Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story, studio-takes. (5)

[bucks8789]

Beautiful !

[karlehagen]

I love that his chock at 3:56 when he forgets to point to the congas and that he starts shaking his head to get back into focus =)

It's like he had forgot that he was conducting, just enjoying the music there for a while

[adamastorBassBar]

I remember this video from telly in the 80s: just love the lady 4th in from the left - just watch her expression at 4:56- she knows it's gone well, and she's just willing Lenny to like it! x

[MrLProfeta]

Bernstein, Robbins and Sondheim, a masterpiece of New York, I'm proud to be here with great talent gathered on Broadway, because it's ours.

[Gandul70]

QUE HONOR PARA ESOS CANTANTES Y MUSICOS MARAVILLOSOS ESTAR FRENTE A UNO DE LOS GRANDES GENIOS DE LA MUSICA DEL SIGLO XX, Y QUE EL MISMO LOS DIRIJA. QUE MAS SE PUEDE DECIR, SI BERNSTEIN LO DICE AL FINAL: SENSACIONAL!

[Michelmarianodasilva]

trash , horrivel ....I don't belive this video .... very ugly !

[arsnio7]

Bernstein is a fantastic musician!!

[teduana]

The Valuas College of Venlo ( Netherlands) has performed this musical . Is was really great. You can’t imagine that they are students and not professionals. The music and players were great! The school has every year a school musical and the level is very high.

It’s a wonderful musical, and I am very proud of them!

[jenkus93]

2:35. that cellist is going HARD!

[shaneu1]

I saw this in its initial broadcast on PBS (I think) and soon embarked on a quest to find it on CD. I located it and played it on my monster audiophile system. The CD is the best sound recording of the music of WSS I have yet heard. Nonetheless, watching Maestro Bernstein at work in the recording studio is an indispensable part of deriving the full enjoyment of this recording. I recall him saying just after the segment above ends that "America" was probably the best piece in the play; I concur.

[ainonosaint]

@shaneu1 Sensational.

[quitscheente95]

we watched this in Music class. Gosh, I love this so much :)

[sgjr03]

@Olfux I have been listening to these West Side Story-Bernstein recordings for two years now. Thank you very much! I have so many recordings of Bernstein, but for me, its more fascinating to see him rehearsing the orchestra- it brings the music to life. My favorite of these is when he first steps up to the podium with a cigarette in his mouth and ready to introduce the cast.

[Saculux]

1:25 freshtorge XDDDDD

[unalegeli]

funny

[supertrouper2]

My favorite song in West Side Story.

[lohphat]

I had forgotten about this! I remember when it first was broadcast and here it is. Leo in all his energy and grasp for the essence of the moment regardless of the empty studio with no audience.

[skitzo429]

that mezzo is pretty aweful

[lohphat]

@skitzo429

She's *perfect* in character and pulls it off to a "T".

[jam90jaay]

Was this for the movie or the stage soundtrack?



[terradusa4219]

@jam90jaay Definitely not the movie.

[JeeRant]

It gets very Aaron Copland-ish around 2:33.

[JeeRant]

It gets very Aaron Copland-ish around 2:33.

[TheDman422]

I worship this Anita. Seriously, I do.

[kleinkeske]

Correction Tatiana is Faboulous !!

[kleinkeske]

Tatiana is great!!

[maestralala]

This is for cellotennis.

My understanding of the inside story is this: Carreras was the 4th tenor hired for this recording. The previous 3 all cancelled out, one by one, for various reasons (Shicoff, Hadley, Domingo). Only days before the 1st session, Carreras agreed to learn the show from scratch and fly to NYC to record it. Carreras SAVED the project from extinction by agreeing to learn this difficult score overnight. The documentary did not present any of this back story.

[Tenor5274]

@maestralala I agree!!!!!!!!! people always have to blame the tenor. Priceless! sheesh.

[ksbav8r]

a city of u89's recording to 80's era digital tape recorders.... ick!

I guess that was the time tho.

[SondheimFanatic1]

I HATE ANITA IN THIS...

[jmahlon]

Troyanos is so freaking awesome.

[chandris]

thank you Olfux.

Watched it many times and are starting to forward it to friends

I love the weedy looking percussionionist who looks worried (who wouldn't?) but does a great job.

[iloveangelalansbury]

wow what a complex part!!!

[Jerraph]

Magnificent lyrics Mr Sondheim.

West Side is probably my favourite musical. Fantastic piece of theatre. Unbeaten!

[Racksor]

GO DANISH SUBTITELS

[PoorJohnsHead]

If your not smiling all the way through this piece, your not getting it! Just Brilliant!!

