Hacking the Afterlife with Jennifer Shaffer, Maestro Leonard Bernstein, Felicia Bernstein

Another one for the ages.

In this episode, I invited two people to come to our podcast booth. One was Norman Lear, the prolific TV producer, and the other was Leonard Bernstein. I have just seen the Premiere of #MAESTRO #Netflix #StevenSpielberg #MartinScorsese #BradleyCooper #CareyMulligan #MayaHawke - and wondering if I might be able to invite the Maestro himself #LeonardBernstein and his wife #FeliciaMontealegre to our podcast.

I didn't tell Jennifer who I was inviting, other than Lenny. I didn't know if she had seen the film or not, so I did my best to ignore the title, and focus on the person I wanted to speak with.

I get overcome with emotion when he tells us that he met with Gustave Mahler on the flipside, someone he spent his life focused on, someone who like him was both a composer and a musician.  "We lived dual lives" Leonard has reportedly said.

In this interview, Jennifer starts by saying that this "person is a director."  It didn't occur to me to agree that a conductor is a director. (Doh!) 

Jennifer mentions 48 years that "they were together" - but that is the amount of time that Felicia was in NYC - 27 years married to Leonard.

Jennifer said that she died of lung cancer, I didn't know, but that is correct.

I asked if he's spoken to Gustave (Mahler) and she described their meeting on the flipside. (Jennifer didn't know what I was referring to or who I was talking about. She works with law enforcement agencies often - 30% of her practice is pro bono work with different agencies.)

Leonard conducted all of Mahler's symphonies, made recordings of them in the 1960's and the 1980's.

I ask about the comment Bradley made where he felt "his presence during the making of the film." He said he was "present for every moment" but especially in the dance sequence. (Jennifer hasn't seen the film - but that would be the onstage sequence of "On the Town" where Bradley took part in Jerome Robbin's choreography as Leonard.

I asked what piece he felt connected to - she asked if there was an Olympic piece. He did compose "Olympic Hymn" the six minute intro for the Olympic Congress in Germany.

He mentions "Mass" commissioned by Jackie O for the opening of the Kennedy Center in 1971. It's "anti war" message kept Nixon from the ceremony, the Vatican called the piece "blasphemous."

He mentions seeing Aretha on the flipside, said "they were friends." I didn't know they were pals, headlined the 1977 Inaugural Gala at the Kennedy Center, were onstage together holding hands.

Aretha is interviewed in "Backstage Pass to the Flipside" and "Tuning into the Afterlife." She told us that her niece would find her "missing will." The niece did find it in her home as she predicted she would. (We reached out to her, the niece told me that she talks to her mother on the flipside often (Aretha's sister) but didn't believe we were conversing with her.  

Beethoven's father was Johann, lived from 1740 to 1792. He was a musician, singer and teacher who reportedly was an alcoholic who was abusive to his son.

Our interviews with Beethoven can be found in "Tuning into the Afterlife" (available on Amazon). 

At one point Jennifer mentions "addiction" and it's widely reported that Leonard's use of drugs and alcohol increased after her passing. 

For more information, see MartiniZone on Youtube, RichMartini.com or JenniferShaffer.com - Copyright Richard Martini 2023, All Rights Reserved.  See the film MAESTRO in theaters now, or on Netflix soon - and compare this conversation with one's own ears.