Great musician of today
How times and circumstances shape brilliant musicians
Right after my yesterday’s lecture on Leonard Bernstein, my husband reached me with a question. I really like this habit of him — to ask extremely intriguing questions privately, afterward. He asked if I could imagine young Lenny Bernstein paving his way to fame and glory today and might be even here — in Europe.
Although my first thought was “why actually should I imagine that?”, I almost immediately recalled my own article beginning:
“The U.S. in the 1940s, a country where Leonard Bernstein belonged to. A place for dreams, a place for fears. Also a Wartime. America which had a great music culture, and yet not a single American conductor.”
And then I realized how brilliant this question was.
Leonard Bernstein was a man of his time, an impossible, incredible child of America in Wartime. Nevertheless he, himself was notably empathic, feeling a strong connection to Gustav Mahler, another great Bohemian/Austrian composer and conductor of the past. So, why, I was now thinking, I wouldn’t imagine Lenny Bernstein living here and now.
I thought the 1940s were not easy for people. As war is never easy. And yet, when war rages mainly on another continent, there’re some advantages for art development. While most money is concentrated in the industrial sector, the government always finds some to entertain people. The hunger for “bread and circuses” will not be deprived. This means small but constant support for culture. And so it was. The same thing kept going during the Cold war. Large institutions received money to develop their field and entertain mass with high-quality content.
But now, we play by different rules. Institutions need sponsors. Sponsors dictate and demand a return a little more than just happy masses. Art is not anymore a world where you have to find or sometimes fight for your place. It’s an industry where you have to work and earn. Where your talent is now valued differently.
Time changed, the wars seemed to be over, though governments are always about to start a new one, just to keep out attention focused on the external issues. But social problems and circumstances are also different now.
The main problem of Lenard Bernstein was yet that time passive antisemitism, which didn’t cause any troubles for him but could and had to limit his career development. Now, I guess, he wouldn’t have such a problem. But what could become a problem is his friends and interests Lenny shared during his studies. His comrades were philosophers, writers and their parties were full of thought-provoking discussions which affected his early works, as well as Candide, which he wrote being already an established composer. I can easily imagine young Lenny writing for some small independent stages in New York or Berlin or London, as well as I can see him having a conversation with his mentor:
“Lenny, you are a brilliant musician. But that will never happen, no matter how talented you are, that the one who writes and conducts this provocative stuff parodying British politics will conduct Berliner Philharmonic.”
He would never give up his ideas.
And I don’t know where it would lead him.
Would he be noticed and hired for some good but minor project? Would he be acclaimed for that and go further? From one stage to another. Would his genius be eventually recognized and would he achieve a world success, being not yet old, by 50?
I cannot say that but what I’m quite sure about is that he would work. Work a lot with no sleep. Blessing and cursing his insomnia. He would hang out and party with his friends. He would love his friends and all the people around. He would be loved. Loved by his friends. Family and kids. His musicians, all of them, on every stage — big or small. His audience, from underground decadence parties in Berlin and across the ocean to Carnegie Hall.
I do believe that he would be different but remain himself. And would never lose the taste of life. But I cannot be sure we would all know him. We are those who would easily lose Lenny. And now, I’m asking, aren’t we missing another great conductor, another great heart to love? Not Lenny, no. Someone else. And something tells me, that one day we can read an article which starts with:
“United Europe in the 2010s, a place where this great conductor belonged to. A place for dreams, a place for fears. For Brexit, human rights, refugees, fear of inadequate politician. Europe which had a great music culture, which paid and earned, but had very few true thinkers.”
