The conductor John Mauceri used to call Leonard Bernstein “Lenny.”
And the great maestro playfully referred to Mauceri, who was then his young protege, as “Giovanni.”
“I don’t think he ever called me John,” says Mauceri, the former music director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra who celebrates the leadup to what would have been Bernstein’s 100th birthday with four Southern California appearances.
The first happens Tuesday, Nov. 14, with the intimate talk “John Mauceri-Memories of Leonard Bernstein” at Skirball Cultural Center in L.A. in anticipation of the exhibition “Leonard Bernstein at 100” from April 26 to Sept. 2. It’s followed by “Bernstein On Stage” on Friday, Nov. 17, at the Valley Performing Arts Center in Northridge, and “Mauceri and Bernstein’s 100th” on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and “Sunday, Nov. 19, at the Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center.
The appearances come on the heels of Mauceri’s just-released book, “Maestros and their Music: The Art and Alchemy of Conducting.”
In the book, Bernstein is a central character in Mauceri’s career, and it’s no wonder.
Mauceri grew up in New York an enthusiastic admirer of classical music. But when he caught Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts on television, he admits, he discounted it as “condescending” and its host a mere “show off.”
Not that he didn’t like the maestro’s recordings.
He especially liked Bernstein’s recording of Dmitri Shostakovich’s “Symphony No. 5.”
On a conducting fellow at Tanglewood during the summer of 1971, Mauceri studied under a who’s who of conductors and conductor/composers that included Bernstein.
“I was unprepared for his transformative nature,” he recalls. “I had been a snob about him, but that just fell away after we had our first rehearsal. It was pretty overwhelming.”
The following summer, Mauceri received an invitation from Bernstein to assist him in a new production of “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera. They continued to work together on many important projects during the next 18 years.
“There are a few living, working proteges of Leonard Bernstein in the world, and John is one or two of the foremost,” says Thor Steingraber, executive director of the Valley Performing Arts Center.
While the whole world is celebrating the Bernstein centennial, none cover the breadth of his stage shows — including “Mass,” musicals, operas — like “Bernstein On Stage” does.
“The only person who could do that is John,” Steingraber says.
At Bernstein’s memorial in his New York apartment, family and a handful of professional colleagues gathered. Among them stood Mauceri, a part of Bernstein’s life until the end.
While Mauceri says he never planned on sharing personal anecdotes and musical insights from the maestro himself, he suspects Bernstein knew he would remember them long after his death. And he has.
“The good news is I do have these memories,” he says. “My bank gets clearer every day.”
John Mauceri
What: John Mauceri — Memories of Leonard Bernstein
When: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14
Where: Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles
Tickets: $6-$10
Information: 310-440-4500. www.skirball.org
What: Bernstein On Stage
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17
Where: Valley Performing Arts Center, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge
Tickets: $43-$85
Information: 818-677-3000. www.valleyperformingartscenter.org
What: Mauceri and Bernstein’s 100th
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18
Where: Fred Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks
Tickets: $34-$124
Information: 805-449-2787. www.civicartsplaza.com
When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19
Where: Oxnard Performing Arts and Convention Center, 800 Hobson Way, Oxnard
Tickets: $30-$96
Information: 805-486-2424. www.oxnardperformingarts.com
