Leonard Bernstein ( 1918-1990 ) is a name synonymous with the popularization of classical music among the American middle and working class. The charismatic composer of West Side Story and Candide advocated for incorporating vernacular and popular music—including jazz—into the rarified realm of symphonic composition. During 1958-1972 he enriched the lives of countless children through his nationally televised Young People's Concerts. He was an outspoken advocate for social justice who hired the New York Philharmonic's first full-time African-American and female musicians and a revered and reviled hub of 1960s "radical chic."
To LGBT audiences Bernstein is also an icon of a world-class gay artist who endured the threat of outing during an era when, according to Dr. Patricia J. Smith, "a revelation of homosexuality would undoubtedly have destroyed the celebrity and influence he had attained."
On Thursday evening, Sept. 2, Hershey Felder, award-winning creator and star of George Gershwin Alone, Beethoven as I Knew Him and Monsieur Chopin, will visit the Spertus Museum, 610 S. Michigan, to discuss the creation of his new work, Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein, and the ways in which he brings legends to life.
Hershey Felder is a composer, actor, playwright and musician. Born in Canada, the 42-year-old currently lives and works in Paris with his wife, Kim Campbell, a former prime minister of Canada. He has served as a scholar in residence at Harvard University School of Music and taught master classes at the Chicago College of Performing Arts, University of Pennsylvania and the Boston Conservatory. He continues to perform internationally.
Windy City Times recently chatted online with Felder regarding his view of Leonard Bernstein, and the Maestro's life and work.
Windy City Times: Why have you chosen the particular artists you have created work about—Gershwin, Chopin, Beethoven and now Bernstein? Is there a common thread that defines these four musicians for you?
Hershey Felder: The first three musicians, from my perspective, changed music entirely—Beethoven for everyone, Chopin for the piano and Gershwin for America. Bernstein was a part of that continuum. It's clear that he wanted to change music for the world as much as his predecessors. We know that he brought the classical arts to a much broader public, but whether he is a composer who significantly changed music is not an answer we'll have in our lifetime. Perhaps in a hundred years. In the meantime, it's fun to ponder.
WCT: Is there anything in your creative or personal life experience that influenced your choices? How do these selections reflect your experiences as an artist?
Hershey Felder: The characters that the audience meets on stage really are characters. What interests me is what they had to overcome to create their art—art at any cost.
WCT: What is your thematic emphasis in the Bernstein work?
Hershey Felder: A life in music.
WCT: In his 2009 book, Leonard Bernstein: The Political Life of an American Musician, political science professor Barry Seldes depicts Bernstein as being hugely motivated by a liberal political agenda. Would you define Bernstein as an "Arts Activist"? How do you see the balance in his work/life between politics and "pure art?"
Hershey Felder: I delved into Seldes' book with much relish, but I must admit, I had a hard time with a lot of it. While the FBI dossiers have been made available, I always get concerned when the writing makes ( or attempts to make ) the individual as opposed to the individual being revealed through the writing. That said, I think Bernstein had "ideas." And he wanted you and everyone else to really know them, and "get" them.
WCT: Bernstein has been included in the group of American Modernist composers who sought to incorporate popular music into symphonic composition. What do you think Bernstein would think of Rap and Hip Hop as vernacular urban music? Do you think he would use it in his compositions?
Hershey Felder: There are examples of Bernstein talking about "modern" music. He appears to me to be rather impatient, dismissive and even annoyed at music that perhaps was bypassing him. But then, in his Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award acceptance speech, he refers to "only two kinds of music. Good music and bad music." My guess is—if he found something interesting, different, new, evocative in rap and hip-hop ( not everything, but certain pieces ) —he'd probably call it good music, and perhaps then try and compose a major work using the elements.
WCT: Do you think that Bernstein's sexuality ( homosexuality/bisexuality—however we want to label it ) affected his creative work? In what ways?
Hershey Felder: This is an important question, but I can only answer based on what I personally think and feel about the idea. There are only good artists and lousy artists. I've quite lost track of what's politically correct at this point, so please forgive me, but I don't ( and never have ) looked upon individuals as gay, or straight, or bisexual. My terms of opinion regarding people is whether they are kind or they are nasty, whether they are generous or selfish, whether they are good at what they do, or whether they are just big talkers and really can't do anything at all. While Bernstein's sexuality is a major part of who he is, I must admit that I am the wrong person to ask whether his sexuality affected his art or not. Right or wrong, it is not a term of judgment for me.
WCT: If Bernstein were alive today, do you think he would come out? Do you think he would be an outspoken activist in the cause of civil rights for the LGBT community?
Hershey Felder: If it was important to him, you can bet you'd hear about it.
The benefit event, which includes preview selections from the one-man musical show, begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are $30 for the performance and discussion. Call 312-322-1773 or purchase online at www.spertus.org . Reservations for a $350 post-show reception with the performer can be made at 312-322-1725. The Spertus event precedes a two-night booking of Maestro at Ravinia's Martin Theatre on Sept. 5 and 7 ( www.ravinia.org ) .
