Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story, studio-takes. (7)

[pauljessful]

how can nicki minaj be on the the side of here?!

[TheHankster30]

That last note by Kiri seems to go on forever (even with the incredible crescendo). Spine-shivering stuff. Some singers can move you with just the sheer sound of their voice. Dame Kiri had this quality.

[Dan474834]

The instrumental introduction is simply overwhelming.

[jerahd2]

I didn't realize I was holding my breath until the very end.

[CreativeFilmMaker]

This reminds me of songs i sang in catholic church in lent growing up

[AuditoryEden]

I loved the "whew!" from Kiri at the end. It's so nice to see that the professionals have to work for it too.

[shelleyop26]

5.13 - Kiri De Kanawa sex-face lol

[loguebernie]

2 dislikes? How could anyone dislike this?

[kend16]

Kiri looked at him with encouragement due to the fact that Leonard had treated him with total disdain throughout the recording, because his accent did not meet his demands.

Still I wait in hope.

[OperaLover84]

@kend16 Is this true? Where did you hear about his dislike for Carreras?

[kend16]

@OperaLover84

The entire recording was filmed by, I think, the BBC and it gives a wonderful insight into the relationship between Leonard and the performers.

[AuditoryEden]

@kend16 I can sort of see how that would be. His accent is stodgy! Maria's allowed to sound European, but Tony must be a New York boy.

[sockington1]

all the tin-eared cretins who swear by x-factor should be made to watch this

[Loejyrrab]

@sockington1 THANK YOU in capital letters!! REAL art on display.

[MarxianVideos]

My heart breaks every time I hear this. Such beauty.

[handticker]

lol at the niple feel ! 1:15

[lmordro]

@handticker 2 pocketed shirt.

[TheAlongorino]

it's so beautiful, i love this song but i think it would be better off just outside the taxation and the final he talk

[kend16]

Trinity was a beautiful love.

Now hello would be just lovely.

[idlenessatitsbest]

is there actually anywhere where i can buy the soundtrack that was made from this??

[TheRemarkableGirl18]

2 people haven't made of their hearts one heart...wow. that works out really well

[aquamarineeyes]

It is very touching how Kiri turns to Jose at the beginning as if to reassure him that everything was going to be ok. Love this song! Heavenly!

[alcoun78]

It is a magic, how many people just love it!!! This is music, that touches everyone´s heart, doesn´t matter, where you come from..

[CCConservatory]

Julius Baker's flute is an exquisite complement to this masterpiece. We miss you, Lenny. THANK YOU for ALL that you gave us.

[adv20]

2 ppl are deaf

[gutjahrmusic]

Now that is great orchestration.

[mrawesome425]

Who is the 1 fool who disliked this?

[marj07]

Absolutely Beautiful!!!

[SexyHogwarts]

This brings me to tears every time I hear this particular recording! This is just so beautiful and perfect! Gosh it's just amazing! This is beautiful music that just comes from the heart!

[spikeyklitske]

Absolutely beautiful. Amazing and heartwarming to see two masters in their own right become humble, playful yet serious before this grandmaster and produce this masterpiece. Bravo!!!

[SexyHogwarts]

SO Beautiful! They're so cute!

[blackstationthree]

i just found this video to do my mother a favour but as i heard this while my mother was crying because of happiness ich started to feel well hearing this song (:

[ANICKAJANICKA]

@blackstationthree helo I'm Ann and i found this video with my mother too, she crying after she reading yours comment =)

[Boerenfox]

What a beautiful harmony and interaction between Carreras and Te Kanawa... I feel gooseflesh.

[tukilala]

 Carreras , Eres el Mas Grande !!!!!!!!!

[Tenor5274]

Olfux, please PLEASE...PLEASE upload the second version of Maria...the perfected product ...I only see the imperfect version with Carreras becoming all exasperated with Bernstein.

[unalegeli]

thanks the videos

[cornelisvz]

I saw this as a kid, but now I cry. Thanks mom and dad

[gugenheim84]

As far as I'm concerned when Bernstein passed away he took an era with him.

[conorconnor]

@gugenheim84 Hi. Sorry. I went to push the like button for that comment, but due to a mouse coordination fail I pushed the thumbs down one. Again, sorry. I couldn't agree more with you, Bernstein has no living parallel in the modern music world.

[gugenheim84]

@conorconnor ; No problem, glad to know another shares my respect for the grand ol' man.

