# Maestro (soundtrack)

Maestro (Original Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2023 film Maestro that is centered around the life of composer Leonard Bernstein and his wife Felicia Montealegre. Directed by Bradley Cooper, and starring himself as Bernstein with Carey Mulligan as Montealegre, the film's soundtrack features Bernstein's works from musicals and operas as well as compositions from Gustav Mahler and Ludwig van Beethoven, amongst others. All of Bernstein's compositions were arranged and performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. The soundtrack was released by the Deutsche Grammophon label digitally on November 10, 2023 and in physical formats on December 1.

## Background

The soundtrack consisted of compositions from Bernstein's musicals and operettas such as West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, Mass, Chichester Psalms and Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3, which were handpicked by Cooper. Apart from that it also featured works from Gustav Mahler, Ludwig van Beethoven, W. C. Handy, Robert Schumann and William Walton that were used to illustrate key moments in Bernstein's career and marriage.
All of Bernstein's compositions were performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of pianist-conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who also served as Cooper's conducting coach and trained him for six years to perform the orchestral conducting live on sets. Though Nézet-Séguin never met Bernstein in his life (he was 15 when Bernstein died in 1990) he cites him as the biggest inspiration "how emotional he was on the podium and how he was unashamed of being very physical when he conducted". While simultaneously conducting the orchestra, Nézet-Séguin would rehearse thoroughly with the members and interpret them and guide Cooper while filming on sets.
In the final act of the film, the 1987 single "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" from the American rock band R.E.M. is heard when Bernstein teaches young students on conducting. Given that the song's release was three years before his death, it signifies on how Bernstein enjoys his final years in his life as he is seen dancing with the young male student in a club as the credits near. Time-critic Olivia B. Waxman described its appearance "a cheeky, self-aware nod to Bernstein's legacy and his influence on musicians of all genres" but also its placement being timely due to the song's resurgence of popularity in March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Release

On October 19, 2023, Deutsche Grammophon announced the release of the soundtrack album set for November 10 in digital streaming platforms and physically on December 1, in CD and vinyl formats. An excerpt from the finale of Mahler's Symphony No. 2 "Resurrection" was released as a single on October 20. It was performed by soprano vocalist Rosa Feola, mezza-soprano vocalist Isabel Leonard, the London symphony chorus and orchestra conducted by Cooper.
Deutsche Grammophon president Clemens Trautmann said that the album "reflects our ongoing passion for collaborating with film-makers and bringing the worlds of cinema and classical music together". The company which re-issued several of Bernstein's compositions, had produced a 10-CD box set Digital Library A–Z that presented complete recordings of Bernstein's works encompass over 260 hours that were remastered in Dolby Atmos and released in conjuction with Decca Records during October and November 2023.
As a "Deutsche Grammophon" store exclusive, the physical editions consisted of CDs and 180-gram double LP variants of black colored, and crystal clear grey colored CD packaging that includes a photobook regarding the music production process. The prices range from €18.99–57.99 (US$20.74–63.33).

## Chart performance

Chart performance for Maestro (Original Soundtrack) :
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
| US Traditional Classical Albums (Billboard) | 5 |

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label | Ref. |
| Various | November 10, 2023 | Digital downloadstreaming | Deutsche Grammophon | [7] [16] |
| Various | December 1, 2023 | CD | Deutsche Grammophon | |
| Various | December 1, 2023 | Vinyl | Deutsche Grammophon | |