My father was the bass trombonist on this recording.. he said it was a great experience to have Leonard Bernstein as a conductor.

"The story goes, Leonard Bernstein was in failing health and he knew he was never going to stand in front of the Chicago Symphony ever again. Apparently there has been a long standing tradition of never encouraging the brass section of the CSO; not even looking at them or else they'll blow you off the stage. During the end of this concert, and being a helpless romantic himself, good ol' Lenny not only looked at the Chicago Brass (Bud Herseth on principle trumpet, Arnold Jacobs on tuba), but he asked for everything they had. And the rest is history! Enjoy!"

A highlight of my career. Playing this with Bernstein and CSO in Chicago and NY…❤

I was present when this music was played and recorded live at Orchestra Hall that warm summer night, June 21st, 1988. It remains the most memorable experience I have ever had at a classical music performance. The ovation that followed was as thunderous as this music and lasted a long while! Maestro Bernstein, spent and crying, hugged nearly everyone in the orchestra-- everyone knew something special has just occurred. The brass were absolutely amazing and unbelievably loud.

It doesn't matter how many times in a row this is listened to, it still brings out raw emotion from within the musical soul.

Beautiful. Sends chills down my spines every time and make me proud to play a brass instrument

Trombones were amazing in this! Charlie peeled paint!! But it was good playing, not just loud. Solid. My wife was playing on this recording. Go Jeannie!!! But even without that connection, this would still be one of my favorite recordings. Bud sounded fabulous, especially at the end, after that incredible blow! And the strings? Incredible!!!!!! Amazing.

This symphony changed my life.

The brass are Oh my god! in this recording!!!! Trombones are so amazing!!!! And Bud, well, what can you say? Amazing!!

Trombones are fucking sick

One of my favourite symphonies and surely this HAS to be THE GREATEST performance!

Not only is this the definitive recording of this symphony, it is one of the best classical recordings ever made!

From 02:10 to 02:20 is one of the most spectacular orchestrations I've ever heard. The sound of the violins surrounds the sky, like falling debris in an explosion.

have this at max volume. as a trombonist boy am I excited

The ending of this symphony gives me goosebumps every time. Phenomenal

From 2:36 - 3:09, it sounds like a life and death struggle between the low brass and the rest of the orchestra. Three times the unison brass melodically attempt to dislodge the key of C Major but the orchestra keeps hammering away on the C Major chord with a triplet figure in a show of defiance. Finally at 3:10 the brass relent and join in the swelling harmony for the triumphant finish. Leningrad had successfully resisted the German siege.

Possibly the most colossal finale in symphonic history with the exception of the mahler 2nd and 8th and this is the best performance. Period.

I get goosebumps every time I listen to this.

Absolutely staggering in every way. The meld between composer, conductor, and orchestra has seldom been surpassed as demonstrated in this marvelous recording.

The french horns are killing it ^^

THERE ARE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE THIS PIECE ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW FOR 10 HOURS STRAIGHT

LEGENDARY!!!!!!!

Best recording of anything ever!!! This recording gave me chills and brought tears to my eyes!!!

MAHLER and SHOSTAKOVICH!!!!!! Above all else!!!!

Yeah, one of the best recordings of anything ever.

When he switched to B major....yaaaassss that’s the sunlight!!!!!!!!!

Was 65 years ago that Shostakovich was my real introduction to serious i.e. Classical music. I still thank him and relish his energy!

There are very few orchestras that can sustain a finale like this, especially as Bernstein conducts it. Bravo!

The recording of Shostakovich 1st on this is also wonderful.

this is symphonic passion personified

Amazing brass section

@efmusic5 I told my dad this, and he just laughed slightly and replied "When Bernstein got up to give hugs to all the principal players, he exclamed to Jacobs (the tubist) "You're too good, you can't go!" Jacobs replied "But I can't see anymore, I have to." Arnold Jacobs did have sight problems, and he was quite old, but he was not blind and he most definitely did not play by ear.

20,000 of these views are from me only. I love this section!

The crescendo is sustained right to the very end!!!!!!

This recording never fails to give me goosebumps.

Charlie Vernon straight up anchoring the entire symphony.

Adolph Herseth: the greatest symphonic trumpet player that ever lived!!

Best. Symphony. Ending. Ever.

INCREDIBLE and beyond belief. A once in a lifetime performance. I think Bernstein surpases himself in energi and expression here. Wauw !!!!

What actually happened (I actually personally know somebody who attended this recording) is that they held off the applause until after the recording was completely finished. It is in fact a live recording.

Hands down the best crescendo ever at the end. I know the brass are doubled, but I sure don't hear anyone taking a breath...

My father, an army veteran, asked what this was called. I told him that the 4th Movement's name was "Victory". He said that this is what it sounded like.

@jtp225 My dad, bass trombonist, had such a blast playing this concert :)

@swiftybone My father is Jeff Taylor. My dad was a substitute bass trombonist, although Charlie Vernon was one of his teachers.. (Along with Edward Kleinhammer, Arnold Jacobs..)

