Leonard Bernstein
A biography of one of the 20th-century's most famous musicians.
Paul Myers
- Takes an inside look at Leonard Bernstein (1918-90), creator of the Broadway masterpiece, WestSide Story, drawing on the author's personal knowledge of the American composer and conductor
- Covers all aspects of Bernstein's career, from his extraordinary early rise to fame as a conductor to his work as a world-famous composer, including his musicals and the score for On the Waterfront
- Examines fairly the paradoxes of a man who was brilliant, articulate, witty and charming but could also be vain, egocentric and demanding
Paperback
156 x 220 mm, 6 1/8 x 8 5/8 in
240 pp
80 black and white illustrations
ISBN 9780714837017
0714837016
As conductor, pianist, composer, television personality and, above all, communicator, Leonard Bernstein (1918-90) was one of the most famous and documented musicians of the twentieth century.
The creator of the Broadway masterpiece, West Side Story, Bernstein was the first American conductor to conquer Europe on its own terms, and the first classical musician to harness the power of television. Critics rejected his flamboyant conducting style, his extravagant persona and many of his serious compositions, but to aspiring musicians he was of profound influence.
This new biography draws on the author's personal acquaintance with Bernstein over a period of 20 years, exploring in depth the contradictions that are revealed in the composer's public and private worlds.
Paul Myers is a freelance classical record producer whose work for Decca and Colombia (now Sony) and Naxos brought him into contact with Bernstein over many years.
'Paul Myers writes concisely and entertainingly…will make readers long to hear the music.' (Times Literary Supplement)
'As a series, Phaidon's 20th Century Composers has brought remarkable variety and a welter of information, both necessary and delightfully trivial. Intended both for the general reader and for the more enthusiatically musical...' (The Scotsman)