London area (Reuters) – It can be one of the saddest but most loving letters authored by a lady so you can a guy – Chilean celebrity Felicia Montealegre informing the lady husband to be, conductor and you can author Leonard Bernstein, she knows they are homosexual but desires to wed him anyway.
The newest letter, in which Montealegre claims “you’re a gay and you ong many in the a recently available regularity “The new Characters out-of Leonard Bernstein” modified by the English audio scholar Nigel Simeone, just who in past times wrote a text regarding Bernstein’s well known Broadway sounds “Western Top Facts”.
Bernstein from inside the characters – gifted, homosexual and liked by their girlfriend
With the quantity of characters, 650 of those within the a text of nearly that lots of profiles, Simeone told you he had sifted due to specific 10,one hundred thousand regarding You.S. Collection out-of Congress compiled by new prolific Bernstein, with missives matchmaking off his youngsters up to his death inside the October 1990, and off their correspondents.
“I generated around three stacks immediately after which experience new heap of ‘need to haves’ and you will work by about half,” Simeone informed Reuters. “We ended up with the thing i believe got something you should state about your, from the his audio otherwise their community or his family relations that were interesting.”
The resulting regularity includes letters to and from many of the big brands inside musical of history century, such as the composer Aaron Copland, who was an earlier determine, conductor Serge Koussevitsky, which aided offer your a-start while the good conductor, while the author David Diamond, who was simply a good friend.
Most other music names are priced between soprano Maria Callas, whom watched Bernstein in early stages given that an enormous talent and had your to help you perform on her during the Los angeles Scala opera domestic for the Milan, so you can Pierre Boulez, Nadia Boulanger, Charles Chew up and you may Dmitri Mitropolous.
These might possibly be mostly of interest towards music community, however are very holding, for instance the of them from Montealegre, otherwise cast a special white toward historical situations.
One of several second is just one regarding U.S. Chairman John F. Kennedy’s widow Jacqueline, creating in the 1968 shortly after Bernstein had install a monument performance to possess JFK’s assassinated sister Robert. It begins: “It is 4:00 was – after this long, long-day”.
It goes onto thank him getting slicing through the new church bureaucracy to prepare getting Mahler and you can Verdi played in the Robert Kennedy’s memorial Size.
“I imagined they the most beautiful sounds I experienced ever heard,” Jacqueline Kennedy produces. “I am therefore happy I did not understand it – it was this uncommon audio of all gods who have been weeping.”
Simeone told you he was happy whenever Caroline Kennedy, brand new girl regarding JFK and you may Jackie, decided to help your use it.
“Some one thought to myself it’s great but there is not a way for the hell you’ll receive to use it. I want to has actually stuck the girl with the a beneficial go out once the I couldn’t had a better react regarding Caroline saying, ‘What an attractive page, without a doubt you can utilize it’.”
Sharing Correspondence
Certainly Bernstein’s extremely discussing pieces of communications is by using Copland, this new creator of your sound of your own American west inside the ballets “Rodeo” and you will “Billy the little one”, so you can which little son in the 1940 transmit their frustrations, asking: “As to the reasons habit Chopin mazurkas? As to why routine possibly the Copland distinctions?”
That Copland sagely replied: “What scary letters you write: complement the fresh flames is what he’s. Consider just how much you would need to pay to help you recover such a page forty years regarding now if you are conductor of (Ny) Philharmonic” – and therefore Bernstein would be to getting 18 years later.
The page of Montealegre, created, the publication claims, in both late 1951 otherwise very early 1952, need certainly to review no matter if as one of the very considerate and you can holding “prenuptial preparations” into number:
“First: We’re not invested in a life phrase – nothing is most irrevocable, not really relationship (although We regularly think so),” Montealegre had written.
“Second: you’re a homosexual and may never ever change – you never acknowledge into the probability of a double lives, but if your peace of mind, your overall health, the nervous system rely on a specific sexual pattern, exactly what do you are doing?
“Third: I am ready to accept your because you are, without being a martyr or compromising myself to your L.B. altar. (I happen to like you greatly – this may be a disease if in case it’s what most readily useful lose?)”
Even with the woman having gone with sight wide open towards the a wedding that lead several children and you can Columbus escort service and that afterwards letters show was enormously rewarding and fascinating, Montealegre you will definitely have not predicted the fresh awful comeuppance she got whenever she created malignant tumors and you may Bernstein given up this lady for a male spouse.
Although the few was basically resigned shortly just before Felicia’s dying into the 1978, Simeone sees it a decreased reason for Bernstein’s otherwise renowned community and you may encouraging lives.
“About he previously experience when anyone told you, ‘To have Christ’s sake, types it out’, he had the sense going running back once again to Felicia.
