The manner in which he spoke (lectured), conducted, and portrayed himself, everything about him, he was always acting. There was nothing natural about him. He hid behind a fabricated sophisticated persona using fancy words as if to say "look how smart I am." Even in his conducting he was an actor playing a part. It was all choreographed and overly emotive. All for show meant to draw attention to himself. Take a look at that clip where he has a dispute with Christa Ludwig. She calls him out on a tempo issue and there's a part where's he's talking to her while he's conducting, and doesn't miss a thing with his choreographed conducting despite being distracted. @@xplaybwoix
@@Biber0315 Or, and hear me out here, he was very intelligent? The guy definitely had an ego, and was absolutely a prima donna, but he was also a masterful teacher. Do you know how many musicians I come across who are musicians specifically because of his concerts and television broadcasts aimed at introducing young people to music? He "lectured" because he was a natural teacher, and believed in educating people about music - particularly NEW music, which was not fashionable at the time, and earned him many groans from the audience over the years. Say what you want about his interpretations - they may not be your style - but he did more to bring classical music to the public than most with his lectures. And, as a conductor, let me tell you that the brain is more than capable of keeping an orchestra in time while also talking to someone. Also, hate to tell you, but ALL conducting is choreographed - it's called rehearsing. We rehearse how we want to physically convey our interpretation of a work, so that the orchestra gives us the musical version of that. If you go into a rehearsal or concert without having a clear picture of how to achieve your goals, you will waste time, confuse musicians, and be sloppy. Moreover, one of the biggest grievances musicians had with Bernstein was his SPONTENEITY (sorry for the big word) during performances. He'd often break from what he did in rehearsals on a whim and surprise them with a total change when the moment moved him which left the musicians scrambling to follow along with the mad scientist as he tinkered live. TLDR: You are 90% incorrect.
Celebrity warps people. But I forgive his idiosyncrasies because of his musical contributions. High achievers in all fields are seldom ordinary and well-adjusted.
From Alexander Pope's poem, An Essay on Man, Epistle I: Cease then, nor ORDER Imperfection name: Our proper bliss depends on what we blame. Know they own point: This kind, this due degree Of blindness, weakness, Heav'n bestows on thee. Submit -- In this, or any other sphere, Secure to be as blest as thou canst bear: Safe in the hand of one disposing Pow'r, Or in the natal, or the mortal hour. All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee; All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not see; All Discord, Harmony, not understood; All partial Evil, universal Good: And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason's spite, One truth is clear, "Whatever IS, is RIGHT."
