Before Mass – Bernstein to Caracalla: Rai 3 documentary

THEthe documentary Before Mass – Bernstein to Caracalla rebuilds the fascinating and complex realization Italian of one of the most beautiful composition by master Leonard Bernsteintonight on the first tv at 21.20 on Rai 3. Waiting for biopic written by and starring Bradley Cooper and that we will probably see next time Venice Film Festival.

Before Mass – Bernstein to Caracalla: the documentary

Produced by Rai Documentaries, Before Mass – Bernstein to Caracalla And a journey into the creation of a great theatrical show, told from the very first idea to the debut. The film reveals everything that happens before the staging of Maxwithholding one of the most original and engaging works by the great American composer Leonard Bernsteinregarded by critics as ithe second best conductor of all time. And author of some unforgettable music such as those for the musical West Side Story.

The documentary tells the staging of this extraordinary musical page that it was commissioned from Bernstein in 1971 by Jacqueline Kennedy on the occasion of the opening of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts of Washington DC.

The work is based on the Tridentine Mass of the Roman Catholic Church and liturgical passages are mostly sung in Latin, although there are also additional texts in English written by Bernstein, composer Stephen Schwartz and Paul Simon. Performed for the first time in Italy last year at the Teatro dell’Opera in Romedirected by Damiano Michieletto, with an expenditure of energy and resources that are difficult to replicate given the complexity of the execution.

The musical genius of Leonard Bernstein

Born in 1918 into a family of Polish Jews, the legendary composer forge ahead in just a few yearsbecoming just 27 years old conductor of the New York City Center Orchestra having recently graduated in orchestration in Philadelphia. In 1953 he was the first American to conduct the orchestra of La Scala in Milanstaging Medea with Maria Callas who, subsequently, will direct in There sleepwalker And La Boheme.

At the same time he dedicated himself to the composition of operas, symphonies, soundtracks (Harbor front by Elia Kazan) and musicals. What they will become some of the biggest hits of both Broadway and Hollywood. In fact, his scores by One day in New York, Peter Pan and of the legendary West Side Story.

Always politically committed to the left, Bernstein was one of the first artists to live his homosexuality freely. first married to Felicia Montalegre – to which he will remain very close throughout his life -, in the 70s the composer leaves his wife and begins a relationship with colleague Tom Cothran. Years later she will meet the Japanese businessman Kunihiko Hashimoto and spend her last years of life with him.

Master: the biopic directed by and starring Bradley Cooper

Produced and distributed by Netflixthe film stars Cooper, Carey Mulligan (as wife Felicia), Maya Hawke (daughter Jamie) e Matt Bomer (companion Tom Cothran). Partly shot in Italymost likely Master it will come presented at the next Venice Film Festival, as was the case with Cooper’s directorial debut with A Star is Born. Project pampered by the actor of American Sniper, originally the film starred Steven Spielberg behind the camera that he would have wanted Cooper in the role of protagonist. However, Cooper is busy on another set and so the film is partially shelved when it finally arrives it is the actor himself who decides to direct it. With all due respect to his friend Steven.

Cooper worked for over four years on the drafting of the film, almost a real obsession as he explained a while ago variety. «As a child I always wanted to be an orchestra conductor», he revealed. “I was so obsessed with it that I asked when I was 8 a wand to Santa Claus. I listened to music, I fell in love with the notes and I could recognize every single passage of a piece, for example Tchaikovsky’s Opus 35 in D major, in the violin concert».

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