Editing Leonard Bernstein (section)

=== 1950s: Career expansion and ''West Side Story'' ===
[[File:Leonard Bernstein - 1950s.JPG|thumb|upright|left|Bernstein, c. 1950s]]
The 1950s comprised the most active years of Bernstein's career. He created five new works for the Broadway stage, composed several symphonic works and an iconic film score, and was appointed music director of the New York Philharmonic with whom he toured the world, including concerts behind the Iron Curtain. Bernstein also harnessed the power of television to expand his educational reach, and he married and started a family. In 1950, Bernstein composed incidental music for a Broadway production of J. M. Barrie's play ''[[Peter Pan (1950 musical)|Peter Pan]]''.<ref>[http://barbaraanneshaircombblog.com/images/symphonyofthenewworld/benjaminsteinberg-leonardbernstein-peterpan.jpg ''Peter Pan'', music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein], ''[[Playbill]]'', April 24, 1950.</ref> The production, which opened on Broadway on April 24, 1950, starred [[Jean Arthur]] as [[Peter Pan]] and [[Boris Karloff]] in the dual roles of [[George Darling (Peter Pan)|George Darling]] and [[Captain Hook]]. The show ran for 321 performances.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Peter Pan'' – Broadway Revival – Imperial Theatre|url=https://www.playbill.com/production/peter-pan-imperial-theatre-vault-0000006063|access-date=May 31, 2022|website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref>

In 1951, Bernstein composed ''[[Trouble in Tahiti]]'', a one-act opera in seven scenes with an English [[libretto]] by the composer. The opera portrays the troubled marriage of a couple whose idyllic suburban post-war environment belies their inner turmoil.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Leonard Bernstein Trouble in Tahiti (original orchestral version) – Opera|url=https://www.boosey.com/pages/opera/moredetails?musicid=2098|access-date=September 24, 2021|website=boosey.com}}</ref> Ironically, Bernstein wrote most of the opera while on his honeymoon in Mexico with his wife, [[Felicia Montealegre]]. Bernstein was a visiting music professor at [[Brandeis University]] from 1951 to 1956. In 1952, he created the [[Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts|Brandeis Festival of the Creative Arts]], where he conducted the premiere of ''[[Trouble in Tahiti]]'' on June 12 of that year.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Bernstein|url=http://www.leonardbernstein.com/about.php|website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> The [[NBC Opera Theatre]] subsequently presented the opera on television in November 1952. It opened on Broadway at the Playhouse Theatre on April 19, 1955, and ran for six weeks.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Trouble in Tahiti (Broadway, Playhouse Theatre, 1955)|url=https://playbill.com/production/trouble-in-tahiti-playhouse-theatre-vault-0000009368|access-date=January 20, 2022|website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref> Three decades later, Bernstein wrote a second opera, ''[[A Quiet Place (opera)|A Quiet Place]]'', which picked up the story and characters of ''Trouble in Tahiti'' in a later period.

[[File:Leonard Bernstein in his apartment, New York, N.Y., between 1946 and 1948 (William P. Gottlieb 00671).jpg|thumb|Bernstein collaborated with [[Comden and Green]] on ''[[Wonderful Town]]'' ]]
''' ''Wonderful Town'' (1953) '''
{{main|Wonderful Town}}
In 1953, Bernstein wrote the score for the musical ''[[Wonderful Town]]'' on very short notice, with a book by [[Joseph A. Fields]] and [[Jerome Chodorov]] and lyrics by [[Betty Comden]] and [[Adolph Green]]. Like the 1940 play, directed on Broadway by [[George S. Kaufman]], it is based on the autobiographical short stories, collectively titled ''[[My Sister Eileen (play)|My Sister Eileen]]'', that were written by [[Ruth McKenney]] and published in the early 1930s by ''[[The New Yorker]]''. They tell the story of two sisters from Ohio who move to New York City and seek success from their squalid [[basement apartment]] in [[Greenwich Village]]. ''Wonderful Town'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on February 25, 1953, at the [[Winter Garden Theatre]], starring [[Rosalind Russell]] in the role of Ruth Sherwood, [[Edie Adams]] as Eileen Sherwood, and [[George Gaynes]] as Robert Baker. It won five [[Tony Awards]], including Best Musical and Best Actress.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Wonderful Town'' – Broadway Original – Winter Garden Theatre|url=https://www.playbill.com/production/wonderful-town-winter-garden-theatre-vault-0000011590|access-date=May 31, 2022|website=[[Playbill]]}}</ref>

