Leonard Bernstein: Omnibus - The Historic TV Broadcasts |  | Actors: Leonard Bernstein, Carol Burnett, Benny Goodman, Hans Conried, Alastair Cooke
Studio: E1 Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $49.98
Buy New: $23.98
as of 7/29/2010 22:05 CDT details
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Seller: overman2000
Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 3986
Format: Box set, Black & White, NTSC
Languages: English (Unknown), English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 4
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Running Time: 449 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.5 x 0.9
MPN: KCHDE1E6731D
UPC: 741952673194
EAN: 0741952673194
ASIN: B002OVB9Z8
Release Date: January 26, 2010
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: E1 Release Date: 12/08/2009 Run time: 455 minutes
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| Customer Reviews:
All Aboard the Omnibus June 16, 2010
takingadayoff (Las Vegas, Nevada)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Omnibus was a TV series that debuted in 1952, was hosted by Alistair Cooke, and was mostly about the arts. You might see an original play or a dance performance, a discussion of architecture, or some comedy. Conductor Leonard Bernstein appeared many times over the years. This collection features six of his talks about music and a performance of Handel's Messiah.
Bernstein's first appearance on the show was in 1954 with a fascinating half hour on Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. In it, Bernstein explores Beethoven's notebooks to discover what changes Beethoven made to his most famous composition before he decided it was ready for prime time. It's really quite interesting to hear an orchestra play what were early drafts of the Fifth.
It's just as interesting to see this young, dark-haired Bernstein, already a star, athletically urging the orchestra on, singing (a good singing voice was one of the few musical gifts the Maestro did not possess), playing the piano and organ, conducting, even sneaking a cigarette now and then. His manner is professorial and enthusiastic, an engaging combination. He seems to genuinely want to share what he loves about music, and although he indulges in a bit of showing off now and then, it never comes off as condescending.
As someone who knows next to nothing about the study of music, I found this set educational, but not always in the way Bernstein intended. I learned a lot from the Beethoven episode, and the shows about Bach and jazz. Sometimes we end up learning more about Bernstein's preferences than anything else. In the show about opera, he contrasts operatic scenes from La Boheme with the same scenes, but done as theater, without music. The intent is clearly to show how much more drama can be wrung out of a scene if everyone is singing, but I found the acted scenes to be quite dramatic and less overwrought.
I was afraid the set would be hard to watch since it's from the early days of TV, but the picture is clear enough and the sound is good enough, not great, but not distractingly bad.
Fun surprises are seeing an as yet unknown Carol Burnett, aged about 22, belting out a song called "Ooh La La" in a powdered Marie Antoinette wig, and Jean Marsh, later to become famous in Upstairs, Downstairs, as Mimi in the non-musical scenes from La Boheme.
Leonard Bernstein, Omnibus April 5, 2010
Anita B. Garlick (Brookline, Mass.)
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
How lucky we are to have this remarkable genius to help us understand music better...Bernstein is a gifted musician and teacher who brings us information and pleasure at the same time. What a heritage for us, our children and grandchildren!
Superb product, only minor picture issues February 3, 2010
Alexander M. Walker (Chicago, IL USA)
49 out of 50 found this review helpful
Leonard Bernstein's name has become a legacy unto itself. Besides being one of the most well-known All-American musicians (composing, conducting, pianist), the man had a presence that surpassed his musical talent. The Omnibus series featured a plethora of famous personalities, however Bernstein's appearances made for notable nights of television. Omnibus stood for culture. Viewers tuning in were guaranteed something high-class and refined. In that way Bernstein satisfies, but measured against the rest of the Omnibus's library, Bernstein did much more than that. His episodes, simple in presentation as they often have little more than Leonard sitting at a piano or walking about talking about a classical piece of music, are magnificent. Bernstein's music proved him a great storyteller using notes and clefs, but the Omnibus series allowed him to come across as the brilliant persona which understood music intimately and sought to share it with those around him.
And so he does.
Bernstein's run on the show started with an iconic piece of music: Beethoven's Fifth. He breaks the music down into its composite parts and helps the audience understand exactly why the deaf composer's accomplishments are worthy of praise. It's a brilliant kick-off to the legend's run on Omnibus. Hearing Bernstein lecture on pieces of classical music could easily seem tiresome and dull, and in the hands of anyone less capable and devoted that's certainly it would come across.