[triangleMeansLove]

loving. <3

[skitzo429]

it seems like every version of this i hear has differnet lyrics

[nicosupersex]

well this are the real ones, stop believing in that movie, it is unaccurate, as every hollywood creation, and definitely don't believe in the three tenors...... i'm mean that is even more inaccurate

[skitzo429]

ive never seen the movie, i have the broadway soundtrack, and its totally different

[FaVenegas]

Sencillamente ESPECTACULAR!!!! GENIAL!!!!

[luisortmul]

This music sounds as if it had been written since the dawn of time... it is perfect!!!

[paganviodio]

i am so fucking sorry to have experienced that tatjana trojanos-the second woman from left-the mezzo soprano-has died in the age of 54 out of cancer.she was a great artist.and-im sorry to know that now in year 2008,some 13-14 years after her death.she sings here really the best.

[Moconnor834]

this wasnt the lyrics that were sung in the film? was this a recording for a soundtrack or something?

[anders59]

Yes, this was a studio recording of Leonard Bernstein's interpretation of his own music he wrote for "West Side Story." The recording uses the original stage lyrics heard here (which were removed for the film version due to the song's disparaging elements toward Puerto Rico).

[Moconnor834]

oh right thanks very much!

[pudgeypingers]

The energy, the passion, the music. Simply Brilliant. Simply Bernstein.

[trakur]

I was depressive this days and don't know what to do and what music to listen to bring me back to life. After watching this "treasure" videos everything is much easier and so much beautiful. I stand on bus station and sing this peaces over and over remembering of energy of all people in this videos!

Now I make "West side story" T-shirt.

Thank you very much.

P.S.Check out for also true energy in "Hor Kolibri - Pozdravite moga tatu" on youtube. It's Serbian "Kolibri" children's choir.

[Olfux]

Yes!I'm absolute sure.Bernstein had an unbelivable sure ear for every simgle note as all the great conductors.

[JOEdoesThings22]

@Olfux and as the composer...

[karlletourneau]

croyez-vous que Bernstein voulait des claves sur une hauteur de note précise?

[genshitenson]

All those people who think classical musicians are boring and uptight people can just watch this & suck IT! Thank you for putting this up--watching the entire thing makes my day~

[genshitenson]

And pardon me for my language... I just saw your chastisement for inappropriate language in Tonight...

[BuddyB1tch]

why dont they let the men sing?

its not the real america then in my opinion.

my english isnt good enough to say want i want to^^

[ThomasMillwood]

Because this studio recording used only the lyrics from the stage version (which only has the Shark Girls singing and dancing to). What you're thinking of is the movie version with alternate lyrics and with both the Sharks men and women singing and dancing to the song. Hope this clears things up a bit. ;)

[8anec]

Indeed Parp121, the brass section in great!!

[Parp121]

Fantastic. Great orchestra (brass especially).

[cellotennis]

well, if he managed to nail it for the 7th time only, that's not quite good enough for the caliber of a bernstein. the divas needed 1instruction, max...

[pianist12]

Thankyou for posting this video; I just finished an arrangement of this song for concert, wind band, and this video really helped alot. Thanks.

[cellotennis]

thank you soooo much!

have been trying to hunt down this tape for years - no luck. and then they are re-issuing a beautified version on dvd - not the same, haha...

[Olfux]

You are very welcome !

Well, my videos come from a twenty years old VHS-tape with a one hour video taken from TV !

:o)

[aquamarineeyes]

I think I have the same taped TV programme Olfux lol! Awesome to witness this when it was made x

[tuncaysu]

@Olfux do you mean that the dvd doesn't contain all these? argh!

[MgcMrMistoffelees]

@cellotennis "beautified" -- hm, I love that word!

[pianist12]

I LOVE LEONARD BERNSTEIN.

[neobenny]

I DO ADORE ! Great maestro/composer and great singers !!!

[snstreet]

Great performance.

Especially Tatiana Troyanos is so good in her role as anita.

After this vid I wanted to find some info on her and was sad to find that she already passed away through liver-cancer in 1993, only 54.

[albertdiner]

Truly great. Hope someone puts up again the

Jose Carreras songs. Bernstein was not as

easy with him.

[cellotennis]

hmmm...let's see...

bernstein is a consummate genius and lives in the/his music until he collapses, as close to perfection as one can get and the other singers are prepared and ready beyond reproach as well. in comes carreras; taking breath at the wrong place, can not find his bar-numbers in the score, forgets when to come in - after REPEATED tries he can not come in, asks for special rehearsal while everyone is there and waiting...and then he makes a prima donna scene...i don't know...

[havetohavemusic]

Yeah, but he nailed it eventually. REALLY nailed it.

[LaBelleHelene]

AMAZIIIING!! =D