Starred review from September 15, 2013
Nearly 60 years of revealing letters to and from the composer of West Side Story, a musical colossus who stood with one foot on Broadway, the other in whatever of the world's symphony halls he wished. Meticulously and even lovingly edited and annotated by Simeone, the author of Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story (2009), the volume begins in 1932 with a letter from the 14-year-old to his piano teacher, Helen Coates, who reappears throughout. Simeone does not reproduce every letter here (he focuses principally on Bernstein's musical life), but even so, Bernstein's list of correspondents is a virtual who's who: Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Judy Holliday, Randall Thompson, Jerome Robbins, Bette Davis, Farley Granger (with whom he apparently had a fling), Lena Horne, James M. Cain, Martha Gellhorn, Arthur Miller, Aldous Huxley, Cole Porter, a 10-year-old Yo-Yo Ma, Thornton Wilder, and on and on. There's also a touching late-life letter from Miles Davis, who wrote, "You are one of America's true geniuses." Indeed, Simeone also focuses--though softly--on Bernstein's sexual identity (his wife was well-aware of his homosexuality) and includes a few letters mentioning the births of his children (much more appears in the footnotes). Bernstein was generally exuberant in his letters, reporting his podium successes around the world with great panache. He encouraged other musicians, was grateful for those who had helped him, and was generous to his collaborators. He and Robbins admit towering admiration for each other--though recognizing, as well, how they got on the other's nerves. Simeone's notes are numerous and thorough (though he errs when he claims that Billy the Kid's real name was William H. Bonney; it was an alias), and the letters become weighty with poignant and wrenching dramatic irony as we recognize the end nearing. Bernstein emerges as highly literate, compassionate, astonishingly busy and gifted almost beyond measure.
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Starred review from October 15, 2013
Simeone (Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story) has mined the vast treasure trove of composer Bernstein's letters housed in the Library of Congress. This book boasts an impressive assortment of 650 letters to and from the maestro, spanning the years 1932, when Bernstein was a precocious teenager studying piano, and 1990, the year of his death. The letters are arranged into nine chronological chapters, each with an explanatory introduction. Numerous footnotes provide context. Bernstein was one of the most articulate and witty writers on the contemporary music scene, and his posthumous prose collection Findings contains ample evidence of his literary prowess. This talent and prolixity are very much on display in this volume. Simeone has chosen letters that highlight Bernstein's musical activities rather than strictly personal ones, and the list of correspondents forms a who's who of musical, literary, artistic, and political luminaries in the second half of the 20th century. The numerous letters to and from composer Aaron Copland, who seems to have been both a father figure and a cherished mentor, are among the most revealing and touching. VERDICT This fascinating volume is not just a must-buy for all Bernstein fans, it's also for anyone interested in the American music scene in the latter part of the 20th century. It belongs in all music collections.--Larry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., Bethlehem, PA
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