A review by amchan
Dinner with Lenny: The Last Long Interview with Leonard Bernstein by Jonathan Cott

4.0

Beyond one music history course I took in college, of which I have retained very little, I feel ill-versed to converse about classical music or modern composers, so I have been seeking to bridge this void, however feeble. Appreciation for today's music can only be further enhanced by better understanding what came before it and what led to its evolution, so reading Bernstein's enthusiastic replies utterly encourages this endeavor. His words overflow with love for the genre, for he perceives each instrumental section more as a character within a narrative, transforming how any piece may be received by its listener. His firm stance in keeping an open mind, seeing himself as a beginner by ignoring his accolades, and belief children are born with an inherent love of learning (despite extenuating circumstances that may suggest otherwise) enabled him to remain actively conducting and sharp-witted to the very end.

As for name-dropping, he probably mentioned Brahms, Stravinsky, and Copeland the most besides the requisite Beethoven and Mozart.