To me, he will always represent the passionate pursuit of expression and a love for beauty in spite of the pain and tragedy of life.
Matt Walter of Los Angeles, CA remembers:
Four days after my ninth birthday, I heard on the radio that Leonard Bernstein died. I was sitting with my mother in the kitchen in suburban Chicago. When I heard the news, I asked her who Leonard Bernstein was, and I still remember her telling me with sadness that he was a famous musician in New York. I felt a strange and unsettling loss, like my own grandfather had died, without even knowing who the man was.
Later on in life, I listened to Leonard’s recordings, read his biographies, watched his Young People’s concerts and lectures, and came to know and love him almost like he was a friend. To me, he will always represent the passionate pursuit of expression and a love for beauty in spite of the pain and tragedy of life.
And in an increasingly coarse and vulgar world, Leonard Bernstein reminds me that art matters.
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