Lenny became the center of my childhood when I discovered him on television. He gave me the only musical education I ever had as a kid and invited me into that great joy of music. I got to meet him once, backstage at the Hollywood Bowl, a moment I will never forget. Thank you, Lenny!
Grant Park, Chicago, 1968. The Chicago Symphony had just concluded a performance of "Candide" when Bernstein made a surprise curtain call. As he was heading back to his limousine, surounded by dozens of people, he took time to sign the programs of two young sailors standing 20 yards away. I was one of them.
I can’t believe he thought his compositions weren’t really any good. Quite the opposite. His musical voice, the things he wrote, are unique to him and his style is instantly recognizable as Bernstein. He has left an indelible mark on music and humanity. He was a giant among men. He will never be forgotten.
When speaking at a Composers Conference, he felt he did not suceed as a composer because he did not have anything on the Top Ten Hit parade. Carole Paul Toronto
Lenny was fighting for recognition as composer all his life against the critics and some composers who were modernists that didn't approve his tonal language as nothing but entertainment. He would had composed more but he couldn't say no to a conducting engagement. And he adored probably excess! As a conductor all composers loved him! This could be a sort of jealousy since Lenny was ahead of his time being eclectic. That has changed a lot now, the significance is no longer "a la mode". Everyone is allowed to do what you want! As a music educator, the best!!
I was at a composer conference and he spent the evening with us. What a man. So humble. He was concerned because he never had a song on the Hit Parade. Evening when he was near death he told the doctor that he did not think anyone would remember him as a composer. Carole Paul Music Unlimited Toronto@@BenjaminStaern
Like Prometheus, he stole fire from Zeus and shared it with us all. His body is gone but his passion lives on... in those who remember. Clever boy this Lenny of ours.
Terrific film about the outstanding musician of the 20th Century. I was lucky enough to meet Bernstein in the early 70's and believe me you never forget it.
Has anyone else noticed that at 1:43:10, when Lenny is encouraging the young conductor, the legend identifies the piece as "Don Juan", when it is actually "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks"?
Love his music of which I have no expertise except knowing what moves me. Heard him in an outdoor in Monterey CA concert in 1963 -he was so charming and warm in his comments and clearly so enthused about the music he wanted to share with the audience. A rare treasure for the world. So tragic that his smoking shortened his life.
Smoking didn't shorten his life, nor did non-stop drinking. Lenny never accomplished "enough" to satisfy himself, because his need for approval was insatiable. This is a behavioral disorder, probably brought on by his unloving, distant father who never acknowledged Lenny's great talent. So, Lenny found other "father figures" instead. RIP...
I am so very glad Maestro cannot see what hell life is today in the world, to be a very old man, and to see the tragedy of life would have been unbearable for him..Thank-you Maestro for being such a joy to behold and your concerts will live with me forever, rest at last for you and God bless.
@@siriusvenus8708 Yes he was born in suburbs of Boston. New york was his chosen home and the twin towers , covid and general division of the very entitled and those who have nothing would have really have angered him as with a lot of us.
Why do u say u hope he cannot see "what hell life is today in the world" as if there was no hell in his own life! He had a hell of a marriage for one thing. It is said in this documentary that he "wanted" marriage and family... and that he got what he wanted. But he wanted a male lover too. Surely THAT was HELL!!!.... not being able to make his mind up? And Hell for his wife and daughter too.
@@declankelly9829 Firstly you have made an error in interperating my comment, I was referring to life today not his past life marriage, sexuality or anything else your comment has taken my comment completely out of context,I merely stated that a lot of the hell that goes on today would have upset him as he was a humanist.
Every musician, ALL musicians, have a hole in their skill set. A reason to be in awe of - or jealous of - another musician. A reason to feel humble - or inadequate. It forces you to work with other musicians and value the gifts of others.
I studied with him in 72 at Tanglewood and we always kept in close contact, but after the passing of his wife he became unwond. He was a very complicated person who not shined like all the stars in Heaven but also had a dark side of which he was very much aware of.
