Symphonic Dances from ‘West Side Story’
Leonard Bernstein (1918-90) Orchestrated by Sid Ramin & Irwin Kostal
1. Prologue; 2. ‘Somewhere’ – adagio; 3. Scherzo – vivace leggiero; 4. Mambo – presto;
5. Cha-cha (‘Maria’) – andantino con grazia; 6. Meeting Scene – meno mosso; 7. ‘Cool’ Fugue – allegretto; 8. Rumble – molto allegro; 9. Finale – adagio
In 1944, Leonard Bernstein scored a hit on Broadway with his musical, ‘On the Town’. The excitement came and went, which is the fate of most musicals and most hits. Admirers had to wait 13 years for the next stroke of genius from Bernstein: ‘West Side Story’. This time, the hit came but never went because it is still a hit. We know it, love it and argue about it, asking whether it might be an opera masquerading as a musical, or questioning how much of the creative work might be attributed to Bernstein’s collaborators. Some critics have suggested that the story line of gang warfare between Puerto Ricans and white New York youths is actually more credible than the plot of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ upon which the musical is based. One thing is certain. The music is exhilarating – not just the noisy, jazzy bits, but the moments of tenderness as well, and it is agreed that Sid Ramin and Erwin Kostal encapsulated the musical essence of the drama into these Symphonic Dances brilliantly.
The word ‘symphonic’ has more authenticity than does the word ‘dances’, because some of the ‘dances’ were songs in the stage version. Although the arrangement does not follow the plot of the drama in detail, it highlights the symphonic nature of the original work. As the music unfolds, we begin to sense thematic connections between the numbers – a unifying feature that also permeates the stage show itself.
The following summaries, sometimes enigmatic, were included in the original score:
Leonard Bernstein (1918-90) Orchestrated by Sid Ramin & Irwin Kostal
1. Prologue; 2. ‘Somewhere’ – adagio; 3. Scherzo – vivace leggiero; 4. Mambo – presto;
5. Cha-cha (‘Maria’) – andantino con grazia; 6. Meeting Scene – meno mosso; 7. ‘Cool’ Fugue – allegretto; 8. Rumble – molto allegro; 9. Finale – adagio
In 1944, Leonard Bernstein scored a hit on Broadway with his musical, ‘On the Town’. The excitement came and went, which is the fate of most musicals and most hits. Admirers had to wait 13 years for the next stroke of genius from Bernstein: ‘West Side Story’. This time, the hit came but never went because it is still a hit. We know it, love it and argue about it, asking whether it might be an opera masquerading as a musical, or questioning how much of the creative work might be attributed to Bernstein’s collaborators. Some critics have suggested that the story line of gang warfare between Puerto Ricans and white New York youths is actually more credible than the plot of William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ upon which the musical is based. One thing is certain. The music is exhilarating – not just the noisy, jazzy bits, but the moments of tenderness as well, and it is agreed that Sid Ramin and Erwin Kostal encapsulated the musical essence of the drama into these Symphonic Dances brilliantly.
The word ‘symphonic’ has more authenticity than does the word ‘dances’, because some of the ‘dances’ were songs in the stage version. Although the arrangement does not follow the plot of the drama in detail, it highlights the symphonic nature of the original work. As the music unfolds, we begin to sense thematic connections between the numbers – a unifying feature that also permeates the stage show itself.
The following summaries, sometimes enigmatic, were included in the original score:
- Prologue – The growing rivalry between two teenage street gangs, the Jets and Sharks.
- ‘Somewhere’ – In a visionary dance sequence, the two gangs are united in friendship.
- Scherzo – In the same dream, they break through the city walls and suddenly find themselves in a world of space, air, and sun.
- Mambo – Reality again; competitive dance between the gangs.
- Cha-cha – The star-crossed lovers [Tony and Maria] see each other for the first time and dance together.
- Meeting Scene – Music accompanies their first spoken words.
- ‘Cool’ Fugue – An elaborate dance sequence in which the Jets practise controlling their hostility.
- Rumble – Climactic gang battle during which the two gang leaders are killed.
- Finale – Love music developing into a procession, which recalls, in tragic reality, the vision of ‘Somewhere.’