The Leonard Bernstein Letters

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The Leonard Bernstein Letters

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For fans of Bradley Cooper's Maestro, an extraordinary selection of revealing letters to and from one of the titans of 20th-century music

“Leonard Bernstein’s letters blow all biographies out of the water. . . . Full of fresh information and the authentic voice of a constant seeker.”—The Economist

“The book . . . is fascinating, enlightening and a veritable page-turner that will keep you up nights, ruin your sleep and wreak all sorts of havoc for 600 pages.”—Steve Suskin, Playbill

Leonard Bernstein was a charismatic and versatile musician—a brilliant conductor who attained international super-star status, and a gifted composer of Broadway musicals (West Side Story), symphonies (Age of Anxiety), choral works (Chichester Psalms), film scores (On the Waterfront), and much more. Bernstein was also an enthusiastic letter writer, and this book is the first to present a wide-ranging selection of his correspondence. The letters have been selected for the insights they offer into the passions of his life—musical and personal—and the extravagant scope of his musical and extra-musical activities.

Bernstein’s letters tell much about this complex man, his collaborators, his mentors, and others close to him. His galaxy of correspondents encompassed, among others, Aaron Copland,Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, Thornton Wilder, Boris Pasternak, Bette Davis, Adolph Green, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and family members, including his wife, Felicia, and his sister Shirley. The letters, many of which have never been published before, demonstrate the breadth of Bernstein’s musical interests, his constant struggle to find the time to compose, his turbulent and complex sexuality, his political activities, and his endless capacity for hard work. Beyond all this, these writings provide a glimpse of the man behind the legends: his humanity, warmth, volatility, intellectual brilliance, wonderful eye for descriptive detail, and humor.

Reviews

[W]hat emerges is an absorbing and highly readable portrait of a complex, larger-than-life character nicely described by a fellow-composer as 'one of the blessed ones who make everything they encounter come alive.'"-Anthony Burton, BBC Music Magazine -- Anthony Burton

Offering 650 letters, this book is a major event in the documentation of the life and work of one of the greatest American musicians, who still exercises an enormous influence through his revelatory records."-Peter Dickinson, Gramophone Magazine -- Peter Dickinson

The Leonard Bernstein Letters will be pounced upon by aficionados... Christmas reading doesn't come any better."-International Record Review

In Nigel Simeone's editorial labour of love The Leonard Bernstein Letters some of the most entertaining letters come from Bernstein's correspondents."-Sameer Rahim, The Sunday Telegraph -- Sameer Rahim

His letters have a tremendous zest, and a good journalistic eye, too, and since he was often at the right place at the right time, at some of the key moments in his 20th-century history, this gives them a wider interest."-Christopher Hart, The Sunday Times -- Christopher Hart

Like Britten, Bernstein was an assiduous correspondent, and The Leonard Bernstein Letters is a vast, absorbing canvas of a life lived at full speed, with a cast list that reads like a who's who of American cultural life in the 20th century."-Adam Lively, The Sunday Times -- Adam Lively

This volume has been handsomely edited, and the decision to include letters from Bernstein's correspondents results in a rich portrayal of a particular age of privilege..."-Philip Hensher, The Guardian -- Philip Hensher

For. . .eloquent and moving testimony read the entry for 25 November 1963 in The Leonard Bernstein Letters edited by Nigel Simeone, the contents of which give an. . .overview of a liberal American century."-Chris Ford, The Guardian -- Chris Ford

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