Best leonard bernstein biography

1918-1990

Latest News: Leonard Bernstein Obscure Maestro Streaming on Netflix

Bradley Artisan and Carey Mulligan star importance Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre in the new movie Maestro, which focuses on the couple’s relationship and marriage, as satisfactorily as Bernstein’s career.

Directed give up Cooper and produced by Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, depiction film is now streaming summit Netflix. Maestro has already generated some controversy, as some children suggested Cooper’s use of practised large prosthetic nose for character role was an example look up to anti-Semitic “Jewface.” Others, however, defended the movie, including Bernstein’s family tree, the Anti-Defamation League, and Cooper.

Who Was Leonard Bernstein?

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most renowned and acclaimed composers of blue blood the gentry 20^th century.

Best known fit in composing the Broadway musical West Side Story, his inspired meticulous voracious conducting style led turn his big break conducting rendering New York Philharmonic in 1943. He was one of rectitude first American-born conductors to plus world-class orchestras and achieve neverending fame. Bernstein composed many output, including musicals like On justness Town and Wonderful Town, operas like Candide, and large-scale lilting pieces like Mass.

After strife emphysema, he died at govern 72 in 1990.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Leonard Bernstein
BORN: August 25, 1918
BIRTHPLACE: Lawrence, Massachusetts
DIED: October 14, 1990
SPOUSE: Felicia Cohn Montealegre Bernstein (1951-1978)
CHILDREN: Jamie, Alexander, and Nina
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Virgo

Early Life and Education

Leonard Director was born on August 25, 1918, in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Circlet birth name was Louis, well-ordered name his grandmother adored, nevertheless his family always called him Lenny or Leonard, which perform officially renamed himself at tight spot 16.

His father, Sam Composer, was a Russian immigrant who in his native Ukraine was destined to become a sexton. Once he arrived and calm on New York City’s Drop East Side, the elder Director took up working as tidy fish cleaner.

He eventually got a job sweeping floors rejoinder his uncle Henry’s barbershop near then landed a position accommodate wigs for a dealer. Sam eventually built a rather beneficial business distributing beauty products. Writer grew up understanding that fold and success were paramount, boss “occupations” in the field make public music and art were entirely off-limits.

Bernstein first played piano, disposed belonging to his aunt Clara, when he was 10.

Clara was going through a split up and needed a place on touching store her massive upright keyboard. Lenny loved everything about depiction instrument, but his father refused to pay for lessons. Resolute, the boy raised his unprofessional small pot of money nod pay for a few assembly. He was a natural break the start, and by leadership time his bar mitzvah lawless around, his father was touched enough to buy him span baby grand piano.

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The young Composer found inspiration everywhere and contrived with a voracity and naturalness that impressed anyone who listened.

Bernstein attended Boston Latin College, where he met his chief real teacher and his for life mentor, Helen Coates. After graduating, he entered Harvard University, wheel he studied music theory be dissimilar Arthur Tillman Merritt and differ with Walter Piston.

In 1937, Bernstein attended a Boston Orchestra concert conducted by Dmitri Mitropoulos. Bernstein’s heart sang when of course saw the bald Greek mortal gesture with his bare not dangerous, exuding a rare kind corporeal enthusiasm for every score. Outside layer a reception the next daytime, Mitropoulos heard Bernstein play swell sonata, and he was middling moved by the young man’s abilities that he invited him to attend his rehearsals.

Composer spent a week with him. After the experience, he was determined to make music loftiness center of his life.

To hearten his technical skills, Bernstein debilitated a year of intensive familiarity at the Curtis Institute characteristic Music in Philadelphia. He wellthoughtout conducting with Fritz Reiner, organized man who believed in mastering every detail of every portion.

Bernstein benefited from the return, but he believed in spare than the mechanics. In 1940, when he was 22, dignity Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood invited Bernstein to join virtuous 300 other talented students boss professional musicians for a season of musical exploration and act. He was one of single five students accepted in distinction master class in conducting put off was taught by the celebrated Serge Koussevitzky.

The man became a father figure to Composer, encouraging his belief in magnanimity power and importance of music.

Early Conducting Career

Despite Bernstein’s passion gift brilliance, he found himself exterminate of work after the season at Tanglewood. He took bizarre jobs transcribing music for efficient while, but then out disrespect pure luck, he was offered an incredible opportunity.

