Editing Leonard Bernstein (section)

=== As a conductor ===
[[File:Leonard Bernstein 3 Allan Warren.jpg|thumb|Leonard Bernstein rehearsing at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], London, 1973]]
Leonard Bernstein was one of the most important conductors of the 20th century.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The 20 Greatest Conductors of All Time |url=https://www.classical-music.com/features/artists/20-greatest-conductors-all-time |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=BBC Music Magazine |language=en}}</ref> He was held in high regard by musicians around the world, including the members of the [[New York Philharmonic]], which he led for eleven seasons; the [[Vienna Philharmonic]], where he received an honorary membership; the [[Boston Symphony Orchestra]], which he conducted principally at [[Tanglewood]] for over 50 years; the [[London Symphony Orchestra]], of which he was president; and the [[Israel Philharmonic Orchestra]], where he appeared regularly as their guest conductor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orchestras Conducted {{!}} Conductor {{!}} About {{!}} Leonard Bernstein |url=https://leonardbernstein.com/about/conductor/orchestras-conducted |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> Audiences worldwide eagerly anticipated Bernstein's performances, from New York to Tokyo to Caracas to Sydney.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Richard Halloran|date=September 6, 1974 |title=Bernstein Captivates Tokyo Audience|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/06/archives/bernstein-captivates-tokyo-audience-dances-on-podium-many-changes.html |access-date=November 10, 2023}}</ref>

In 1943, Bernstein's last-minute conducting debut in [[Carnegie Hall]] with the New York Philharmonic, which was broadcast live nationwide, caused him to become famous overnight. He soon became the first American-born, American-trained conductor to achieve international status, at a time when conductors traditionally came from Europe.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.carnegiehall.org/Explore/Articles/2023/08/30/Leonard-Bernsteins-Carnegie-Hall-Debut|title=Leonard Bernstein's Carnegie Hall Debut|access-date=November 10, 2023|publisher=[[Carnegie Hall]]}}</ref>

Bernstein's three major conducting mentors were [[Serge Koussevitzky]], [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]], and [[Fritz Reiner]].<ref name=GrammyMuseum>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2020 |title=Revisit: Leonard Bernstein at 100|publisher=[[Grammy Museum]]|url=https://grammymuseum.org/museum-at-home/revisit-leonard-bernstein-at-100/ |access-date=February 14, 2024}}</ref> Bernstein's conducting was characterized by his physically expressive podium manner.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Tommasini|first=Anthony|author-link=Anthony Tommasini|date=August 23, 2018 |title=In Praise of Bernstein as Conductor: Movement That Mesmerized|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/arts/music/leonard-bernstein-conductor.html |access-date=November 10, 2023}}</ref> Orchestra members often remarked that Bernstein's every gesture conveyed a specific musical communication for them.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Newton Mansfield {{!}} Interview|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/archive/interview/newton-mansfield/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=[[American Masters]]|publisher=[[PBS]]}}</ref>

Bernstein performed a wide classical music repertoire from the Baroque era to the music of his time.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Discography {{!}} Leonard Bernstein |url=https://www.leonardbernstein.com/discography |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=www.leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> Bernstein conducted and recorded definitive interpretations of works by traditional composers such as Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms, Schumann, and Tchaikovsky; championed music by lesser known composers such as Mahler, Sibelius, and Nielsen; and advocated modern composers such as Stravinsky, Hindemith, Shostakovich, and Ligeti.<ref>{{cite book |last=Holmes |first=John L. |title=Conductors on Record |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1982 |isbn=978-0-313-22990-9 |location=UK}}</ref> Bernstein programmed American composers everywhere in the world that he conducted, sharing the music of Gershwin, Copland, and Ives.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Peithman |first=Stephen |title=Composing or Conducting, Bernstein Created Music |url=https://www.capradio.org/121553 |access-date=November 10, 2023 |publisher=[[CapRadio]]}}</ref> He expanded the definitions of the genres that could be included in the concert hall by programming jazz, musical theater, and works from Latin America.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The American Musical Comedy {{!}} Omnibus {{!}} Television Scripts {{!}} Lectures/Scripts/Writings {{!}} Leonard Bernstein |url=https://leonardbernstein.com/lectures/television-scripts/omnibus/the-american-musical-comedy |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref>

A skilled pianist, he often conducted piano concertos from the keyboard, including works by Gershwin, Mozart, Beethoven, and Ravel.<ref>{{YouTube|title=Bernstein in Paris – Ravel Piano Concerto No. 1 in G major, I. Allegramente (excerpt)|id=k2_ATgHmDsY}} {{retrieved|access-date=November 10, 2023}}</ref>

Bernstein was also an influential conducting teacher and mentor. During his many years at Tanglewood, Schleswig-Holstein and elsewhere, Bernstein directly influenced many young conductors, including [[Seiji Ozawa]], [[Claudio Abbado]], [[Lorin Maazel]], [[Marin Alsop]], [[Michael Tilson Thomas]], [[James DePreist]], [[Edo de Waart]], [[Eiji Oue]], [[JoAnn Falletta]], [[Yutaka Sado]], [[Maurice Peress]], [[Carl St. Clair]], [[John Mauceri]], and [[Jaap van Zweden]].{{sfn|Laird|Lin|2019}}