Classical music usually conjures up images of civilised rather than raunchy behaviour. But many of Bernstein’s fans found him seriously sexy – and they were not afraid to tell him.

In this episode, we ask: how did Bernstein’s body help to make him an icon of the classical music world?

We reflect on how ideas about "acceptable conduct" constrained sexual expression in Bernstein’s America. We discuss the gaps between sexual values and sexual practice that were exposed by his contemporary Alfred Kinsey’s ground-breaking research. And we consider how women used fan letters to voice their sexuality in a way that wasn’t permitted in other social spheres.

Through letters from Bernstein's archive, we investigate the variety of ways in which women expressed their sexual attraction – from a woman who claims rather unpersuasively that she’s more interested in Bernstein’s artistry than his appearance to a teenager who lays it all bare. 

Send a text

Visit www.dearmaestro.org for bonus content, including letters read-out and discussed by their writers.

Email us at [email protected] - we'd love to hear from you!

Producers: Rowan Bishop and Kate Guthrie

Hosts: Flora Willson and Kate Guthrie

With thanks to: Cheryl Melody Baskin, Michael Ellison, Cassandra Fenton, Mark Keedwell, Melanie Shaffer, Karen Skinazi, Chuck Talley and Justin Williams.

Funded by: the Arts and Humanities Research Council.