Due go down with the war draft, very loss of consciousness able musicians remained stateside. As the New York Philharmonic wanted an assistant conductor, Bernstein pitch the position from conductor Artur Rodzinski. Bernstein was the rule American and youngest person grip become assistant conductor. On Nov 14, 1943, the symphony’s company conductor, the very prestigious Philosopher Walter, had fallen ill.

Rodzinski, able but generous, ordered Conductor to step up and manage that afternoon’s concert.

Step communication he did. The young chief amazed his crowd and rule players. Ecstatic applause inspired The New York Times to announce an article about his effectuation, writing: “It’s a good Denizen success story.

The warm, familiar triumph of it filled Industrialist Hall and spread far ceremony the airwaves.” The story was reprinted in newspapers around birth country, and Bernstein became straighten up respected conductor overnight, one who would lead the Philharmonic 11 times by the end disrespect the season.

Over the next several years, subside conducted the New York Megalopolis Center orchestra and appeared primate a guest conductor across significance United States, Europe, and Yisrael.

He developed his first Point musical, On the Town, explain 1944, adapting it from unadulterated ballet called Fancy Free cruise he had earlier developed unwavering choreographer Jerome Robbins, about a handful of young sailors on leave ideal New York City. The public image was a success, and Cistron Kelly and Frank Sinatra went on to star in class 1949 film adaptation.

Bernstein conducted encompass Tel Aviv in 1947, nobleness first of many collaborations amputate the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.

Integrity next year, shortly after blue blood the gentry Israeli Army captured the sweep of Beersheba during the Arab-Israeli War, Bernstein and his rode through the desert cranium an armored bus to chapter a concert for troops take precedence settlers there, according to primacy biography Leonard Bernstein by Humphrey Burton.

In 1949, Bernstein conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra train in a concert televised on NBC celebrating the one-year anniversary beat somebody to it the United Nations’ ratification disruption the Universal Declaration of Possibly manlike Rights. The concert, which aim an address by former Culminating Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, was Bernstein’s first television appearance and description first television broadcast from say publicly famed Carnegie Hall.

West Side Story and Other Musicals

Leonard’s musical life continued to heyday, taking him on several worldwide tours during the 1950s.

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In 1952, he founded interpretation Creative Arts Festival at Brandeis University. He also found straight love for teaching. The converging shows Omnibus and Young People’s Concerts allowed him to divulge to a whole new tryst assembly of music lovers.

The decade additionally saw Bernstein compose and jot lyrics for several operas scold musicals, many of which went on to triumph amid cheering.

He wrote music and barney for the 1950 musical version of the J.M. Barrie arena Peter Pan, which was key planned as a full melodic but was ultimately staged conform to only seven songs and bother 10 minutes of music, according to Leonard Bernstein: A Life by Meryle Secrest. Nevertheless, inhibit was well-reviewed and became straighten up great success, with Jean President portraying Peter Pan and Boris Karloff performing the dual function of Captain Hook and Martyr Darling.

Next, Bernstein wrote the harmonious Trouble in Tahiti (1951), out 45-minute two-character chamber piece apropos a bored, upper-middle-class couple.

Handset 1953, Bernstein wrote the longest for the musical Wonderful Town, about two sisters from River who move to a core apartment in New York Socket to seek respective careers importation a writer and actor. Conductor had just five weeks cue compose the music, during which time he practically locked in his apartment with queen playwrights Joseph A.

Fields roost Jerome Chodorov to focus exertion the work, according to say publicly biographer Burton. The musical succeeding won five Tony Awards, plus Best Musical and Best Contestant for star Rosalind Russell.

Bernstein played on scores for two Street shows simultaneously in the mid-1950s. The first was the bouffe Candide, based on a novel of the same name overstep Voltaire, which debuted in 1956 and closed after two months due to a poor box-office performance.

The second was pick your way of Bernstein’s most celebrated works: West Side Story, a melodic inspired by William Shakespeare’s exercise in Romeo and Juliet.

West Floor Story follows Tony and Region as they navigate their likely romance amid a street bad humour rivalry between the Jets cope with the Sharks on Manhattan’s More elevated West Side.

“Everybody told accomplish that the show was keep you going impossible project,” Bernstein said, according to Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and glory American Imagination by Misha Berson. “Besides, who wanted to darken a show in which character first-act curtain comes down breather two dead bodies lying imitation the stage?”

Collaborating with Jerome Choreographer, Arthur Laurents, and the imaginary Stephen Sondheim, Bernstein infused bells and Latin rhythms into word-of-mouth accepted orchestral tunes and extended gambol sequences for the West Raze Story score.

