‘Maestro’: All You Need To Know About Leonard Bernstein, The Celebrated Conductor

‘Maestro’, an autobiographical film that explores the relationship between American music composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre is out on OTT. The film stars Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan in the lead roles. Even before its release, the film had attracted controversies regarding the casting of the actors. Now, after its release, the film is making headlines for its accurate portrayal.

In case you want to watch ‘Maestro’ over the weekend, here is everything that you need to know about Leonard Bernstein.

Leonard Bernstein's Legacy

Leonard Bernstein was not just a celebrated music conductor. He had an ear for music and was also a composer, pianist, and music educator. He used to conduct regular classes at Tanglewood which was Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer academy for the best musicians. In the span of his career, he won seven Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards, 16 Grammy Awards (including the Lifetime Achievement Award), and an Academy Award nomination as well. In 1981, he also received the Kennedy Center Honor.

Leonard Bernstein's Works

Bernstein did not restrict his music to just one genre rather he worked across them. He wrote symphonies, orchestra, choral, ballet, film, and theatre music just to state a few. While talking about his work, it is important to mention the Broadway musical ‘West Side Story’ that continues to be performed to date. Some of his celebrated works include ‘Serenade after Plato's "Symposium"’ – a serenade which was completed in five movements, ‘Chichester Psalms’ - an arrangement from the Book of Psalms, an original score for a drama film ‘On the Waterfront’ and theater works such as ‘On the Town’, ‘Mass’, ‘Candide.’

Leonard Bernstein's Life

Leonard Bernstein also protested against the Vietnam War, spoke about HIV/AIDS patients, and was involved in multiple causes for human rights and world peace. He was born to Jewish parents in 1918 in Massachusetts. Bernstein’s parents had migrated from Rivne, Ukraine to the United States. In 1935, he attended Harvard where he majored in music. After he graduated from Harvard, he registered at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. This is where he learned the art of conducting a musical performance for which he continues to be remembered to date.

‘Maestro’ takes a close look at the relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre. In reality, Leonard met Felicia after her Broadway debut in ‘Swan Song.’ They met at a party and from there they hit it off. They tied the knot in 1951 and have three children – Nina, Jamie, and Alexander. Their relationship proved to be complicated because of his bisexuality. There was a brief time when he had left Felicia. However, when he found out that she was diagnosed with lung cancer, he moved back with her and looked after her till she breathed her last.

‘Maestro’ is streaming on Netflix.