The Leonard Bernstein Letters

ISBN 10: 1478985291 ISBN 13: 9781478985297

Publisher: Hachette Original, 2014

Synopsis

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 audiobook 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 majority of these letters have never been published before. They have been carefully chosen to 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.

About this title

About the Author:

Nigel Simeone is well known as a writer and speaker on music and is the author of several books including Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story. He lives in Northamptonshire, UK.

Review:

“With their intellectual brilliance, humour and wonderful eye for detail, Leonard Bernstein’s letters blow all biographies out of the water. His galaxy of correspondents includes Stephen Sondheim, Boris Pasternak and Jacqueline Kennedy. Full of fresh information and the authentic voice of a constant seeker.”―The Economist (named a 2013 Book of the Year) (The Economist 2013-12-07)

“His collaborator Betty Comden once noted, in a letter to Bernstein, that he saved ‘every scrap of correspondence.’ You will be grateful . . . a rich collection of letters to and from Bernstein, filled with revelations about his musical and personal lives.”—James R. Oestreich, New York Times (James R. Oestreich New York Times)

“Bernstein's versatility and ambition were such that he spent a lot of time trying to figure out who he was—which also meant searching for American music and for the future of music generally. This book doesn't resolve Bernstein's quest. But it's an invaluable resource, and the quest itself continues to fascinate and to matter.” —Joseph Horowitz, The Wall Street Journal (Joseph Horowitz The Wall Street Journal)

“The correspondence from and to the remarkable conductor is full of pleasure and insights.”―New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) (New York Times Book Review)

“Exhaustive, thrilling [and] indispensable.”—Elysa Gardner, USA Today, starred review (Elysa Gardner USA Today)

“Energetic, intimate . . . an eye-opening volume: a glimpse into the personal life of a legend.”—Jeff Lunden, NPR “Weekend Edition Sunday” (Jeff Lunden NPR "Weekend Edition Sunday")

“Bernstein emerges as highly literate, compassionate, astonishingly busy and gifted almost beyond measure.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) (Kirkus Reviews)

“A hugely entertaining chronicle of a enviable life, and a trove of musical and show-business gossip.”―Adam Kirsch, The New Republic

(Adam Kirsch The New Republic)

"What terrifying letters you write: fit for the flames is what they are. Just imagine how much you would have to pay to retrieve such a letter forty years from now when you are conductor of the Philharmonic."—Aaron Copland to Leonard Bernstein in 1940
(Aaron Copland)

“[It’s] full of both serious and gossipy correspondence between the musical genius and such friends as Stephen Sondheim, Betty Comden and Aaron Copland.”—Joe Meyers, CTNews.com (Joe Meyers CTNews.com)

About this edition

• Publisher: Hachette Original
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1478985291
• ISBN 13: 9781478985297
• Binding: Audio CD
• Editor: Simeone Nigel