It’s something of a parlor game for historians of the American presidency to constantly reappraise the status of past occupants of the Oval Office. For example, some recent historians have given President Dwight D. Eisenhower higher marks than others for his political accomplishments in the White House. But not even Eisenhower’s most vocal admirers would credit his administration with a particularly ardent passion for the fine arts.

In the spring of 1960, conductor Leonard Bernstein performed a concert in Washington D.C. attended by President Eisenhower, who thanked Bernstein with these words, “I liked that last piece you played; it’s got a tune. I like music with a tune, not all of them arias and barcarolles and things.”

Bernstein never forgot the phrase. In fact, he even titled one of HIS last pieces “Arias and Barcarolles.” Originally written in 1988 for vocal soloists and piano four-hands, one of Bernstein’s protégés, the Chinese-born composer Bright Sheng, orchestrated the work with Bernstein’s approval, and that version of “Arias and Barcarolles” premiered on today’s date in 1989. “Arias and Barcarolles” is a semi-autobiographical song-cycle dedicated to Bernstein’s friends and family, a sometimes humorous, sometimes touching summing-up of Bernstein’s life and career.