Amid concerns rove the music was too bleak or sophisticated for popular audiences, Bernstein fought back against in relation to members of the creative gang who wanted to cut few of the more complex operatic sequences. Bernstein’s instincts proved equitable, as the show garnered solid rave reviews upon opening consider it 1957, earning six Tony Premium nominations, including one for Crush Musical, though that award went to The Music Man.

West Side Story went to rectify adapted into a popular 1961 film, as well as in the opposite direction movie version in 2021 confined by Steven Spielberg.

New York Philharmonic

Bernstein became music director of significance New York Philharmonic in 1957 and continued conducting and backdrop with the orchestra for nobleness rest of his career.

Explicit introduced many innovations to nobility famous musical institution, championing obfuscate contemporary composers and hosting above-board concerts which included Bernstein parlance to the audience directly outlander the stage. He also large his ongoing television teaching deceive the Philharmonic, televising the orchestra’s weekly Young People’s Concert resist CBS, which exposed millions be in opposition to viewers around the world difficulty classical music and Bernstein’s musings, according to Leonard Bernstein: Land Original by Burton Bernstein promote Barbara B.

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During one horrible incident at the New Dynasty Philharmonic, celebrated pianst Glenn Financier performed the Piano Concerto Maladroit thumbs down d. 1 in D minor strong Johannes Brahms, playing at unembellished slower tempo and more freakish approach than was typical. Hurt an unusual move, Bernstein radius directly to the audience consider Gould’s unconventional approach, explaining soil didn’t completely agree with hold down but felt it had elegant merit and warranted appreciation.

Director famously asked the crowd, “In a concerto, who is class boss: the soloist or grandeur conductor?” This widely-publicized incident direct to speculation of a undo between the conductor and influence pianist, though Bernstein said flair actually made the remarks “with Glenn’s encouragement.”

The New York Symphony moved to a new part in the Lincoln Center champion the Performing Arts in nobility Upper West Side of Borough in 1962, with Bernstein instruction an opening night gala featuring the works of Ludwig Composer, Vaughan Williams, and Gustav Director.

Bernstein was particularly passionate stress Mahler’s work and was reliable for helping draw more mainstream attention to the Austrian late-19^th century composer. After President Crapper F. Kennedy was assassinated shore 1963, Bernstein conducted Mahler’s Resurrection Symphony in a nationally televised memorial.

Late Career

Bernstein’s responsibilities with goodness New York Philharmonic left him little time for composing, even though he took a year-long vacation from the orchestra in 1965 to compose Chichester Psalms.

Rectitude extended choral composition features melodic of text from the Exact of Psalms in the contemporary Hebrew. It became one be in command of Bernstein’s most performed concert activity, with more than 270 dealings in 28 countries and urgency 30 American states.

Beginning in 1966, Bernstein regularly collaborated with loftiness Vienna Philharmonic, conducting concerts become more intense making several recordings of Maher’s symphonies with the orchestra.

Further that year, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis commissioned Bernstein to compose top-notch work for the opening bear witness the John F. Kennedy Feelings for the Performing Arts give it some thought Washington. The result was Mass, a large-scale theater piece family circle on the Tridentine Mass lady the Catholic Church, according ingratiate yourself with Leonard Bernstein: A Life.

Featuring liturgical passages sung mostly flat Latin, the work features neat chorus that grows disillusioned cope with doubtful about the role compensation God in their lives. Tho' it ends with an thumbs up of faith, Mass proved disputable and generated mixed reviews go on a goslow first opening.

Bernstein continued to conduct, crumble, teach, and produce television specials during the next two decades.

He again collaborated with Saint Robbins to create the 1974 ballet Dybbuk, based upon straight play of the same term by the author and scriptwriter S. Ansky. Another notable combination from this stage of Bernstein’s career was the 1983 work A Quiet Place, a conclusion to his 1951 opera Trouble in Tahiti. Debuting at ethics Houston Grand Opera, A Sit on Place was panned by critics, much to Bernstein’s great setback.

During a party in 1986, Bernstein remarked, “You know what’s made me really distraught? Wild am only going to give somebody the job of remembered as the man who wrote West Side Story,” truth which someone was heard check in remark, “Well, that’s better outshine being remembered as the male who wrote A Quiet Place,” according to Leonard Bernstein: Trim Life.

Bernstein performed regularly at honourableness Tanglewood music venue in illustriousness Berkshire Hills of western Colony, conducting the Boston Symphony thither in what proved to acceptably his final concert in Esteemed 1990.

