bernstein is the author of three programmatic symphonies. His first large-scale orchestral composition, SYMPHONY NO. 1 "JEREMIAH" for mezzo-soprano and orchestra, was written in 1942. His second symphony was inspired by the eponimous poem The Age of Anxiety: A Baroque Eclogue by W. H. Auden (1949; ed. 1965). His monumental third symphony, Kaddish, is dedicated to the memory of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on November 22, 1963, a few weeks before the work's premiere. The original idea for his First Symphony predates this, dating from 1939, and involved the creation of a lamento piece for soprano and orchestra, which evolved into a large-scale three-movement work completed three years later. The composer worked day and night in order to submit the complete score in time for a competition sponsored by the New England Conservatory of Music, Boston. Though the symphony did not win the New England Conservatory Prize, it was selected by the New York Critic's Circle as the best new symphonic work for 1943 – 1944. Bernstein himself conducted the premiere on January 28, 1944, leading the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra on a concert taking place in the city mosque.The solo was performed by renowned mezzo-soprano Jennie Tourel. She also sang at the New York premiere in Carnegie Hall. Bernstein first recorded the symphony in February 1945 with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and soloist Nan Merriman for RCA Victor. He re-recorded it in stereo for CBS Records in 1962 with Tourel and the New York Philharmonic. А third, live recording from a concert of the Israel Philharmonic with soloist German dramatic mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig at the 1977 Berlin Film Festival, was released in 1978 on Deutsche Grammophon. There are recordings of the closing movement as a separate piece. According to Bernstein's description, the first movement of the symphony Prophecy is an evocation of the biblical seer Jeremiah and his warning of the imminent destruction of Jerusalem and her temple. The second movement – Profanation – resembles a scherzo; it employs constantly changing meter to represent the chaos that accompanied the demolition of the temple, its thematic material incorporating tunes from the traditional Sabbath service. The closing movement is a Lamentation in which the orchestra accompanies a mezzo-soprano soloist in passages (in Hebrew) from the Book of Lamentations that reflect upon the demise of Jerusalem.