West Side Story was first staged in Washington in 1957 without significant success, undergoing revisions over the years, including an Overture for the Broadway production.
Composition History
West Side Story is a modern version of Romeo and Juliet, set in 1950s New York City, with two street gangs, the Jets and the Sharks, echoing the Capulets and Montagues.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bernstein's extraordinary versatility allowed West Side Story to elevate musical theatre by combining serious ballet music and classical fugues with popular melodies, jazz, and vaudevillian humor.
Composition History
The idea for West Side Story originated with choreographer Jerome Robbins and was discussed as early as 1949 with writer Arthur Laurents and Bernstein.
Compositional Technique
West Side Story represents a remarkable synthesis of classical and popular music, incorporating song themes for unity, jazz elements, popular dance forms, and traditional contrapuntal techniques.
Composer Biography
Leonard Bernstein, born in 1918 to Russian immigrant parents, grew up in comfortable circumstances and attended prestigious schools like Boston Latin School, Harvard, and the Curtis Institute.
Performer Biography
Kenneth Schermerhorn, the conductor of this recording, was Leonard Bernstein's first and most important conducting teacher at Tanglewood in 1955.
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