‘Maestro’: Why Bradley Cooper Opted Not to Have an Original Score

variety.com:

Jon Burlingame The greatest film score of 2023 isn’t eligible for an Academy Award. That’s because Leonard Bernstein composed it between 1944 and 1977, multiple pieces that collectively form the musical backdrop of “Maestro,” Bradley Cooper’s film about the 20th century American composer-conductor.

The classical excerpts functioning as dramatic score include Bernstein’s ballets “Fancy Free” and “Facsimile,” parts of his Broadway scores for “West Side Story” and “Candide,” his opera “A Quiet Place,” music for the film “On the Waterfront,” portions of his second and third symphonies as well as his “Mass” and “Chichester Psalms.” “I think of the score as the co-star of the film,” says the composer’s oldest daughter, Jamie Bernstein. “We knew that Bradley wanted to use our dad’s music in the score, but I don’t think, in the beginning, we even grasped how much of a presence it would wind up having in the film.

It really illustrates the emotional beats of the story.” Cooper, who not only directed but also plays Bernstein in the film, made the choices. “Those are things he brought to the script in the very early writing stage,” reports executive music producer Jason Ruder. “We didn’t really entertain the idea of an original score.

We just wanted to make the movie with all of Lenny’s music.” Adds Jamie Bernstein: “Bradley took such a deep dive into our dad’s musical repertoire.