[bressakk]

is it me. or cant u just imagine bernstein in a pope outfit? LOL

[trudbol]

Very moving and enjoyable moment to watch. Thanks for the upload.

[havemofun]

Wow. That is just too go for words...really.

[herpur7]

Exquisite is born out of only the deepest love of music. This almost to me is like seeing God.

[Nurple007]

Love how Kiri's singing the CRAP out of this... WITH HER HANDS IN HER POCKETS. TALENT.

[purrrforma]

Oh wow... Kiri's note at 2:57. Gor. Geous.

[sukneh]

Too much opera - it has lost the edge and sharpness of the New York ethnic gang wars which form the backdrop. This is overcaressed.

[nainjoyeux]

Heavenly.

[nikalou1]

Can vox, words and music get any swweter than this?

[naumandolphin]

Thank you buddy for this. I saw Julius Baker in the orchestra.

I have loved this man since my Tanglewood days.

All best.

[Buzaglod]

One of the most beautiful pieces of music ever written ahhh! this is amazing!!!!!

[janodid]

Voir répéter un tel génie,

Quel privilège nous avons!

[tanto1948]

This is the most beautiful version of this song. Excuisite!

[Fatuma18]

beautifull

[Rockin77]

brilliant......

[darkprose]

This song doesn't make me tear up at all. Nope, not at all. Not even a little. Every time I hear it I don't cry.

[TitanTroia]

This is one of thee most Beautiful songs ever recorded. West Side Story is a true romantic story!

[toodlepip990]

i love it when kiri just turns to jose and smiles when he starts singing. It's exactly the response i have. It's truly magical.

[spikeyklitske]

@toodlepip990 3:19 to 3:22 even better

[kend16]

@toodlepip990

It was as if to say, I know you can do it despite your accent.

[janodid]

Votre Musique a bercé mon enfance,

Merci Maître.

[Dionysosable]

Bernstein is a magician!! My god What a beautiful version!! I never liked any of the singers here. But thats ofcorse a matter of taste!! I would have loved to here Lucia Popp and Placido Domnigo sings this duet!! But what an orchestra here And a super emtional conducting, This man was a genius. And what a composition , one of the most beautiful Ballads ever.

[antoniet85]

@DionysosableHE IS JOSEP CARRERAS, not Placido Domingo!!!!

[Rasperdan]

Read it .. he never said it was Placido Domingo .. what are you talking about ??

[Zugvogel1]

*lol* Carreras and Domingo ...they are looking soooo similar *Joke*

[swanningaround]

Dion. Well, Bernstein loved it. I would take notice of him if I were you. Also, Kiri is much better suited to this part than Luica Popp.

[Selendomono]

Kiri sounds phenomenal but... and i dont care how rude this sounds... Jose absolutely CANNOT sing in english

[maartjechiel]

i always like the fact that all those wonderfull musicians are wearing their everyday normal clothes:P

[Boerenfox]

These are rehearsals and studio takes, not concerts in front of an audience.

[TheCorrsFriends]

ah? the music is beautiful, but why does it say West Side Story? AAaaaaaaah, the guy is from the movie, but this isn't from the film. Alright.

Anyway, beautiful music.

[x246810]

Huh? So where is the music from, if not West Side Story?

[x246810]

I remember where the music fits in the movie. This happens in the dress shop where the manikins are witnesses to the ceremony.

[Zugvogel1]

Exact x246810 It this Scene.Good Remember....

[verdi17]

Hermoso...........

[scottreiburn]

The look on Lenny's face at 1:01-1:04 is one of my most favorite YouTube moments. The appreciation of his own creation. Such satisfaction. The music and singing melt into one another. Let's all visit Lenny's grave in Brooklyn, NYC. Who wants to come? Long Live Lenny! Forever for me...

[marlon1972]

i've been a big fan of dame kanawa and carreras and of course of the musical since i saw it first way back in 1982. thank you whoever put this up. leonard bernstein is always great!!!!!!!!!

[martilewis44356]

Clarinetist looks like Charlie Russo to me, but so much younger than he was when he was our quintet coach at MSM in 1974-75. I could be wrong, of course.

[TheBuenosaires8]

This is Great.  The voices, Bernstein...

[myfaveshoes]

This is one of the most glorious sounds to ever enter my ears. Perfection!

[Zugvogel1]

Marvelous....

[RyaZila24]

does anyone know who the clarinet player was?

[adriennealb]

I think it is Stanley Drucker, the best!!

[RockandRollLove]

i wish i could sing as beautiful as her!!

