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Leonard Bernstein was one of twentieth-century music´s most successful and recognizable figures. In a career spanning five decades, he conducted many of the world´s leading orchestras and composed scores for landmark musicals such as West Side Story. With an iron self-belief, he negotiated risky and challenging musical situations that resulted in always passionate, if sometimes mixed, reviews. Published to coincide with the hundredth anniversary of Bernstein´s birth, this engaging new biography provides a concise overview of the life and work of a prodigiously talented, endlessly enthralling and controversial musician.
Drawing on more than thirty years of study, leading Bernstein scholar Paul R. Laird describes Bernstein´s work as a conductor, composer, music educator and commentator, evaluating all of his major compositions. Laird also explores the impact of Bernstein´s complicated personal life on his professional work, including his homosexuality and his strong yet difficult marriage. Featuring original insights into Bernstein´s life and work, including information gleaned from a 1982 interview with Bernstein, Laird´s book is the ideal introduction to Bernstein´s eclectic musical style and complex character, showing how both fit within the larger world of twentieth-century music.

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