Leonard Bernstein - A biography: His Life, his people, his places (Documentary)

Leonard Bernstein: a biography in words and pictures. The places Bernstein worked and the most important people in his life (documentary).
00:00 Intro
01:01 Childhood and parental home
02:23 The first piano
02:57 An artistic universal genius
04:21 Studies & dominant father figures
07:34 Sensational breakthrough as a conductor
09:58 Breakthrough also as composer
12:23 First trip to Israel
13:26 Compromises and entry into the establishment
14:05 Bernstein takes La Scala by storm
15:00 Homo politicus & Candide
18:05 The gifted communicator
18:48 Orchestra leader at last
20:05 Composer of "serious" music
22:06 Gustav Mahler
23:22 Viennese years and jet-set artist
24:28 Back to the roots
25:28 Last years and death
Access to the online opera guide:
www.opera-inside.com
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Book Parsiphal - what you should not know about opera (opera anecdotes):
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What you should not know about opera!
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[@doelmajumder4772]

Never knew 27:10 who he was . A very interesting and talented musician and pianist and composer A complicated personal life , but his passion for music snd feeling of spirituality made him a very successful orchestra conductor Who ever he was , he lived his life till the end with his deep love for what he did till the last breath of his life A very successful musician composer and conductor May his soul Rest In Peace Amen 🌹🙏

[@isabellas.c.scanderbeg2670]

In spite of your thick accent as a presenter, everything is clear and very much so! Thank you for a thorough and very balanced portrait of Leonard Bernstein, whom we love and admire very much ✨✨✨💫

[@leonardonescio4614]

Brilliant musician!

[@paulmccarthy7461]

A kind of child prodigy at the piano. Until his late teens, he played piano completely by ear, not having learned to read music yet. No one in his immediate family was musical. He took to a play instrument at around 3 years old, fascinated with it, to his parent's amazement because they weren't expecting he was musically inclined, much less gifted.

[@Clintsessentials]

Thank you for this bio. Terrific!!!

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

This is verywell put together Thank-you.

[@robbey10]

Actually, West Side Story came out in 1957. It was not a big success, but it was a moderate one, The big hit that year was The Music Man. It was actually the film that brought its international fame. Many people in 57, couldn't understand,

[@opera-inside4177]

Thank you for your comment!

[@marleneamry4258]

Well, it successfully reflected rhe social distance between the white New York setllers and the Spanish-speaking Puerto Ricans, which was realistically depicted in a brilliant musical. Perhaps it was too close for comfort for some people, but which I found ingenious.

[@paulmccarthy7461]

@@marleneamry4258"The first group of Puerto Ricans immigrated to New York City in the mid-19th century when Puerto Rico was a Spanish colony and its people Spanish subjects." So white colonial migration had preceded the presence of Puerto Ricans, thus a somewhat different historical context for the racial animus between white and Puerto Rican gangs in N.Y. which the musical does suggest underpinned their hostilities. True, in relation to native Americans, in New York as in other U.S. regions, whites were settlers.

[@renzo6490]

As I recall, the Broadway cast recording of West Side Story was a wild hit! I was there.

[@renzo6490]

West Side Story (Original Broadway Cast) is the 1957 recording of a Broadway production of the musical West Side Story. Recorded 3 days after the show opened at the Winter Garden Theatre. The recording was released in October 1957 in both mono and stereo formats. In 1962, the album reached #5 on Billboard's Pop Album chart. It certified gold by the RIAA on January 12, 1962.

[@alvildasophiaanaya-alegria8419]

Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts. There was a Jewish school were the Jewish community learned English as a second Language.

[@stevenkaplan5428]

What was the first language, Hebrew or Yiddish?

[@amandawhiteley6737]

What a handsome sexy fella Lenny was, no wonder both sexes appealed to his aura. Jewish good looks talented n driven. I love his On the Town n West Side Story tracks I have tracks on vinyl ❤❤❤

[@macmachine]

He died angry at himself for not writing more music and instead spending too much time conducting other peoples'.

[@davidforbes2795]

I’m not so that is true. Do you have any evidence?