''' ''Candide'' (1956) '''
{{main|Candide (operetta)}}
In the three years leading up to Bernstein's appointment as music director of the New York Philharmonic, Bernstein was simultaneously working on the scores for two Broadway shows. The first of the two was the [[operetta]]-style musical ''[[Candide (operetta)|Candide]].'' [[Lillian Hellman]] originally brought Bernstein her idea of adapting [[Voltaire]]'s [[Candide|novella]].{{sfn|Simeone|2013|page=311}} The original collaborators on the show were book writer [[John La Touche (lyricist)|John Latouche]] and lyricist [[Richard Wilbur]]. ''Candide'' opened on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] on December 1, 1956, at the [[Martin Beck Theatre]], in a production directed by [[Tyrone Guthrie]]. Anxious about the parallels Hellman had deliberately drawn between Voltaire's story and the ongoing hearings conducted by the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]], Guthrie persuaded the collaborators to cut their most incendiary sections prior to opening night.{{sfn|Burton|1995|page=260}} While the production was a box office disaster, running for only two months for a total of 73 performances,<ref>{{IBDB title|2591|Candide|(1956/57)}}</ref> the cast album became a cult classic, which kept Bernstein's score alive. There have been several revivals, with modifications to improve the book. The elements of the music that have remained best known and performed over the decades are the Overture, which quickly became one of the most frequently performed orchestral compositions by a [[20th-century classical music|20th century]] [[Music of the United States|American]] composer; the coloratura aria "Glitter and Be Gay", which [[Barbara Cook]] sang in the original production; and the grand finale "Make Our Garden Grow".

''' ''West Side Story'' (1957)'''
{{main|West Side Story}}
[[File:Original West Side Story.jpg|thumb|left|Bernstein gained prominence for the Original Broadway production of ''[[West Side Story]]'' in 1957]]
The other musical Bernstein was writing simultaneously with ''Candide'' was ''[[West Side Story]]''. Bernstein collaborated with director and choreographer [[Jerome Robbins]], book writer [[Arthur Laurents]], and lyricist [[Stephen Sondheim]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Authors|url=https://www.westsidestory.com/authors|access-date=November 15, 2021|website=West Side Story}}</ref> The story is an updated retelling of Shakespeare's ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]'', set in the mid-1950s in the slums of New York City's [[Upper West Side]]. The Romeo character, Tony, is affiliated with the Jets gang, who are of white Northern European descent. The Juliet character is Maria, who is connected to the Sharks gang, recently arrived from [[Puerto Rico]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=September 16, 2015|title=West Side Story|url=https://www.mtishows.com/west-side-story|access-date=November 15, 2021|website=Music Theatre International}}</ref> The original Broadway production opened at the [[Winter Garden Theatre]] on September 26, 1957, and ran 732 performances. Robbins won the [[Tony Award]] for Best Choreographer, and [[Oliver Smith (designer)|Oliver Smith]] won the Tony for Best Scenic Designer.<ref>{{IBDB show|9232|West Side Story|(1957)}}</ref>

Bernstein's score for ''West Side Story'' blends "jazz, Latin rhythms, symphonic sweep and musical-comedy conventions in groundbreaking ways for Broadway".<ref>{{Cite web|date=May 24, 2019|title=60-plus years later, ''West Side Story'' endures and thrives, including a new production at 5th Avenue Theatre|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/theater/60-plus-years-later-west-side-story-endures-and-thrives/|access-date=November 15, 2021|website=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref> It was [[orchestrated]] by [[Sid Ramin]] and [[Irwin Kostal]] following detailed instructions from Bernstein. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in musical theatre. In 1960, Bernstein prepared a [[Suite (music)|suite]] of orchestral music from the show, titled ''Symphonic Dances from West Side Story'', which continues to be popular with orchestras worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web|year=2019|title=Classical Music in 2018: The year in statistics|url=https://bachtrack.com/files/96739-EN-Classical-music-statistics-2018.pdf|work=[[Bachtrack]]|access-date=November 15, 2021|archive-date=March 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190329182507/https://bachtrack.com/files/96739-EN-Classical-music-statistics-2018.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> A [[West Side Story (1961 film)|1961 United Artists film adaptation]], directed by [[Robert Wise]] and Robbins, starred [[Natalie Wood]] as Maria and [[Richard Beymer]] as Tony. The film won ten [[Academy Awards]], including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and a ground-breaking Best Supporting Actress award for Puerto Rican-born [[Rita Moreno]] playing the role of Anita.<ref>{{YouTube|title=Rita Moreno winning Best Supporting Actress|id=ZaOy0eb0Tbs}}</ref> A [[West Side Story (2021 film)|film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg]] opened in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|title=''West Side Story'' (2021) – About the Movie|publisher=[[Amblin Entertainment]]|url=https://amblin.com/movie/west-side-story/|access-date=November 15, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:I Feel Pretty from West Side Story 1957.JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.3|L–R: [[Frances Taylor Davis|Elizabeth Taylor]],<ref>Dancer and actress [[Frances Taylor Davis]] was billed as Elizabeth Taylor</ref> Carmen Gutierrez, [[Marilyn Cooper]], and [[Carol Lawrence]] from the original Broadway cast sing "[[I Feel Pretty]]" (1957)]]
In addition to Bernstein's compositional activity for the stage, he wrote a symphonic work, ''[[Serenade after Plato's "Symposium"]]'' (1954); the score ''[[On the Waterfront]]'' (1954); and ''[[Prelude, Fugue and Riffs]]'', composed in 1949, but only premiered in 1955, for jazz big band and solo clarinet. In 1953, Bernstein became the first American conductor to appear at [[La Scala]] in Milan, conducting Cherubini's ''[[Médée (Cherubini)|Medea]]'', with [[Maria Callas]] in the title role. Callas and Bernstein reunited at La Scala to perform Bellini's ''[[La sonnambula]]'' in 1955. On November 14, 1954, Bernstein presented the first of his television lectures for the CBS Television Network arts program [[Omnibus (American TV program)|''Omnibus'']]. The live lecture, entitled "Beethoven's Fifth Symphony", involved Bernstein explaining the symphony's first movement with the aid of musicians from the "Symphony of the Air" (formerly [[NBC Symphony Orchestra]]). The program featured manuscripts from Beethoven's own hand, as well as a giant painting of the first page of the score covering the studio floor. Six more ''Omnibus'' lectures followed from 1955 to 1961 (later on ABC and then NBC) covering a broad range of topics: jazz, conducting, American musical comedy, modern music, [[J. S. Bach]], and [[grand opera]].

