Bradley Cooper calls learning to conduct an orchestra the “experience of a lifetime”
As Bradley Cooper and his Maestro co-star Carey Mulligan made their way down the red carpet for the 77th edition of the Bafta Awards, Cooper revealed that learning to conduct a special scene in the movie was one of his most treasured experiences.
One of the most notable stories surrounding Maestro, Cooper’s movie about the renowned conductor Leonard Bernstein, is how Cooper gave up six years of his time to learn how to conduct a six-minute scene in the movie.
Speaking to BBC, Cooper opened up about his time learning the craft and quickly dispelled any idea that he could conduct an entire song: “Absolutely not,” he laughed before continuing, “Working with the London Symphony Orchestra was the experience of a lifetime.”
“That scene I was so worried about because we did it live,” Cooper had previously revealed at the premiere of Maestro. “That was the London Symphony Orchestra. I was recorded live. I had to conduct them. And I spent six years learning how to conduct six minutes and 21 seconds of music.”
However, at the Baftas, Cooper cleared that soundbite up, explaining, “It was six years working on the character and bringing the joy that Lenny brought.”
In a two-and-a-half star review, Far Out wrote of Maestro: “It’s hard to understand what Maestro’s intention is, To show Bernstein’s brilliance or portray him as a bit of an egotistical asshole that largely neglected his family despite that brilliance?”
The review continued: “Whatever Cooper’s intention, he seems to have been able to give a surprising insight into the life of one of the most celebrated figures in the music world. As the film’s title suggests, Bernstein could never just be Bernstein but would forever become Maestro, the man with magic at his fingertips.”
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