Customer Reviews

Leonard Bernstein: A Life

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I am a "late" fan of Bernstein, so went looking for a good biography. The place to start, obviously, is "Leonard Bernstein" by Humphrey Burton. That bio is much greater in depth and detail. Mr. Burton was LB's television producer and eventually his good friend. No anecdote is left untouched in his nicely arranged work and if you need all the gory details, that's where you go. However, Secrest's "Leonard Bernstein" A Life" is good for other reasons. She is able to step back a bit and talk about areas not covered in Burton's book. Two examples are the background and politics of the U.S. classical music environment during LB's lifetime and the negative effect of Bernstein's public life on his children's lives. I suspect Burton would have felt these were out of place for the former and out of bounds for the latter. However, both areas give great insight into Bernstein's effect on the world and should be told. Not being so personally close to the family, Secrest is able to write with a little more jaundiced eye. Also the myriad of photographs in Secrest's book, scattered throughout at appropriate places, puts faces to the names.

I highly recommend this as a sort of companion volume to Burton's authoratative work. Since they are both inexpensive softcover purchases these days, get them both and enjoy Bernstein twice.

If you have been taught that a book provides more information, analysis, and complexity of thought than visual media, this biography is an exception. One learns very little about Leonard Bernstein here, and you'd be better of (given the choice) to see his concerts for Young People series or the documentary of the making of the fairly bad West Side Story operata, featuring Jose Carreras looking like a bumbling goofball and Bernstein acting like a college music director who had to pick the captain of the football team as a lead in a musical--which is too bad since I believe Bernstein cast him). This book is quite lackluster, which is surprising given the subject matter. It does not address, in depth, any of the internal sufferings or external battles Bernstein waged among the musicati or his deep conflict with homosexuality and his orthodox Jewish roots. What the book does, and this is a good thing is show how Bernstein--despite high brow critics' condenscension--widened the audience for classical music far more than even Pavorati, and that his success included talent, P.R., celebrity, gossip--those things that are uniquely American, and how he was determined to keep his American roots intact, which, among other things had him eschew studying extensively in Europe. In addition, you get an understanding of Bernsteins' 'strangeness,' that rare quality that Harold Bloom talks about that is an ingredient of masterful writers. Secrest does not disparage Bernstein's emotionalism as lots of die-hard classical music aficionados do. It's what made Bernstein who he was, and Secrest makes it evident that although Bernstein created some lousy music, classical music snobs who disparage him owe his a big favor for being a public personality. Without him, these same individuals would have a lot less opportunity to even enjoy classical music since Bernstein helped to create a market for it. He did for music what Carter Burden (former National Gallery director) who mastered the marketing concept of the blockbuster art exhibit. Yea, you could say it is a bit gimmicky, but I prefer that than demolishing art museums and building malls and parking lots in their place.

The book is informative, but not well organized. It jumps back and forth in time too much. Also, the author's lack of musical knowledge shows.

I've read the book twice over a two year period. The book has some very interesting parts pacificly when talking about Candide, his early years, and threw the 50's. Then, mid-way threw the book it becomes tedios to read, and Secrests' not being able to use the Bernstein family archives becomes apparent and the book is not very interesting to read as well as not being well written. Still if you are a Leonard Bernstein fan the book would still be worth reading just not buying. Go to the library for this one.