Bernstein doesn't let that happen. Consider this one of the most engrossing lessons in Music Theory you've ever undertaken. The series employs visuals so as to avoid having a man talking into a camera for entire episodes straight. Moving on from Beethoven's signature piece, Bernstein wanders across the musical gamut covering topics few could cover in such depth and with such eloquence. Jazz. Musical Comedy. Conducting. Johannes Sebastian Bach. Opera. Handel. It's a whirlwind tour of everything Bernstein himself found intriguing in music, and it's presented in a way that will find an audience in even the most black-and-white resistant audiences.
The picture can't hide its age. A slight layer of fuzz blurs the features' definition, and in many cases it would be enough to warrant bemoaning the lack of restoration efforts taken on Omnibus's behalf. Yet, we can't really complain. With over half a century of to degrade in some studio's vaults, the film hasn't become unwatchable, and, to its credit, the sound is quite remarkable and deep for what it is. It's an old series and it shows, but not once is it ever bad enough to turn off. The content alone will let you ignore any minor shortcomings in preservation to enjoy the sights and sounds of Bernstein's recorded majesty.
Episodes include:
Disc 1: "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" (33 minutes) and "The World of Jazz" (45 minutes)
Disc 2: "The Art of Conducting" (48 minutes) and "American Musical Comedy" (76 minutes)
Disc 3: "Introduction to Modern Music" (49 minutes) and "The Music of J.S. Bach" (64 minutes)
Disc 4: "What Makes Opera Grand?" (76 minutes) and *Bonus* "Handel: Messiah" (58 minutes)
If you don't appreciate classical music, consider this the equivalent of Fantasia where instead of brief instances of Walt Disney's talking being interrupted by cartoons to musical masterpieces, Leonard talks you through the process of building a moment in musical history and then demonstrates the conducting talent which made him such a legend. We'll assume you have the attention span that doesn't require colorful cartoons, because if you can't muster that much, you need not look here; for this is a product to be loved by music lovers and any who enjoy insightful glances into history.
You couldn't really ask for a better tour guide into the depths of history's musical archives than Leonard Bernstein. His approach is interesting to the musically adept for its subject matter and the source of the analysis, and to the inept for his novel approach to understanding both the musicians and they pieces they created.
Read more: [...]
From the Golden Age of Television January 28, 2010
The Movie Man (Maywood, New Jersey USA)
29 out of 30 found this review helpful
"Omnibus" ran on ABC, CBS, and NBC at various times from 1952 to 1961. The program showcased both established stars and rising talent from the worlds of music, dance, theater, and opera. Long a staple of Sunday afternoon programming, "Omnibus" eventually moved to other time slots and networks when the value of Sunday real estate rose with the broadcasting of professional football.
"Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein" is a four-disc set containing seven shows aired between 1954 and 1958 that feature Mr. Bernstein's enthusiastic lecture/performances about classical and other forms of music. Bernstein was equally at home with classical music and musical theater. He wrote the scores for "West Side Story" and "On the Town" and was the longtime conductor of the New York Philharmonic.
His "Omnibus" debut was "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" (broadcast live on CBS, November 14, 1954). Other shows include "The World of Jazz," "American Musical Comedy," "Introduction to Modern Music," "The Music of J.S. Bach," "The Art of Conducting," and "What Makes Opera Grand?" The shows are the kind of fare that today can only be seen on PBS. The TV audience of millions were both entertained and educated by Bernstein's spirited programs. Clearly, he loved his subjects and his energy and passion come through, even in black and white on the small screen. Extras include a bonus performance of Handel's "Messiah" and a 24-page booklet with contributions written by music critic John Rockwell.
 Excellent Bernstein, poor presentation January 28, 2010
Robert Sorrentino (Cherry Hill, N.J.)
8 out of 22 found this review helpful
The prseentation OF THE ORIGINAL SHOWS is excellent, and the young Bernstein is at his best, but caveat emptor. The copy I just received leaves you no way to remove the captions, although the menu on each CD says you can do so. Is anyone else having this problem? I'm going to exchange mine for that reason.
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![Bernstein in Rehearsal & Performance: Shostakovich Symphony No. 1 [DVD Video]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0015XHQZI.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
