On the Road and off the Record with Leonard Bernstein

My Years with the Exasperating Genius

De: Charlie Harmon, Harold Prince - foreword

Narrado por: William Dufris

Written by his former assistant and with a foreword by Broadway legend Harold Prince, this audiobook celebrates Leonard Bernstein's centenary with an intimate and detailed look at the public and private life of the maestro.

Leonard Bernstein reeked of cheap cologne and obviously hadn't showered, shaved, or slept in a while. Was he drunk to boot? He greeted his new assistant with "What are you drinking?" Yes, he was drunk.

Charlie Harmon was hired to manage the day-to-day parts of Bernstein's life. There was one additional responsibility: make sure Bernstein met the deadline for an opera commission. But things kept getting in the way: the centenary of Igor Stravinsky, intestinal parasites picked up in Mexico, teaching all summer in Los Angeles, a baker's dozen of young men, plus depression, exhaustion, insomnia, and cutthroat games of anagrams. Did the opera get written?

For four years, Charlie saw Bernstein every day, as his social director, gatekeeper, valet, music copyist, and itinerant orchestra librarian. He packed (and unpacked) Bernstein's umpteen pieces of luggage, got the maestro to his concerts, kept him occupied changing planes in Zurich, Anchorage, Tokyo, or Madrid, and learned how to make small talk with mayors, ambassadors, a chancellor, a queen, and a Hollywood legend or two. How could anyone absorb all those people and places? Because there was music: late-night piano duets, or the maestro's command to accompany an audition, or, by the way, the greatest orchestras in the world. Charlie did it, and this is what it was like, told for the first time.

©2018 Charlie Harmon (P)2019 Tantor

Reseñas de la Crítica

"Harmon's personable and warm account of what it was like to work for one of the twentieth century's musical giants casts new light on Bernstein and his world." (Booklist)

Best of Bernstein Recollection Works

A very beautifully written memoir of the Maestro. It was my favorite of the many I have read.

Outstanding! I loved evey word. So vivid!

This book was fun, colorful, insightful and a joy to read. I lived hearing the names of old favorites and getting a behind the scenes view of what went on. Bravo.

Interesting easy listening

narration was good and easy to listen to. interesting glimpse into the back story of a musical genius as seen by his assistant. well written and kept my interest all the way through.

Just delicious

I never thought this audio book would be so good !!! specially considering that it is free of charge. I strongly recomend it .