The Making of West Side Story (review)

An interesting technical sign of an indisputable classic is the various types of releases it has had. The original box LP release of the 1984 Deutsche Grammophon West Side Story was a sensation of its time. Long before popera, the Three Tenors, or even Three Mo' Tenors, Leonard Bernstein mined the opera field and recorded a glorious version of his already classic West Side Story. Though long respected in opera, José Carreras, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Tatiana Troyanos crossed over to a popularity beyond the classical world that Bernstein himself had experienced. The European opera houses were producing classic American musicals to great success much as London's West End would do years later. What had seemed old fashioned and out of date to Broadway became fodder for Europe. The best selling LP was also released as a cassette, reel to reel, and ultimately a double compact disc (Deutsche Grammophon 415 253-2). Someone had the great presence of mind to film the recording session, now referred to as the "studio cast." Its original BBC broadcast and subsequent PBS broadcast was followed by various VHS and DVD releases. Bernstein narrates and explains the history of the recording while the audience watches rehearsals in his apartment and the studio. His narration is infectious, especially his revelation that he had never conducted West Side Story from beginning to end. He is more than a taskmaster, he is all master in total charge. Every singer and musician in the hall, star or chorus, is obviously thrilled to be participating and would give him anything he asked. No one needs to be told the electricity a conductor like Bernstein creates. The soundtrack is the original PCM analog and not retooled Dolby Digital 5.1. All the big-name singers are interviewed about the experience. The material in West Side Story has long proven its universal appeal, as has Bernstein as a visual, and audio, star. His descriptions of the musical processes and the workings of the orchestra are always illuminating and have a quality of being rare and matter of fact at the same time. The only sadness in watching him is how sorely his genius is missed. The lack of any real bonus material aside, The Making of West Side Story is an essential purchase.