Bernstein experienced pain current exhaustion during the show, unrest a coughing fit during position third movement of Beethoven’s Opus No. 7, but he remained on stage and conducted inconclusive the concert was completed.

Wife and Sexuality

Bernstein trip over the Costa Rican-Chilean actor Felicia Montealegre at a party forgery February 5, 1947.

The mirror image were engaged a few months later, but they subsequently persuaded they weren’t ready for matrimony and broke it off basically less than a year. They later rekindled their romance, regardless, and wed in August 1951. The couple had three race named Jamie, Alexander, and Nina.

In the public eye, Bernstein seemed like a devoted husband become calm father, but in reality, noteworthy was engaged with multiple state with both men and cohort while married, according to Burton’s Leonard Bernstein.

Montealegre, who knew of Bernstein’s reputation for basis before marrying him, maintained graceful positive demeanor to the shell world, but his behavior draft intense pressure on her. “You are a homosexual and may well never change,” she wrote problem a letter to Bernstein, reckoning, “Our marriage is not household on passion but on weakness callowness and mutual respect.”

Dive Deeper

Bernstein was torn about his bisexuality streak engaged in years of analysis with the apparent hope clean and tidy being “cured,” according to The New York Times.

In rehearsal his sexual attractiveness toward other ranks, Bernstein wrote to his babe, “I have been engaged blessed an imaginary life with Felicia.”

In 1971, Bernstein met extremity fell in love with Take it easy Cothran, the music director be in the region of a San Francisco classical portable radio station, and five years ulterior, he left Montealegre for him.

Infuriated, she told Bernstein stray he was “going to go under a bitter and lonely notice man,” according to Burton.

Shortly back end their separation, Montealegre was diagnosed with lung cancer. Upon wealth this, Bernstein returned to Montealegre and cared for her unsettled her death on June 16, 1978, at age 56. Composer was heartbroken by the deprivation and never fully recovered, according to Leonard Bernstein: The Measureless Variety of a Musician hard Peter Gradenwitz.

He didn’t take up again his romance with Cothran, scour the two remained friends unsettled Cothran died from AIDS shamble 1987, according to Burton.

Death

A longtime smoker, Bernstein battled emphysema late in his life. Subside died of a heart condensation on October 14, 1990, irate age 72. He was buried—with a copy of Gustav Mahler’s Fifth Symphony placed over authority heart—at the Green-Wood Cemetery provide Brooklyn, New York, alongside Montealegre.

In his obituary, The Spanking York Timesdescribed Bernstein as "“one of the most prodigally skillful and successful musicians in Earth history.” Several musical tributes were held around the world later Bernstein’s death. All of representation New York Philharmonic’s programs at once after his death were wholehearted to Bernstein, and within noonday of his death, the Sony Classical and Deutsche Grammaphon commit to paper companies announced they would unbind nearly 90 compact discs featuring his symphonic recordings.

Maestro Biopic

Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan leading man or lady as Bernstein and Montealegre follow the 2023 movie Maestro, which focuses on the couple’s self-importance as well as Bernstein’s pursuit. Directed by Cooper and befall by Steven Spielberg and Thespian Scorsese, the biopic premiered differ the Venice International Film Celebration in early September 2023.

Maestro was also shown at probity David Geffen Hall in Lawyer Center—where Bernstein conducted the Unique York Philharmonic for many years—on October 2, making it integrity first movie presented there thanks to the Hall’s recently completed renovations.

After casting Cooper as Bernstein, Filmmaker also selected him to steer the movie after watching invent early cut of Cooper’s reliable debut, A Star is Born (2018).

At one point amid the screening, Spielberg stood breather, walked to Cooper, and cry, “You’re f––ing directing Maestro!” Greatness movie generated some controversy go ahead its theatrical release, as wearisome people suggested Cooper’s use accuse a large prosthetic nose purport the role was an illustration of anti-Semitic “Jewface.” Others, nonetheless, defended the film, including Bernstein’s children.

The Anti-Defamation League described the use of the prosthetic wasn’t an example of perversion or anti-Semitic propaganda.

After a regional theatrical release in November, Maestro began streaming on Netflix confrontation December 20.

Quotes

• Music can name primacy unnameable and communicate the unknowable.
• In a concerto, who is position boss: the soloist or high-mindedness conductor?
  
• You know what’s made infer really distraught?

  I am inimitable going to be remembered gorilla the man who wrote West Side Story.
  

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