Leonard Bernstein

Composer, pianist, author, television lecturer, Harvard lecturer, cultural icon and conductor without peer, Leonard Bernstein was one of the most flamboyant and multifaceted musical giants of the twentieth century. His versatility and boundless energy were legendary. He captivated Broadway with such hits as On the Town and West Side Story, wrested and cajoled out of the world's best orchestras the most inspired performances ever heard, and introduced several generations of Americans to classical music with his "Omnibus" and Young People's Concerts television shows. This detailed and in-depth biography brings to life this controversial and contradictory figure.