Bernstein is someone so close to me, even though I never even got to exist in the same time as him. His love of humanity and all that it encompasses is so beautiful to me, and in Bernstein's way, it is so genuine. It is a youthful outburst of passion, but something even more relatable and true than that, something tangible that every human possesses within us, its in our biology. My view of the world is rapidly changing, even more than I can account for with my past replies of rational cynicism. I find myself more spiritual, more religious a human being than I have ever known, and I cannot see nor wish it to be any other way. Thank you Maestro Bernstein, now and forever.
According to David Hurwitz, he was "A man of the theater." True. And he was a great teacher. That's why he was a great conductor. He was a very good pianist, too.
I got to be a part of this. A very small part of this. Leonard Bernstein is perhaps the biggest part of my infinitesimal purpose on the planet but there it is. I was borne of my parents and they shared him with me. How very unselfish of them!!
The bits from “Mass”, and Harry Kraut’s commentary, reminded me that an artist’s highest honor is when the ignorant deride his work. In this case, the ignorant were Nixon and Hoover. Do not forget that Bernstein was among the top 20 on Nixon’s Enemies List. That’s an honor in the highest sense.
L. Bernstein is a legend in the musical world. Leonard passionate love for music was his religion. He left a relic of musical compositions for films and broadway plays. An outstanding conductor to watch because the entire orchestra works beautifully together. "In music the passions enjoy themselves." F. Nietzche
"Reaching for the Note" is a PBS biography from their American Experience series. That credit should have been given with this. I have had a DVD of it for years.
RIP Leonard Bernstein, a giant of American music. Pianist, composer, conductor, educator, humanitarian, he will never be forgotten. Those young person's concerts must have been wonderful, we need someone doing that today, when classical music is being bad-mouthed and branded as too white, too patriarchal and other nonsense like that. Bernstein's great hero was Mahler and he indeed asked to be buried with a copy of the score of Mahler's 5th symphony in his coffin. I actually feel that Bernstein was a far superior composer to Mahler. I have yet to even hear all his works but have always enjoyed those I have heard eg "West Side Story", the symphony "The Age of Anxiety", "Kaddish", "The Chichester Psalms", "Wonderful Town". I was very sad when Bernstein died, I think it was cancer that took him. He was a genius in my opinion.
Sir Thomas Beecham once described Frederick Delius as “the last great apostle of beauty”. I think what is driven home in this film is that that accolade really belongs to Leonard Bernstein.
Tutto ciò non ha prezzo e ci regala tutta la Fascinazione del suo raro Carisma empatico come Artista assoluto.Chi l'ha amato lo testimonia con assoluto senso del suo Valore per la Cultura come dono degli dei da Testimoniare oltre la bellezza che contiene un'opera musicale ... che racconti la vita com'è...sempre.
A magnificent documentary. I worked on an aborted Bernstein Project in New York in the 70's. It was comprised of his "trunk songs". But Comden and Green Could not manage to create a workable book for the show. Alas! 🎹
Fantastic. Grew up New York as a Jewish kid, he was an icon then, loved West Side Story as I lived in the Upper West Side, and he stayed a Jewish musical icon for me. Still listen to his performances especially Beethoven Symphonies. Love The Freedom 9th Symphony of Beethoven performance.
I'm on a Lenny kick now. Reading the Humphrey Burton bio (excellent!) - skip the Peyser. Just ordered The Bernstein Letters, 600 pages of pure Lenny! I've seen this several times and will likely keep watching.
Now that is simply not true..he had an amazing social life and many many interests,including lots of lovers and friends,subjugation no he lived life and music to the full.
He seemed like such a wonderful guy. I wonder if Bernstein had stuck with film scores he might have had a more personally satisfying compositional career. I love his educational series on the classics. No one is better!
I'm not. If it's anything like Spielberg's other "serious" movies, he will ruin one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century. He will spoon-feed the emotions, it will be so overly obvious- and it will be overly politically correct. I'm dreading its release.
Meh! The original cast still has not been surpassed....it stands as a true piece of art. The movie with so many dubbed voices sorely compromised it's ablity to either equal or transcend the stage version.
No wonder he loved Mahler so much. There are a lot of parallels: Conflict between conducting and composing, joy and suffering being very close, being jewish....
