Morning Concert:
The Music of Leonard Rosenman

Charles Amirkhanian talks with composer Leonard Rosenman of Los Angeles about his work as a composer of concert music and motion picture scores. Mr. Rosenman was one of four 1949 KPFA staff alumni present at the 40th anniversary banquet for the station on April 29, 1989, and promised this return trip so that we can hear both his music and his reminiscences as the first programmer to interview living composers on KPFA. His first program, with composer Roger Sessions, was heard during the early months of the station's existence and was followed by programs with Ernst Krenek, Darius Milhaud, Henry Cowell and numerous other luminaries. Today, Rosenman is famous for his work as a film and television composer. After leaving KPFA in 1952 and heading for the East Coast and Europe, he returned in 1954 to Hollywood where he scored the soundtracks for “East of Eden” and “Rebel Without a Cause”, two classic James Dean performances that were matched by the precocious dissonance of the music, which was highly advanced for its day. ( from KPFA Folio)