Leonard Bernstein Reflections

This film is a rare personal portrait of Leonard Bernstein, who triumphed as composer, conductor, writer and teacher. The spontaneous joy of his Broadway hits, the bold, spiritual quest of his orchestral works, his intensity and vitality as conductor, made Bernstein one of the central figures in twentieth century music. Never before has there been such a personal portrait of Bernstein told through his own words. It brings a renewed appreciation of this gifted man and his far-reaching influence. “Leonard Bernstein Reflections” takes viewers from the Leonard Bernstein Festival in Israel in 1977 to the stage of his famous debut at Carnegie Hall in New York and into the privacy of his home and studio. Honest and intimate, Bernstein himself reveals stories never heard before about his childhood and early years in Boston, his musical growth at Harvard and at the Curtis Institute, and the influence of great masters like Reiner, Mitropoulis, and Koussevitsky. Bernstein’s eloquence and charm have marked his television appearances and are powerfully evident in this documentary: from the pioneering Omnibus programmes of the 1950s, and the CBS Young People’s Concerts, to the provocative Norton lectures delivered at Harvard in the 1970s.