Leonard Bernstein West Side Story studio-takes (5a)

[31operafan]

What's Carreras eating? Yogurt, pudding, ice cream... could be either one of those things. :) It looks yummy. It looked like he was offering some to the camera operator.

[peacocktravels]

his "fresh element" comment is not a compliment.......there was much tension between the two for various reasons consisting of time restraints and numerous mistakes on and off the recording studio......I find Bernstein to be off his game during this recording and Carreras to be a bit under prepared..........but i love this recording non the less ;-)

[edcord11]

0:27 LOL to their chemistry :P

[Buzaglod]

1:45??? Musical Comedy???

[BernardProfitendieu]

@Buzaglod what amerians call musicals, europeans call musical comedy - it's not the meaning of the word comedy that you think of (comic) but an older one that just means drama. For example, all actors in france are call "comediens" - it doesn't mean they're doing anything funny. Similarly, in italy and france the commedia dell'arte history uses this meaning of comedy. So for Carreras, from Spain, to call WWS a Musical Comedy makes perfect sense when you know his linguistic perspective.

[cieobt2]

All these performers and musicians are wonderful in my book. Bernstein has his own way of knowing with his creation and knows it internally. Carreras has an angelic gifted voice and delicate physical energy that needs to be considered yet what he produced for Karajan never faltered, but soared to the heavens.

We are all different, and differ in what we offer at differing times and that's what I love, absolutely love, about this and about life!

[Tenor5274]

please upload the finished perfected take of Maria when Carreras sings the high B flat perfectly! Thanks :)

[frenchyfrench]

Carreras's voice is a very fragile and complex machin to drive for José. To get the right sound and the right colour, he can't just go to the music and think only to the score. To reach this amazing sound he has to focus a lot on the way he produces it. So it 's obviously more difficult for him to follow the score.

[FungoBoy]

sing with the right dynamic? it's reading the correct rhythm

does not seem professional

[luisortmul]

he had to teach him the song!!!! pathetic! I am sure kiri te kanawa didn't need bernstein's precious time to teach her the notes... scandal!!!

[TimonyErt03]

Jose Carreras is a legend of his time and has a voice of an angel. Trully spectacular. It's like audible silk.

[rayrainbows]

.. how right you are, angelic; and where, at 1 minute, 28 seconds, LB says that Carreras is a "fresh element" - well, is that one of the understatements of the milennia, or what ?!

[swanningaround]

Timothy, agreed. Jose is a legend and is proving it here. He was a regular partner of Kiri too, and she also has a good voice.

[JuillHope17]

what a bad musician, haha. (jose not lenny)

[cgjcks]

They hated each other.

[JuillHope17]

what evidence do you have of this?