Maestro Celebrates the Art of Conducting. How Accurate Is It?
Maestro Celebrates the Art of Conducting. How Accurate Is It?
Conductor and BU School of Music Prof Daniel Parsley weighs in on what the Oscar-nominated biopic of Leonard Bernstein does—and does not—get right
This article was originally published in BU Today on February 26, 2024. By John O’Rourke
Maestro, the biopic about the great American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein (Hon.’83), is one of the most honored films of the year. The New York Times called the film, directed, produced, and cowritten by Bradley Cooper, “a fast-paced chronicle of towering highs, crushing lows, and artistic milestones.” In addition to being named one of the top films of the year by the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, Maestro has been nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best picture.
To prepare for his role, Cooper, whose performance has earned him a best actor Oscar nomination, spent five years meeting with, and closely studying, several famous conductors, including Gustavo Dudamel of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, music director of the Metropolitan Opera, who was the film’s conducting consultant. In one of Maestro’s most enthralling scenes, Cooper—as Bernstein—conducts the real-life London Symphony Orchestra in the finale of Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony, an experience Cooper later described as the “scariest thing I’ve ever done.”
How accurately does the film depict Bernstein? How well does it capture the interior life of a conductor? How convincing is Cooper in his scenes conducting from the podium? For those questions and others, BU Today spoke with Daniel Parsley, a Boston University College of Fine Arts School of Music assistant professor of choral conducting, director of choral activities, and director of graduate conducting programs. Parsley is also associate conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra and guest conductor with the Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q&A
WITH DANIEL PARSLEY
BU Today: Overall, what did you think of Maestro?
Parsley: The story of Bernstein is iconic and Maestro beautifully highlights one of America’s most treasured musical giants. The production value was top-notch, especially the scenes that include music-making. It is easy to focus solely on artistic product when we talk about musicians. It’s nice to see a movie clearly portray a conductor as just a regular person, but with nuance and a strong narrative.
BU Today: What marks would you give Cooper for his conducting scenes?
Parsley: At the end of the day, I thought Cooper did a decent job, considering he isn’t a conductor or a musician. His attempt is admirable and his preparation should be commended. To be a conductor requires a lifetime of intense commitment, dedication to acquiring technical skill, and real-world experience. I consistently remind my graduate conducting students at BU that becoming a great conductor doesn’t simply happen overnight. It requires significant acquisition of physical and aural skills. Conducting requires a lot of failure before success can be achieved.
BU Today: Can you talk about the seven-minute scene where Cooper as Bernstein conducts the London Symphony in Mahler’s Second Symphony. How accurate a depiction is it?
Parsley: The scene certainly provided the infamous Bernstein level of passion (and sweat) from Cooper. Bernstein was famous for sometimes conducting just with his face and eyebrows. I thought he did a terrific job encapsulating the essence of Bernstein through his body language and facial expression. The way that the cameras caught and panned through the orchestral playing and singing was world-class. The scene was visually stunning and aurally beautiful.
However, there are technical musical elements, which certainly don’t detract from the film, but may not work in the real world. In my experience, there would need to be a much larger choir [than that shown] to effectively balance the massive orchestra. And I might have preferred additional violins. It certainly suffices in a theatrical sense, but it may have been a tougher sell as a live performance.
BU Today: Bradley Cooper appears transported by the music. There’s a sense of transcendence. Have you experienced moments like that on stage while conducting?
Parsley: I’ve been lucky enough to have that experience a few times in my career. The first time I had that sense of transcendence was at the end of a massive three-year project with the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. I serve as artistic director and conductor for the We Are One festival series. The inaugural festival focused on equity, or Black communities in our justice systems. The festival had nearly 500 musical participants and 20 collaborative organizations and was unfortunately postponed twice due to COVID. When the festival finally could happen, I remember the final performance and the opening movement of Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. I felt like all the work our team had done to bring people together was worth it and was summed up in one perfectly balanced chord. The clarity of the strings with the warmth of brass and winds throughout the rest of the concert rang in my head and then traveled through every inch of my body.
Another instance, though remarkably different, was during a finale performance with the Cincinnati Youth Choir performing I Sing Because I’m Happy, a Gospel work by Rollo Dillworth. Young singers from ages 4 to alumni up to 50 years old gathered on stage to celebrate the organization’s 30th anniversary. The transcendent moment came from a four-year-old with a contagious smile and the joy in the eyes of singers in different stages of life. The simplest scenarios have provided the opportunity for the most satisfying and life-changing musical moments.
BU Today: Cooper described the scenes where he had to conduct as “the scariest thing I’ve ever done.” Is it sometimes frightening to be up on a stage leading a symphony or chorus?
Parsley: Being a conductor can definitely be intimidating, and even downright scary. One of the notable differences is that the conductor doesn’t have a physical instrument on the podium like a violinist or a woodwind in the orchestra. The conductor’s instrument is the composite of the full ensemble, made up of many individuals. I think that adds another level of fear to being a conductor—you’re engaging directly with people and encouraging them to make music together rather than focusing on your solo instrument.
Good conductors trust their ensemble, and vice versa. Trust requires a healthy bit of vulnerability, and consequently, a little bit of fear. However, when trust is the foundation for music-making, it suddenly becomes a lot less scary. I always try to remember that we all want the same thing—art, connection, assurance, and making music together—which ultimately boils down to creating an environment of trust.
What is it you love most about conducting?
“I love working with people. At BU, I love teaching this incredible student body. Students are intelligent, driven, and capable. They’re well-rounded and curious, not only about their musical craft, but how their art can integrate into the larger world around them. These students will be well-prepared to address the needs of music and art in a complex society. Working with students as they begin their careers and their training is the highlight of my day and my career.
As I work with professional orchestras and choruses, I cherish the ability to make art together and to work at the highest of musical levels. At the same time, I love making connections with colleagues that are both musical and nonmusical.”
The 96th annual Academy Awards will be broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 10, starting at 7 pm ET on ABC. The awards show can also be streamed on streaming services, including Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, and FuboTV.