Leonard Bernstein Letters

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Leonard Bernstein was a charismatic and versatile musician, renowned as a brilliant conductor and gifted composer of Broadway musicals, symphonies, choral works, and film scores. This collection presents a wide-ranging selection of his correspondence, offering insights into his musical and personal passions, as well as the expansive scope of his activities. Bernstein's letters reveal much about this complex individual, his collaborators, mentors, and those close to him. His correspondents included notable figures such as Aaron Copland, Stephen Sondheim, Jerome Robbins, Thornton Wilder, Boris Pasternak, Bette Davis, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, along with family members like his wife Felicia and sister Shirley. Most of these letters have never been published before and were carefully chosen to showcase Bernstein's diverse musical interests, his struggles to find time for composition, his turbulent sexuality, political activism, and relentless work ethic. These writings provide a glimpse into the man behind the legend, highlighting his humanity, warmth, volatility, intellectual brilliance, keen eye for detail, and humor.