Top 10 Things Maestro Got Factually Right & Wrong

Flashing back to Bernstein’s youth, the camera focuses on a closed window shade that almost looks like a stage curtain. This foreshadows the call that would change Bernstein’s life. Around 9:00 AM, the 25-year-old Bernstein learned that conductor Bruno Walter dropped out at the eleventh hour due to an illness. In need of a substitute, the New York Philharmonic turned to Bernstein, Artur Rodziński’s assistant conductor at the time. Anyone disappointed by Walter’s absence had a change of tune by the end of Bernstein’s performance. The fact that this was Bernstein’s debut made it all the more impressive when he brought down Carnegie Hall without time to rehearse. The New York Times praised Bernstein the following day, turning him into an overnight sensation.

While the film gets much about Bernstein’s relationship with Felicia Montealegre right, it glances over details from the early years. Montealegre first saw Berstein at the New York City Center where she was immediately drawn to him. As the film depicts, the two officially met at a party and got engaged shortly after. However, that engagement didn’t even last a year. With both agreeing that they weren’t ready for marriage, Montealegre entered a relationship with fellow actor Richard Hart. The two remained together for nearly five years until a coronary occlusion claimed Hart’s life at age 35. Almost nine months after Hart died, Montealegre married Bernstein. Hart doesn’t play a prominent role in “Maestro,” which jumps from Bernstein and Montealegre’s flourishing romance to married life.

As is the case with many historical LGBTIQA+ figures, Bernstein never went on the record explicitly defining his sexuality. Some scholars believe he was bisexual. Other historians and those who knew Bernstein say he was gay, despite being married to a woman. Even Montealegre described her husband as gay in a letter that read, “You don’t admit to the possibility of a double life, but if your peace of mind, your health, your whole nervous system depend on a certain sexual pattern what can you do?” Without putting a label on it, “Maestro” authentically captures how Bernstein became romantically involved with men and women. The film also emphasizes that Montealegre knew who Bernstein was even before they got married.

Although Bernstein and Montealegre had evident marriage problems, they hid the relationship’s dark side from their children. While the children didn’t see their parents fight, they sensed tension beneath the surface. Eldest child Jamie started to see the cracks as a teenager, working at the Tanglewood Summer Music Festival where Bernstein conducted. As others talked about her father’s relationships with men, Jamie became confused. In her memoir, Jamie reflected, “My own existence seemed living proof that the story was not a simple one.” In the film, Bernstein takes his daughter outside, assuring her that these “rumors” aren’t accurate. This is essentially how the conversation played out in reality. Despite still suspecting the truth, Jamie wouldn’t bring up Bernstein’s sexuality to her father or mother again.

“Maestro” portrays Bernstein as a private individual, although his attraction to men is something of an open secret. While remorseful toward Montealegre, Bernstein shows no signs of wanting to give up men for her. The film omits one of the more unsettling chapters of Bernstein’s life in which he wrestled with his sexual identity. For roughly five years, Bernstein met with analyst Marketa Morris, whom he referred to as “The Frau.” Bernstein attended therapy under the impression that he could be “cured.” He wasn’t the only one who had been misinformed about how sexuality works. After marrying Bernstein, Montealegre wrote to him, “I happen to love you very much – this may be a disease and if it is, what better cure?”

Bernstein could be secretive about his sexuality, but he chose not to conceal his Jewish roots. At the time, some saw this as a potential risk to his career. Even after World War II ended, Bernstein’s Jewish mentor, Serge Alexandrovich Koussevitzky, suggested that he adopt another surname as a performance in Munich approach. Koussevitzky feared that antisemitism would block Bernstein’s rise to success, suggesting that he go by Leonard “Burns.” Upon briefly considering a name change, he concluded, “I’ll do it as Bernstein or not at all.” Bernstein’s Jewish heritage ultimately wasn’t a detriment to his public image, reflecting the changing times. Montealegre also embraced Judaism. Although her grandfather was Jewish, she was brought up Catholic, converting to Judaism after marrying Bernstein.

Sharing an intimate moment with Montealegre, Bernstein reminisces about a shocking incident from his school days. Bernstein claims that while attending the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, an unstaple student armed himself with a pistol and plotted to shoot him. The motivation: jealousy. This account is true, but Bernstein wasn’t the only intended target. The gunman also sought to shoot Randall Thompson and Fritz Reiner, both of whom instructed Bernstein during his time at Curtis. Fortunately, the authorities apprehended the gun-wielding student before anybody was harmed. While Bernstein had been lonely at Curtis, this opened his eyes to just how much some of the other students disliked him. Apparently, there was a group of “anti-Bernsteinians,” although he gained more friends after this near-death experience.

While Bernstein had more than a few affairs, “Maestro” primarily focuses on his relationship with San Francisco music director Tom Cothran, who assisted with his Norton Lectures at Havard. It was obvious to Bernstein’s family that Cothran was more than just a colleague. Of all the lovers that came into Bernstein’s life, Cothran perhaps put the greatest strain on his marriage. Over the course of five years, Montealegre felt as if Cothran had replaced her as Bernstein’s closest friend and confidant. Her worst fears were confirmed when Bernstein moved to California with Cothran. Bernstein returned to Montealegre shortly after, marking an end to his romance with Cothran. They nonetheless stayed friends until AIDS took Cothran’s life in 1987 while Bernstein died three years later.

As the film suggests, Bernstein’s lovers were predominately male while Montealegre was the most important woman in his life by a wide margin. That said, Bernstein also had affairs with females. Although it’s briefly mentioned that Bernstein has slept with more than one woman, he’s only seen committing adultery with men. Just as the real Montealegre knew about her husband’s attraction to men, she was well aware of his liaisons with ladies throughout their marriage. Some might argue that this confirms Bernstein was bisexual. After Montealegre died, though, Bernstein was almost exclusively seen with men until the day he died. However Bernstein would’ve identified, it’s clear that no other woman ever made him feel the same way that Montealegre did.

Bernstein’s time with Cothran in California barely lasted a year before he returned to Montealegre. It was around this time that Montealegre was diagnosed with lung cancer, which she sadly never recovered from. Although Bernstein hadn’t been the most faithful husband, he stayed by Montealegre’s side as her illness worsened, even canceling concerts to be with her. Almost a year after being diagnosed, Montealegre passed away at age 56 in 1978. Smoking most likely caused the cancer, but Jamie Bernstein couldn’t help but feel that her difficult marriage at least partly contributed to Montealegre’s death. While Leonard Bernstein lived another 12 years, the guilt remained with him. Bernstein and Montealegre’s relationship wasn’t easy to define, but as “Maestro” shows us, it was rooted in love. What did you think of “Maestro?” Were you familiar with Bernstein and Montealegre before seeing the film? Sound off in the comments!