Leonard Bernstein's fame as a conductor and general cultural phenomenon has overshadowed his genius as a composer, despite the fact that at least some of his orchestral music has entered the standard repertoire and achieved a well-deserved measure of popularity.

The direct emotional appeal of Bernstein's original work has always spoken most directly to music-loving audiences (as opposed to critics or academics), and so this book, in tandem with the accompanying CD, describes all of his significant concert music in a detailed but approachable way for listeners who want to explore his richly varied and colourful orchestral output - both the familiar and the unfamiliar - in greater depth.

- The only extensive survey of Bernstein's orchestral works currently available.

- Comes with an excellent CD of Bernstein's music by the 'next generation' of Bernstein interpreters.

- Listener-friendly discussions written in the spirit of Bernstein's own popular essays and television shows.

David Hurwitz is founder and executive editor of Classicstoday.com, a daily classical music magazine, and is the chairman and founder of the Classical Internet Awards.