Wagner & Bernstein

By Sam Miller | March 1, 2025

Wagner’s Siegfried Idyll

Composed in 1870, Siegfried Idyll was a birthday present for the composer’s wife and full of passion and love. Weeks before his wife’s birthday, Wagner had been hard at work not only composing the piece, but secretly rehearsing it with his colleagues. In fact, the trumpeter for the group, Hans Richter, who learned the trumpet just for this performance, practiced on his boat in the middle of Lake Lucerne in order to keep the performance a secret. Finally, on the 25th of December (Actually a day after his wife’s , and a troop of 15 musicians arrived early to the Wagner’s villa. Cosmia Wagner, who kept and extensive and detailed diary, recorded the day’s events:

“When I woke up I heard a sound, it grew ever louder, I could no longer imagine myself in a dream, music was sounding, and what music! After it had died away, R. (Richard Wagner) came in to me with the five children and put into my hands the score of his ‘Symphonic Birthday Greeting.’ I was in tears, but so, too, was the whole household; R. Had set up his orchestra on the stairs and thus consecrated out Tribschen (A manor in Lucerne, Switzerland) forever!… After breakfast the orchestra again assembled, and now once again the Idyll was heard in the lower apartment, moving us all profoundly” (Wagner 312).

On that day, several pieces were played by the group including numerous other Wagner works and a Beethoven Septet. However, the Idyll was the star of the show, and even 150 years later retains the same emotional touch that it was composed with.

  • Length: 19 Minutes
  • Structure: The piece, being a symphonic poem, is a continuous piece that is not divided into movements.
  • Sound: The piece is a beautiful composition that moves and shifts in a very romantic style. Throughout, we can hear the music swell, dance, and fall as it paints a beautiful picture of an Idyllic setting. In fact, if you look up “Lake Lucerne” in Switzerland, you can take a peek into what Wagner saw as he composed this piece.

I was introduced to this piece quite recently, but it has become one of my favorite works by Wagner. For me, this is the perfect piece for writing or working, but it’s also great after a long day.

The performance I have for you today is by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Alain Altinoglu.

Wagner, Cosmia. Cosmia Wagner’s Diaries. R. Piper & Co. Verlag, 1997. Accessed 11 February 2025.

Bernstein Symphonic Dances from West Side Story

Composed in 1960, this piece, or rather, collection of pieces, is taken directly from West Side Story, which he composed in 1955. As many of you know, West Side Story was a smashing success, it had over 700 performances in its first two years. It was after these first two years that Bernstein decided to revisit his score from the musical and extract nine sections to create the Symphonic Dances (“Symphonic Dances From West”).

  • Length: 24 Minutes
  • Structure: Stylistically, the Symphonic Dances integrates and juxtaposes classical practices and forms with “dance rhythms and syncopations” (“Symphonic Dances From West”). The piece can be roughly divided into nine parts with descriptions in the score.
  • Sound:

    I. Prologue (Allegro Moderato)—The growing rivalry between two teenage street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks.
    II. “Somewhere” (Adagio)—In a visionary dance sequence, the two gangs are united in friendship.
    III. Scherzo (Vivace e Leggiero)—In the same dream, they break through the city walls and suddenly find themselves in a world of space, air, and sun.
    IV. Mambo (Meno Presto)—Reality again; competitive dance between the gangs.
    V. Cha-Cha (Andantino con Grazia)—The star-crossed lovers [Tony and Maria] see each other for the first time and dance together.
    VI. Meeting Scene (Meno Mosso)—Music accompanies their first spoken words.
    VII. Cool Fugue (Allegretto)—An elaborate dance sequence in which the Jets practice controlling their hostility.
    VIII. Rumble (Molto Allegro)—Climactic gang battle during which the two gang leaders are killed.
    IX. Finale (Adagio)—Love music developing into a procession, which recalls, in tragic reality, the vision of ‘Somewhere’ (“Symphonic Dances from West”).

    This piece is a phenomenal composition that does a great job at closing the gap between pop-culture and contemporary classical music.

For me, it can be a bit too distracting for work. Instead, this piece is great for driving or working around the house.

I have two performances for you today: One is by Bernstein himself, but has mediocre audio quality, and the other is by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Andres Orozco-Estrada. Both are great, so it’s really up to personal preference.

Orozco-Estrada

Bernstein

“Symphonic Dances From West Side Story.” LA Phil, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/3862/symphonic-dances-from-west-side-story. Accessed 11 February 2025.

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About Sam

Samuel “Sam” Miller is a 12th grade student at Gonzaga Preparatory school who writes and distributes a weekly classical music blog that shares different classical songs and explores their background with his teachers and peers. He is an avid violinist studying under Mateusz Wolski, and an enthusiastic member of the Spokane Youth Symphony. Samuel started this project to pursue and share his passion for classical music with others. In his free time, Sam enjoys practicing violin, going to symphony concerts, playing tennis, hanging out with friends, video games, and spending time with his family.