For American arts lovers, especially fans of classical music, “Live From Lincoln Center” has become an old friend.
For 30 years, the program has come into our homes, with its bounty of established stars and emerging talents, all courtesy of the Public Broadcasting Service.
To mark this milestone – impressive at a time when television series are often canceled after a handful of episodes – the show’s producers have assembled a two-hour collection of dazzling highlights.
Already seen in much of the rest of the country Wednesday evening, “Thirty Years of ‘Live From Lincoln Center”‘ is scheduled for broadcast in Denver at noon today on KRMA-Channel 6.
Because the program is normally aired live and unedited, as its title proclaims, this special provides only the second opportunity to see many of these segments.
For longtime “Lincoln Center” viewers, it will be the proverbial trip down memory lane. For others, particularly those too young to have seen the early broadcasts, it offers an exciting glimpse at past glories.
Clips galore
Don’t expect much in the way of context or explanation. Luminaries such as Beverly Sills, Itzhak Perlman and Wynton Marsalis offer minimal introductions, with the emphasis on dozens of clips spanning the history of the program.
As is typically the case with anthologies of this kind, nothing is allowed to run for long, though the editors have done a good job ensuring that no segment seems abruptly clipped or shortchanged.
During a section titled “A Pastiche of Pianists,” each artist gets little more than a momentary nod. But the talent lineup, including such giants as Claudio Arrau, Van Cliburn and Rudolf Serkin, is so strong that the segment still manages to be moving.
It was not the only time while previewing the broadcast that I found myself wiping away a tear or two. Another came during a powerful excerpt from Brahms’ “A German Requiem,” performed by the New York Philharmonic and conductor Kurt Masur nine days after the Sept. 11 disaster.
Exciting but also bittersweet is seeing so many wonderful artists who are no longer with us, including George Balanchine, artistic director of the New York Ballet, and conductor Leonard Bernstein, shown leading an 85th-birthday tribute to Aaron Copland in 1985.
Pavarotti stands out
If there is a star among stars on this special, it is Luciano Pavarotti. This is only fitting, considering that he ranks among the great tenors of the 20th century and is arguably the most beloved classical performer of recent decades.
Pavarotti opens and closes the broadcast, concluding with his trademark aria, “Nessun Dorma” from “Turandot,” during a 1980 performance when he was at the peak of his powers.
What is missing is what has always been missing on “Lincoln Center” – a sense of the new. Like much of the high-end arts establishment, the program has focused too often on the tried and true, a choice that has no doubt hurt its chances of gaining fresh, younger audiences.
About the only works on the special that break from the past are Marsalis’ “Ain’ No,” as part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Susan Stroman’s dance-theater work, “Contact.”
That said, 30 years of “Live From Lincoln Center” is worth a celebration, and this special does it up right.
Reach fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan at 303-820-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
