Stephen Schwartz On Working With Leonard Bernstein On Mass

Stephen Schwartz remembers working with Leonard Bernstein on Mass in the early 1970s. He discusses how Bernstein influenced his own composing and how the public responded to their eclectic theater piece.
Leonard Bernstein at 100 Memory Project
Jamie Bernstein, interviewer
Alexander Bernstein, interviewer
Jacob Slattery, videography
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Brian Benton, video editor
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[@Gabriel-nz2bj]

"Mass" is a work of genius, both lyrically and musically! Lenny, Stephen and all the people involved in this piece deserve great compliments

[@BennyRietveld]

Thank you for posting this! It's one of my favorite works of all time (and I'm pretty old!). It definitely holds up, no question!

[@culturalconfederacy782]

I watched Mass and I've got to say what a train wreck. I wanted to walk away screaming. West Side Story it's not. The music sounded depressing and strained. Leonard Bernstein was a great conductor and quite versatile. However, just like other conductors who try their hand at composing, he was not the best. This isn't to say he didn't write some good tunes, but after West Side Story I don't think he was able to capture that same creative spark.