[@paulmccarthy7461]

Yes. This was a real sorrow to him. He denigrated his achievement in popular music.

[@paulmccarthy7461]

@@davidforbes2795Not sure how this is documented, but recall various biographies stressing that despite all his fame and musical successes he was plagued with a feeling he'd not done the work he was meant to as a composer.

[@sheilabloom6735]

He struggled with his sexuality. That was a struggle. He didn’t suffer?

[@GiuseppeSavazzi]

Sairam Prof. Giuseppe Savazzi head of the WORLDWIDE CIA SAIRAM secret services in India member of Rotary Club of New York District 7230 blessing to all of you from India 🇮🇳 Music Director and Founder of the Sathya Sai Universal Symphony Orchestra in Putthaparty Founder and music Director of the Rotary Youth International Orchestra with Lufthansa Sponsor since 1990. in šāʾ Allāh إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ Sairam 🙏🇮🇳❤️🙏

[@shayhamilton4086]

Did you ever hear such nonsense dull, commentary...the man was a passionate genius, an artist....

[@nadiatelounts2680]

Was he homosexual or bisexual ?

[@opera-inside4177]

Good question. The general understanding is that his sexual orientation in his earlier years was mainly towards homosexual relationships, with some exceptions, so as far as I know he was mainly homosexual.

[@jefolson6989]

@opera-inside4177 I don't think it matters. He fathered 3 children so he was at least occasionally bisexual. Even straight for short periods. Interesting trivia: he planned on coming out as gay, but he wanted to wait until his mother died. She survived him, so that never happened. He must have considered himself gay, but I believe in his younger years he hardly noticed the difference.

[@AF-sh5yo]

😅

[@iakart]

Bernie

[@sarahjones-jf4pr]

Who is Bernie? Maestro leonard Bernstein (Lennie)

[@iakart]

@@sarahjones-jf4pr Bernstein. Lennie or Bernie. He is known as both. Do not fucking dare to teach me music history.

[@judynesher5898]

The narrator’s pronunciation frequently makes listening and understanding very difficult. The way he pronounces the word ‘ceremonies’ is an example of how disruptive bad pronunciation can be. It ruined it for me which is a shame since I was in an Israeli choir which he conducted. I really wanted to watch the film. Pity.

[@Manuel941]

He has a German accent, you can put subtitles.

[@opera-inside4177]

I can´t hide it ... ;). Thank you for your comment and all the best for 2024

[@jefolson6989]

He suffered very little but made those around him suffer a great deal. Son of a beautyshop supply salesman who became a famous and pompous musician. I think his sense of importance made him think he was entitled to anything and anyone he desired, whatever the consequences to others. Just my observation. He was a good composer of musicals ( one anyway) . But as a clasical composer and condutor he was only pretty good. I had to laugh at " he never denied others the spotlight". Denied? No. He just overwhelmed with his own spotlight.

[@robertoa.m.3984]

Pity your envy

[@maralynfarber2068]

I am a social worker, and I enjoy hearing about others’ backgrounds. I will tell you that many people suffer a great deal-and even undergo traumas. We cannot minimize someone else’s suffering, for we don’t know exactly what they have gone through. In my very humble opinion (I am a trained vocalist), Leonard Bernstein was brilliant in so many ways. His talents gifted our world.🩵🎼

[@jefolson6989]

@maralynfarber2068 of course. No ammount of talent excuses his treatment if his loved ones or his creepy predatory behavior. He tool full advantage of his celebrity. If you listen criticically to his records without his fame getting in the way ( blind test) he really wasn't a great conductor. He was a good composer of a musical. As far as standard orchestral music, he was mediocre at first and eccentric toward the end. He PR was great. He was famous among that part of society that didn't know or care about classical music. None of his records are the best recording of any work. Part of a conductors job is to give us something to watch while we listen to the orchestra. He excelled at that.

[@maralynfarber2068]

@@jefolson6989, I think you make excellent points. In my humble opinion, Lenny was a very complex person.

[@karinwijnberg9489]

Everybody their opinion...