Iv listened to this very video at least 60 times

No puede tocarse mejor.Devastador final que en manos de un iluminado Bernstein alcanza la cima de una sinfonía llena de simbolismo. La orquesta de Chicago en estado de gracia. Sencillamente genial.

maybe this is the wrong feeling to have, but I really like that this kind of captures all of the nuance of a military victory. There’s something horribly terrifying to me about this. There’s a happy sound, but underneath it is total and awful despair. It feels like realizing you’ve won, only to look at the corpses on the battlefield before you and realize they were all people

God tier brass playing.

This, makes my day.

Tim Kent!!! Unsung hero!!!!

My god.

i wish there was a video of this

Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 7 in C major, Op. 60, titled Leningrad, was completed in Samara in December 1941 and premiered in that city on March 5, 1942. At first dedicated to Lenin, it was eventually submitted in honor of the besieged city of Leningrad, where it was first played under dire circumstances on August 9, 1942, with the siege by Axis and Finnish forces.

I just love this sound and tune in the morning, it sounds like.... VICTORY! :)

Thanks for uploading!

Damn. Overwhelming. The acoustic in Chicago Symphony Hall is pretty amazing in this recording, not as dry and dead as normal. But that brass.... overwhelming.

before you think of invading Russia, listen to this and... think again.

Incredible perfomance and sound!

Witnessed CSO perform this at Lincoln Center in NYC. Had never heard the work before. Changed my life. Huge fan of Shostakovich!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! This is some of the greatest of Lennys performances! Wauw what an incredible ending. So powerful seldom heard. And what a powerful intense rendition in all. Bernstein was a Big personality one of a kind that comes so seldom in this life

I love this part. when I started to listen symphony, it's the first one that I listened. At first time whole music was difficult to listen, but as I reached here, I noticed that this part is super awesome, and started to fall in love with classical musics.

Brilliant recording !!!

I just listened to this recording for the first time in decades. Dont be me, refresh often!

Played this the other night underneath the belly of Concorde Foxtrot-Alpha - It was an incredible piece and what an opportunity to play it in a hangar containing such a piece of history!

If this thing was a breathing monster that coukd walk, it wouod go around ripping other symohonies to shreds and eating everything in it's path.

Shocking to hear this performance. I've orderd the CD to Amazon: )

It must be the most outstanding interpretation of this symphony!!!!!! My Bernstein!!!!

So much power

"-It's like putting a cowbell at the end of Shostakovich's 7th. -Is that good? -It's perfect, Tony''

This is my favorite recording, bar none.

"Wind and song."

I swear those trombones were forged in heaven.

I just ordered the whole CD. In one mounth I will have it. My precious :)

One of my greatest experiences of my life was to hear the CSO live in Budapest under Muti....

The first performance was given on March 5, 1942 by the Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre, which had also been evacuated to Kuibyshev, conducted by Samuil Samosud. But before Leningrad heard the work, it was broadcast by the BBC on June 22, 1942 - the first anniversary of Russia’s entry into the war - conducted by Sir Henry Wood.

Muy buena....maravillosa. Buenas tardes feliz jueves.🌿

BRASS IS ABSOLUTELY HAMMERING HOLY

Best recording ever

Absolutely staggering.

i was doing ap world hw and i was listening to this and just started crying.

Wow.

WOW!!

When I was in undergrad at U of Fla, I decided to take a lesson from the bassbone of TFO in Tampa. During the beginning of the lesson he had asked me what my top three recordings were (trying to get a sense of what my ideal sound was.) This recording was in that list. He lit up. Why the grin, I asked? He was Harold van Schaik. He was the antiphonal bass bone that night in 1988. I couldn't concentrate the rest of the lesson.

Yes.

...Wow...

CSO's double- brass section and Lenny Bernstein are what you need for this symphony ! This is the reference recording of Shostakovich's 7th!

Rock on!

Why am I just now discovering this!

Were did Shostakovich learn to be so awesome.

It s Very Excelent

Bernstein was a big name for at least 20 years before Solti took the helm in Chicago, so either there was tension between Bernstein and Defauw, Rodzinski, Kubelik, Reiner, Martinon, and Hoffman too, or it was a case of incompatible schedules more than anything.

It´s from June 1988!

Bernstein had to have completely lost it after this... insane

Please tell you Dad it was this recording that made me sell my tenor trombone and never look back. I had to buy a second copy of this CD, as I wore out this exact clip on my first copy.

What I wouldn't give to see a video of Bernstein conducting this symphony! Is there one??

APPLAUSE!

Schostakowitsch und Bernstein: die beste Kombination.

W.O.W.!!!!!!!!!

The review from that night in the tribune: articles.chicagotribune.com/1988-06-22/news/8801090564_1_leningrad-symphony-leonard-bernstein-great-recording

0:53 aw heck yah