The star of West Side Story was never Arthur Laurents, who first wrote the Broadway production in 1957, nor was it Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, who first directed the 1961 film adaptation. And it isn’t Steven Spielberg, who recently revived the timeless classic for a contemporary audience.

The star of West Side Story has always been Leonard Bernstein, the venerable maestro whose career swept through the 20th century and encompassed genres and social classes. Bernstein was a renaissance man. His appeal was not only his ability to compose and conduct in a litany of styles but also the impassioned way in which he advocated arts and culture.