Leonard Bernstein

Composer, pianist, author, television teacher, Harvard lecturer, cultural icon, humanist and conductor without peer, Leonard Bernsteins versatility was legendary. He captivated Broadway with such hits as On the Town and West Side Story and introduced middle America to classical music with his Young Peoples Concerts on television. He composed three symphonies and a full-length opera, and he inspired the worlds leading orchestras to give some of the most memorable performances of the twentieth century.

Humphrey Burton was given exclusive access to Bernsteins rich legacy of letters and papers, and the book draws on hundreds of interviews with family, friends and colleagues to reveal Bernsteins fascinating and complex personality. His compelling narrative captures Bernsteins high-spirited vitality on the page, providing a frank account of his homosexuality and his marriage and chronicling the lifelong conflict between the rival claims of Bernsteins conducting and composing careers.

Humphrey Burton has written a very detailed and candid account of his friend ... The mass of material is superbly handled ... [Bernstein] was a musical genius and he deserves this measured and meticulous biography.Sunday Telegraph