The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein(1985)

The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein Synopsis

This television essay from 1985 was written by Leonard Bernstein to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Gustav Mahler's birth. Recorded in Israel, Vienna and later in London, it is punctuated by biographical interludes and illustrated by musical examples drawn from the cycle of Mahler's works recorded by Bernstein. Bernstein talks, plays and conducts various orchestras (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Philharmoniker) and soloists (Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig, Edith Mathis, Lucia Popp, Walton Groenroos) in performances spanning 17 years. Leonard Bernstein also examines the roots of Gustav Mahler's inspiration. The programme also features music from the nine symphonies, 'The Song of the Earth' and the 'Wunderhorn Cycle'.

The Little Drummer Boy: An Essay on Mahler by Leonard Bernstein (1985) is a documentary film directed by Humphrey Burton, released on November 1, 1985 with a runtime of 1h 25m. It stars Leonard Bernstein, Janet Baker, Christa Ludwig and Edith Mathis. Viewers rate it 8.0 out of 10 across 2 ratings.