[swanningaround]

Rockand Roll. Thank you so very much for your kind comments. You are right. These are probably amongst the two most beautiful voices on the planet. These two are such modest people too. That's why Leni chose them.

[freemind1120]

Bellissimo....

[ronaldclapton81]

thanx to my musicteacher on school, peter duiverman, i think 14 years a go i bought the cd. It is a timeless peace of art. Unless i m a blues listener and guitarplayer, this work still gets me shivers.

[Zugvogel1]

Bernsteins Face is so great when she sometime only lift a Eyebrow or a little smile....

He was an absolute Genius....

[iloveelphaba17]

what was this for? an anniversary cd?

[maadjuh1900]

Wow

I've got this recording on cd.

Love it !!

Leonard Bernstein had a lot of patience and that's allso the reason why so much people could work with him.

The people who where involved with those recordings had much luck to work with Leonard Bernstein

[pbesmer]

what is the name, id like to buy it

[pianoplayerJH]

DUDE, I was just watching The Three Tenors! That's hella crazy!

[pianoplayerJH]

Thanks Olfux! This is sick stuff.

I never got to see Bernstein at work (born after he died.)

[swanningaround]

How I love this! Jose and Kiri sing this so well together. I love her little looks of encouragement around 01:46. She is such a sweet character. The charisma of these two is what makes this. Leni's admiration of the performance also helps. Two great great singers.

[snarldarl]

no, it's primarily The Greatest new York Studio Musicians, with some Symphony players added. Most of whom we had the honor to worl\k with our entire Careers.

[superkiller2009]

Is this the New York Philharmonic/

[mc07fvjf]

HA, where did I mention my (non-existent) idolatry of Bernstein?!? Also, just because where the camera is situated does not pick up the violin does not mean that it won't be audible in the recording or from another perspective. Clearly this performance is not primarily intended for the camera, so it doesn't really matter.

[paganviodio]

two stupitidies-first,in the mid speaks bernstein about his daughter,as the music by orchestra should not be taken that important,second is the beautifull violin solo at the end,goes in the garbage-because there is no microhone there.this solo is a very beatifull solo,and shouldn´t be heard as a stupid detail.

[mc07fvjf]

I think Bernstein would know better don't you?

[paganviodio]

no i still insist to see it as a disrespectfull behaviour,sorry i dont worship bernstein,i dont make a god out of him as you do.

[vocalpianist]

oh brother, its a documentary, not a performance. I see where you're coming from, but the actual recording is lovely.

[paganviodio]

where am i coming then?...you think possibly because he is a jew i dont like him....bullshit. i am not that what i am coming from. and i love bernstein. i have his all recordings. this-he-is-from-germany-thats- why-he-doesnt-like-bernstein way of thinking is a stupid one. dont you think so?

[vocalpianist]

hi sorry- was that reply meant for me or someone else? cause I didn't mean in any way to reference those sort of politics. I was just saying the recording sounded very nice =]

[paganviodio]

yeah probably.....i misunderstood you-sorry

[Troublemaker1991]

I am sorry, I know this is an old comment I am replying to but I couldn't resist.

When someone is saying "I can see where you're coming from" he/she doesn't mean it literally. :P It's a fixed phrase, a sort of expression. It means "I can understand your way of thinking", not that vocalpianist prejudged your beliefs on Bernstein. Oh no no :P

And by the way, paganviodio I agree with you on the solo. It is beautiful and worth paying more attention to.

[rayrainbows]

wow, the previous writer is so totally 'right on'

and to watch and hear te Kanawa and Cerreras at their absolute peak, this is other-wordly, this is a great gift, thank you ...

[mwp2paris]

This is just like watching a miracle unflow. Lenny and this cast...and all captured here on YouTube...Kiri and Jose...they just breath life into characters we all love and to see Lenny's baton at the helm...and his passion and his joy and his love making sure that it all worked together...this documentary captures what so many don't see in the artistic/creative journey...it ain't easy and is full of pitfalls and roadblocks and at times, miracles...this is a miracle. God do we miss you Lenny...

[RobbyLovesAriHest]

Kiri is so beautiful... I think she outperforms Jose tenfold.

[aquamarineeyes]

Kiri lives in England as has done for a very long time now due to work committments being close to Europe etc.

[01foote01]

STUNNING!!!

[nnuge5775]

jose carreras sings maria like no one i have every heard period. that's why Lb chose him.

[RobbyLovesAriHest]

I dunno, you should hear my dad sing it.

[niallguinan]

English is Kiri's first language you dimwit.

