How Yannick Nézet-Séguin Taught Bradley Cooper to Conduct—Like Leonard Bernstein—in “Maestro”

In Monday’s (11/27) GQ, Chris Cohen writes, “You get deep into Maestro, Bradley Cooper’s new film about the life of the conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein, before you see the man conduct a concert. The movie [which Cooper stars in, directed and cowrote] shows the occasionally exasperating genius compose, rehearse, carouse, and jump from bed to bed. He takes the podium and—cut…. But this only means it hits harder when the needle finally drops on a climatic concert of the finale of Gustav Mahler’s Second Symphony. For some six minutes the camera virtually locks on Cooper, who is very clearly conducting the hell out of this gigantic piece of music…. The film’s conducting consultant, Yannick Nézet-Séguin [said] there actually was a world-class orchestra and an enormous chorus following Cooper’s baton. Nézet-Séguin was just offscreen giving direction through an earpiece …. Nézet-Séguin: I really admired [Cooper’s] commitment not only to authenticity but … to the emotional aspect of the music we are playing. I feel like a lot of classical music movies—not only are they not authentic, but they also miss the point about what music can bring to life…. This film … elevates or makes people understand how the artist’s life is all in their art and all in their music.”