Seldom has the genius of one man so influenced the musical conscience of his age. Leonard Bernstein triumphed as composer, conductor, writer and teacher. The spontaneous joy of his Broadway hits, the bold, spiritual quest of his orchestral works and his intensity and vitality as a conductor has made Bernstein one of the central figures in 20th Century music.

In Reflections, he discusses his Boston childhood, his musical growth at Harvard and the Curtis Institute, and the influence of great masters like Reiner, Mitropoulos and Koussevitsky. He shares his feelings on the primacy of tonal music and speculates on the nature of the creative process. From Carnegie Hall, scene of his debut, to the living room of his home and his private studio overlooking New York’s Central Park, Reflections explores the artist’s varied and colourful career.

Special Features:

• Performance clip of Darius Milhaud: Le Boeuf Sur Le Toit, featuring the National Orchestra of France, conducted by Bernstein (November 1976).
• A unique slide show of photos of Bernstein taken by director Peter Rosen.