[guitarmy039]

Talented or not (which I obviously think he is) Carreras does not seem at all prepared. Did you see how Kurt Ollmann and Kiri Te Kanawa powerhoused their respective songs? And as far as I know, English is not her first language.

[tanto1948]

Before you make a comment, know the facts. Te Kanawa lived in England for a number of years. Jose is right from Spain. Can you speak Spanish as well as he speaks English? If you are an American, I would rather dubt it.

[guitarmy039]

Okay, I am not a professional singer that was handpicked by one of the the most famous

American composers out there that is making a recording of his masterwork. If a Spanish composer invited me to do what Bernstein did for Carreras, I would do as best as I possibly could. Cerreras looks clueless in Maria.

[mcknighty11]

Kiri was born in New Zealand. Her father was of irish decent and her mother was of aboriginal decent. I think she still lives in New Zealand

[Amethyst888]

No her father is the Maori and her mother is Irish..

[pian314]

Before saying since(as,like) he(she) sings in a language that is not his(her,its), think like it you do ..... and in the effort that it(he,she) does for it, I believe that it(he,she) makes it very well each one in his(her,your) place

[Jitpring]

Go ahead and shave yer ass, k?

[Montparnasse24601]

Ah yes, there have been numerous "crosspolinations" between candide and West side. You can really hear where he has borrowed the brass from Candides "Auto da fé" into WSS overture when presenting the gangs whistling and so on...

Amazing post thank you so much! Lenny for president(if he was alive)

[JmaDeLapince]

Excellent Sharing...Thanks... ;-)

[leroyosmon]

There is little or no soul in the singing of Jose C. Lenny knew it was a mistake to have him but was not able to do anything about it. His voice is weak and lacks color and he has NO understanding of the text.

[kboyer1]

Well my god, Carreras tried his best. If Bernstein wanted an american tenor then he should have picked them. I personally think that Jose did a marvalous job.

[HammondSM]

my thoughts exactly. Bernstein isn't an idiot, He knows exactly what Jose sounds like, he should know his singing inside out. They have worked together before. So not poor Lenny...He picked him for a reason. He wanted an operatic voice, something different, his interpretation. It's not an opera, and it's not a musical, it's a cross between the two.

[aquamarineeyes]

Jose has a unique voice although his career has been overshadowed by Pavarotti & Domingo no one can take away the stunning vocal range the man has. This is such a moving tour de force piece of music I defy anyone not to be touched by it especially the way Kiri is willing him on....

[Tenor5274]

Yeah Yeah Yeah...fine...anything you say! Let the rest of us who can appreciate Carreras' natural talent "wallow in our own ignorance"!

[aquamarineeyes]

well said tenor x

[kboyer1]

oh please, Lets here TenorX try to dso this. You all are such asswholes.

[tanto1948]

I agree w/ you!

[Olfux]

Well Tommy and noname kboyer1: You should really be able to discuss sublime subjects as WSS in a civilized way! How easy very low language come with you americans, strange and repulsive. Think about it.

[bradhorn14]

One Hand, One Heart was never intended to be in this show. This was written for Candide, but some "crosspolinations" took place due to the fact that they were being written at the same heart. What a genius to make it work on so many levels of intellect

[Zugvogel1]

Phantastic Sung AND played.I maybe sing it also in my Chourus soon.Hope I can get also fine.

[Tenor5274]

Bravo to Jose and Kiri and the Maestro for being genius enough to see the brilliance in this performance. After hearing this duet, no one should EVER doubt the extent of the Jose Carreras' talent and his unique ability to drive a listener to tears! A VERY rare quality these days.

[mdcam89]

yea but watch the other videos.. where it shows the lack of Jose Carreras' musicianship...

[aquamarineeyes]

ok so the man is not up there with the Gods like big Pavarotti but let us not diminish that Jose had an awesome talent.

[anders59]

The final note held at 5:34-5:41 moves me every time I listen to this recording of the song. Brilliant work, Leonard Bernstein!

[LizN90]

Fabulous! I remember when they recorded this back in the 80s. It was my introduction to Dame Kiri's singing, which I have listened to ever since. Nobody can sing like she can!

[bazzaf60]

beautiful song perfectly sung,

[bladepoop]

I played with Bernstein. That face.

[BlueSea23]

Such lovely voices..a very beautiful performance!

[balletamie]

Bravo Jose!

[BJC621]

a performance to melt a heart of stone

[clskmstg]

No doubt - completely brilliant.