Taki Theodoracopulos writes about Lenny and Dimitri and we go "Huh?"
"Bernstein was certainly musical, but he was shallow as a composer, vain in his conducting, a terrible show off when it came to social interaction, a promiscuous homosexual who put some present day Hollywood moguls to shame as far as young men looking for a break in the business are concerned.
Bernstein was Salieri to Dimitri’s Mozart
A sometime protégé of the Greek, Bernstein repaid the debt in 1948 by revealing Mitropoulos’s homosexuality to Serge Koussevisky, a homophobe, and the departing director of the Boston Symphony, a post Dimitri craved. In any case, the Judas did not get the job. Charles Munch did.
But Mitropoulos was no drag-ass queen à la Lenny Bernstein. He sublimated his sexuality to his music, and outside his art he read voraciously--he would read Thomas Mann and Proust while waiting for the start of a concert, climbed mountains for exercise and lived the most Spartan of lives. There are those, including William Trotter, who believe Bernstein had it in for the saintly genius because Mitropoulos had rejected a crude pass by the American. Bernstein married a Chilean beauty, produced three children, and at the end showed his marriage to be a mockery. Mitropoulos never married, and while he pondered Kierkegaard, Lenny cruised."
Read the whole story at Sir Taki's Mag
"Bernstein was certainly musical, but he was shallow as a composer, vain in his conducting, a terrible show off when it came to social interaction, a promiscuous homosexual who put some present day Hollywood moguls to shame as far as young men looking for a break in the business are concerned.
Bernstein was Salieri to Dimitri’s Mozart
A sometime protégé of the Greek, Bernstein repaid the debt in 1948 by revealing Mitropoulos’s homosexuality to Serge Koussevisky, a homophobe, and the departing director of the Boston Symphony, a post Dimitri craved. In any case, the Judas did not get the job. Charles Munch did.
But Mitropoulos was no drag-ass queen à la Lenny Bernstein. He sublimated his sexuality to his music, and outside his art he read voraciously--he would read Thomas Mann and Proust while waiting for the start of a concert, climbed mountains for exercise and lived the most Spartan of lives. There are those, including William Trotter, who believe Bernstein had it in for the saintly genius because Mitropoulos had rejected a crude pass by the American. Bernstein married a Chilean beauty, produced three children, and at the end showed his marriage to be a mockery. Mitropoulos never married, and while he pondered Kierkegaard, Lenny cruised."
Read the whole story at Sir Taki's Mag
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6 comments:
Bravo Taki Theodorakopoulos!
Shame on you, Taki-whats-your-name! Who do you think you are, writing such gossip, labelled as personal information, about esteemed figures in world music, dead for 50 years almost? I'm truly shocked. What do we care what were Mitropoulos's sexual preferences, and why exactly is this person an authority on these matters? F*&%ing Greeks!
Thanks Parsi. I liked this post a lot! An interesting piece with good insight.
To Demis: why "F*&%..." Mr. Demis?
Isn't it his right to express his opinion freely like you do? Or do you like dictarorship? Furthermore, since you dislike Greeks you had better change your first name because it is a Greek nickname! It is obvious that you do not deserve it!
Look, dear Anonymous: perhaps I was a little rude but I was infuriated with this so-called reporter. No, I believe that it isn't his right to express his oppinion on matters like the private life of dead people. I don't know if its true that Mitropoulos was a homosexual or not, but he would never want such comments to be made 50 years after his death. This "Sir" Takis (do any of you have an idea what a Sir is? Or should be? certainly not a Kitty Kelley copy-cat like him!) had better concern himself with more important matters if he wants my respect. And - just because poor Greece is not a Dictatorship but a banana republic - he is not facing law suits for his slander.
As for me, yes I am a greek and I don't care to deserve it. I love Greece, not Greeks. Most of as are idiotic, narrow-minded, egoistic gossipers. Trust me, I know!
"As for me, yes I am a greek and I don't care to deserve it. I love Greece, not Greeks. Most of as are idiotic, narrow-minded, egoistic gossipers. Trust me, I know!"
100% true! Mr Takis and dear "Ντέμης" are evidence of this.
Mitropoulos and Bernstein were important figures,concerning music, of 20th century. Their art was above any gossip and we might consider a good idea to explore their artistry.
Mitropoulos was a "philosopher" of music, while Bernstein was enjoying his life through music. For Mitropoulos feelings and human insticts got a philosophical dimension through music like Plato or Aristotle should do. Bernstein, on the other hand, was presenting raw and plain feelings or insticts. The pain was pain. The joy was joy etc. He digged to the feelings, he felt those feelings more than any other conductor.
Both practices and procedures are very interesting.
Please consider to explore their music-making.For example Mahler 6th symphony. To see their options, their solutions. Or any other comparable music.
So IMHO, I found totaly brainless to evaluate their artistry under Mr. Takis view. More brainless to react to such views. I think a good idea is to ignore them.
Please consider that music is important, in any case.
V. Ioannou
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