''' Music director of the New York Philharmonic '''
[[File:Leonard Bernstein NYWTS 1955.jpg|thumb|left|Bernstein at the piano, annotating a musical score, 1955]]
Bernstein was appointed the music director of the New York Philharmonic in 1957, sharing the post jointly with [[Dimitri Mitropoulos]] until he took sole charge in 1958. Bernstein held the music directorship until 1969 when he was appointed "Laureate Conductor". He continued to conduct and make recordings with the orchestra for the rest of his life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nyphil.org/about-us/artists/leonard-bernstein|title=Leonard Bernstein|website=nyphil.org}}</ref> Bernstein's television teaching took a quantum leap when, as the new music director of the New York Philharmonic, he put the orchestra's traditional Saturday afternoon [[Young People's Concerts]] on the CBS Television Network. Millions of viewers of all ages and around the world enthusiastically embraced Bernstein and his engaging presentations about classical music. Bernstein often presented talented young performers on the broadcasts. Many of them became celebrated in their own right, including conductors [[Claudio Abbado]] and [[Seiji Ozawa]]; flutist [[Paula Robison]]; and pianist [[André Watts]]. From 1958 until 1972, the 53 Young People's Concerts comprised the most influential series of music education programs ever produced on television.<ref>{{cite web|title=Young People's Concerts|url=http://www.leonardbernstein.com/ypc_publications.htm|access-date=September 20, 2010|publisher=Leonard Bernstein}}</ref> They were highly acclaimed by critics and won numerous [[Emmy Awards]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=''Young People's Concerts'' with the New York Philharmonic|url=https://www.emmys.com/shows/new-york-philharmonic-young-peoples-concerts|access-date=September 24, 2021|website=Television Academy}}</ref>

Some of Bernstein's scripts, all of which he wrote himself, were released in book form and on records.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bernstein|first=Leonard|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d-zwOLoDIcEC|title=Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concerts|date=2005|publisher=Hal Leonard|isbn=978-1-57467-102-5}}</ref> A recording of ''Humor in Music'' was awarded a [[Grammy]] award for Best Documentary or Spoken Word Recording (other than comedy) in 1961.<ref>{{cite web|title=Honors: A Selected List – Grammy Awards|url=http://www.leonardbernstein.com/honors.htm|access-date=November 12, 2015|website=The Leonard Bernstein Office, Inc.}}</ref> The programs were shown in many countries around the world, often with Bernstein dubbed into other languages, and the concerts were later released on home video by [[Kultur Video]].
[[File:Bernstein with TV Camera.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Bernstein with members of the New York Philharmonic rehearsing for a television broadcast, {{c.|1958}}]]
In 1958, Bernstein and Mitropoulos led the New York Philharmonic on its first tour south of the border, through 12 countries in Central and South America. The [[United States Department of State]] sponsored the tour to improve the nation's relations with its southern neighbors.{{sfn|Laird|Lin|2019|p={{page needed|date=March 2022}}}} In 1959, the Department of State also sponsored Bernstein and the Philharmonic on a 50-concert tour through Europe and the Soviet Union, portions of which were filmed by the [[CBS]] Television Network. A highlight of the tour was Bernstein's performance of [[Shostakovich]]'s [[Symphony No. 5 (Shostakovich)|Fifth Symphony]], in the presence of the composer, who came on stage at the end to congratulate Bernstein and the musicians.