Produced to mark the occasion of Leonard Bernstein’s centenary, internationally renowned opera superstar Dame Kiri Te Kanawa examines the maestro’s life and work, and in particular reflects on her own experience of working with him on a special landmark recording of West Side Story in New York City in 1984. This documentary film includes carefully-curated archive of Bernstein at work, including behind-the-scenes footage from the 1984 West Side Story recording session.

​

Produced with the full co-operation of the Leonard Bernstein Office, the film includes testimony from Bernstein’s daughter Jamie Bernstein, conductor Marin Alsop, Bernstein’s biographer Humphrey Burton, former boy soprano Aled Jones, Bernstein’s former assistant Craig Urquhart and writer Edward Seckerson. In addition to assessing the genius of Bernstein and his enduring cultural legacy, the programme also features a sequence in which Dame Kiri gives a performance masterclass to young musical theatre students from East London.

 

Produced for Sky Arts