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Prodcut Description: [More Information ...]
Leonard Bernstein's musical update of Romeo and Juliet, with a young Stephen Sondheim's brilliant lyrics, had already galvanized Broadway with its vivid reinvention as a parable of racial intolerance and generational conflict. But director Robert Wise's lavish widescreen presentation broke fresh ground by taking the story to its most impressionable audience, the teenagers who could identify directly with Tony and Maria, and opened up Jerome Robbins's kinetic choreography through bravura camera work. The original soundtrack album was not merely a huge seller but a unique touchstone for an otherwise rock-oriented audience, and its release on CD benefits from an expanded program untenable in its initial LP release, as well as a 20-bit digital transfer. With Richard Beymer, Marni Nixon (Hollywood's vocal doppelgänger of choice, here standing in for Natalie Wood), and Rita Moreno dominating, the show's bounty of terrific songs and exciting instrumental pieces remains an ear-filling treat, mixing operatic passions, tart social commentary, and high comedy. From "Tonight" to "One Hand, One Heart," "America" to "Jet Song," this is a landmark in American musical theatre and film beautifully realized on disc. --Sam Sutherland
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Reviews:
classic
This is a classic to me for two reasons. My mother gave me her copy of this when I was ten, and I played it so much--even made myself a Jets T-shirt--no one in my immediate or extended family ever wanted to here hide or hair of West Side Story again.
Listening as an adult I see why I loved it: Listen to the rise up in "Prelude," and you hear all the elements that made Leonord Bernstien such a great composer--tone bursts, amazing control and use of volume, angular rhythms and dynamics. You hear this on "The Rumble," "A Boy Like That," many of the tracks.
Of course the key word in West Side Story is story, so you have ballads here like "Tonight" "Maria" and "One Hand One Heart." These are beautiful, but don't quite have these type of dynamics.
Still, this is just phonominal work, never to be missed, and is the best of all the renditions of Bernstien's score.
(I'll tell you a little secret--totally useless. If you have an origonal lp of this in mono with the gatefold and you peel back the inside paper on top, you will see the stereo logo you see on the cover here. Evidently in the early 1960s, they used to print the same covers for both mono and stereo, and then tuck the stereo logo under another layer of the cover paper to hide it. through years of ware you can see it. Now, won't you sleep easier, just knowing that?) West Side Story CD
The product came in excellent condition and I am very excited to be able to have this CD with the original cast. W Side Story audio CD, orig movie sndtrack
Arrived 2 days earlier than I thought it would and in pristine condition.
It's exactly what I hoped for.
Listened to it immediately.
It's great! Love it. Thx.
Great CD
The service to order and receive this item was very easy and excellent service was given. I love the CD!! One of the greatest musicals ever made
I saw this movie when it first came out and have been in love with it ever since. Never bought the cd. Now that I have the cd, I have can hear the joy of it's music whenever I want it. Great music, great movie. What else is there? It just doesn' get any better than this. |
Keyword: Music,
Description: West Side Story
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