The city is sweltering in early summer heat. The news last night reported that hospital blood supplies are low due to an increase in gang activity. And my apartment has been without electricity since early this morning. What better time to put fresh batteries into the Discman (yes, I still have one of those) and listen to West Side Story? (And then go to the library that does have power to post this entry.)
This is another show where the film version is tattooed to my retina, so I was glad to find a recording of the 2009 Broadway cast for my listening. I am ecstatic to find that this is a thrilling (let me say it again) thrilling new recording of a great score.
The "hook" to this production is that the Puerto Rican characters speak in Spanish when they are among themselves. I have to say, I found more exceptions to that rule than I expected. Even though it is sung just among the Sharks crowd, the song "America" is sung in English, undoubtedly to communicate the funny lyrics to the wider audience. In Act Two, "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That" are sung in Spanish.
All of the singing is of the first order. Matt Cavanaugh handles the challenges of Tony's songs and their operatic high notes with only a slight nasality in his otherwise lovely voice. Josefina Scaglione has a pretty, light soprano that lacks the "spin" needed to sustain some of the final high notes. Karen Olivo's belt singing of Anita is right on the mark.
The best aspect of this new recording is the orchestral playing of the score. The liner notes list an orchestra of 30 players. It sounds like 50. The playing of the dance sections of the show are exciting and fresh-sounding even though they are 50 years old. I was particularly taken with an instrumental section in "Somewhere". With a lot of open sixths and fourths, this section sounded like Aaron Copland music.
I was disappointed with the liner notes for this recording. In 34 pages it has all of the lyrics (which would really only be important for the Spanish sections, I would think), only four photos (most of which don't identify the performers) and no essay. I would like to know something about the history of this show or the development of this production.
West Side Story
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Arthur Laurents
Opened originally in 1957, this production opened in 2009
Cast: Matt Cavanaugh, Josefina Scaglione, Karen Olivo
This is another show where the film version is tattooed to my retina, so I was glad to find a recording of the 2009 Broadway cast for my listening. I am ecstatic to find that this is a thrilling (let me say it again) thrilling new recording of a great score.
The "hook" to this production is that the Puerto Rican characters speak in Spanish when they are among themselves. I have to say, I found more exceptions to that rule than I expected. Even though it is sung just among the Sharks crowd, the song "America" is sung in English, undoubtedly to communicate the funny lyrics to the wider audience. In Act Two, "I Feel Pretty" and "A Boy Like That" are sung in Spanish.
All of the singing is of the first order. Matt Cavanaugh handles the challenges of Tony's songs and their operatic high notes with only a slight nasality in his otherwise lovely voice. Josefina Scaglione has a pretty, light soprano that lacks the "spin" needed to sustain some of the final high notes. Karen Olivo's belt singing of Anita is right on the mark.
The best aspect of this new recording is the orchestral playing of the score. The liner notes list an orchestra of 30 players. It sounds like 50. The playing of the dance sections of the show are exciting and fresh-sounding even though they are 50 years old. I was particularly taken with an instrumental section in "Somewhere". With a lot of open sixths and fourths, this section sounded like Aaron Copland music.
I was disappointed with the liner notes for this recording. In 34 pages it has all of the lyrics (which would really only be important for the Spanish sections, I would think), only four photos (most of which don't identify the performers) and no essay. I would like to know something about the history of this show or the development of this production.
West Side Story
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by Arthur Laurents
Opened originally in 1957, this production opened in 2009
Cast: Matt Cavanaugh, Josefina Scaglione, Karen Olivo
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