Experiencing Leonard Bernstein A Listener's Companion [Hardcover]

On the next-to-last page of his survey of Leonard Bernsteins compositions, LaFave says, 'I fully expected Bernstein the composer to shrink' as the book burgeoned. The reverse occurred. Bernsteins music revealed more and more structural glories, such as the informing use of the tritone in West Side Story, as well as an overall profile at once traditional and avant-garde. Bernstein clung to tonality and argued against atonal and 12-tone composition per se while exemplifying how to use 12-tone rows within tonal works. He leaped into the orchestral percussion revolution that led to minimalism, and he pioneered injecting pop-music styles, performance techniques, and instruments (electric guitar, Hammond organ) into otherwise classical orchestral and singing ensembles to produce the sui generis Mass, 'the best-selling multiple-disc classical recording in the industrys history.' LaFaves greater-than-anticipated enthusiasm for his subject shows in the liveliness of his engrossing readings of Bernsteins scores, which include thorough plot pr?cis of the composers dramatic works, including the musicals, the movie On the Waterfront, Mass, and even the violin concerto Serenade after Platos Symposium (based on a drama of sorts, after all). Reading his descriptive analyses seems the next-best thing to attending actual performancesquite an achievement for a series book.'The Listener's Companion' series in which this book appears is meant to provide accessible, user-friendly information on prominent composers, performers, and music artists. A music journalist and working composer and musician, LaFave knew Bernstein personally and so is able to present him in a very different light than could a musicologist or even an avid scholar. LaFave takes a chronological approach to Bernstein's life and musical career, analyzing influences, people, and his compositions in a straightforward and approachable fashion. Bernstein is presented in all of his facets, both positive and negative,l$