I posted a new video about Leonard Bernstein titled "The Real Maestro." He took a wrecking ball to Beethoven's symphonies systematically changing the sound from good to bad by doing sinister things like adding more trumpets to create a noisy trumpet heavy sound and blaming the bad sound on Beethoven's lack of ability to orchestrate. He conducted Beethoven with three times as many strings as are appropriate, creating a harsh rough sound when the whole orchestra was playing and then used his television lectures to brainwash the public into believing that Beethoven intended it to sound that way.
1:38:17 He stops conducting with his hands here - why? Is he physically unable, due to illness and pain? But he continues to conduct with his facial expressions. Remarkable. I also note at the end of the Beethoven 9 (Ode to Joy), he looks anything but joyful. He stands still with his eyes closed and looks like he in intense pain.
@@markstahura6194 I just read the Humphrey Burton bio of Bernstein, and yes, he WAS in intense pain for the latter part of his life. He had bad lungs from birth, wrecked his spine with conducting pyrotechnics (AND tennis AND waterskiing AND horsebackriding AND - lots of other sports/sporting types). So he was on painkillers which he'd grind up and snort and wash down with scotch. He also used a combination of dexedrine and alcohol to bring himself up/down for performing/sleeping. Not to mention thousands and thousands of cigarettes. But nothing else would do, a sober Bernstein would not have been Bernstein. Gives you pause, what goes into creative brilliance - the cost, the cost.
@@ferociousgumby This is pretty much it ,all these foibles and addictions,I thought he was going to collapse in Prague and again at the Freedom Concert,he was so very ill...complicated Maestro But what a delight....
Ironically, Leonard Bernstein was a far greater composer and pianist than conductor, as this extraordinary documentary indirectly indicates. Willful, wayward, self-indulgent and terribly mannered as an orchestra leader, he was still far and away the greatest musician the US has given birth to.
That marvelous quotation at the end, “In the beginning was the note...” begins by alluding to the prologue of Saint John’s Gospel. I should like to know its origin.
No wonder, thata jew doesn't know or doesn't WANT to know, that the Greek wording of St. John is LOGOS - which all but encompasses "word" and "musical note" alike. Well, of course not, because that is purely CHRISTIAN.
@@fansofst.maximustheconfess8226 considering you're a supposed "fan" of Maximus the Confessor, I'm wondering where your smug superiority and hostility is coming from. Maximus, from my readings of his writings and analysis by others didn't seem to have those traits. The comment was an honest seeking of information and understanding. Your reply was uncalled for.
He tried to join twice believe but he suffered from the worst asthma and was turned. Koussevitsky did write a letter without Bernstein’s knowledge stating he Bernstein was very important to the future of music in the US.
@@william-michaelcostello7776 From the photographs I have seen, he appears to have taken up smoking as a very young man, and it became a lifelong habit. He seemed to have a sense that he was immortal; sadly, not so.
"the most influential american musical force of the century" i dont know about that. i should think that louis armstrong, duke ellington, charlie parker, coltrane, miles davis, and james brown have ALL had much more influence on AMERICAN music than lenny, master musician that he was. oh i forgot dizzy gillespie.....
Why limit his influence to American music? Given his talents, his love for "international" music (Mozart, Beethoven , Stravinsky, Copland, Wagner etc) his teaching and influence and enthusisam, I feel he is a musician of the world!
Too much other people speak here, in recordings which s shown as a audio, lenny speaks actually before camera...they should show them...A bad Reminiscent. Thumb down...
No he was not a conductor. He changed musical theatre for all time with West Side Story, he was an educator, he was a composer of symphonies, ballets, and opera, he was an intellectual he was one of the finest minds of the 20th century. You on the other hand..........!
Don't be a condescending dick. Bernstein was the first great American conductor. This is no small feat and contribution. He was also the first conductor to record the entire Mahler symphony cycle.
Como siempre hay que lamentar que este documental sólo esté en el idioma de los "yankees" y no en LA LENGUA de las LENGUAS: EL ESPAÑOL...🇪🇸 estoy harto de escuchar esa "jerga"...que aprendan a hablar como Dios manda...!!! Así de claro...🇪🇸😠😡🤬
