ccguy t1_j6xmqgl wrote
Hello. Have you seen the movie Tár? The Cate Blanchett character claims to be a protege of Bernstein, to the point of referring to him as "Lenny" throughout. Assuming her character and actual age are the same, she would've been 21 when Bernstein died. At that elite level, does that seem plausible to have been his protege at that age?
sandiegoopera OP t1_j6xoh5f wrote
It could be. Some people mature early. But the road is long in conducting. The skills needed are many and are a life’s process. Marin Alsop is largely believed to be the person behind Tar. She was a student with me at Tanglewood with Bernstein. But I believe she was 30 when she first met Lenny.
ccguy t1_j6xp3kc wrote
Thank you for your reply. Given the movie’s other elements, it could be in a universe where Bernstein didn’t pass away in 1990. Interesting film.
ponkyball t1_j70ws00 wrote
Eh I disagree about the Marin Alsop/Tar connection. Alsop slammed the character portrayal in Tar and the character in Tar's upbringing isn't quite the same as Alsop's, who struggled to get into conducting for quite some time, although she was an accomplished violinist. Alsop is probably the most well known female conductor at this time, but other than being female and a lesbian, there's not a lot in common with the Tar character. There are a couple of rather well-known male conductors I'd equate to being more like Cate Blanchett's character than Alsop, gender aside.
LinkBetweenGames t1_j72p8kc wrote
There is also a theory that Lydia was lying about being a personal protégé of Bernstein and just met him a couple of times.
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