West Side Story (1997 Studio Cast) (First Complete Recording)

---

---

Editorial reviews

Amazon.com
In the well-known recording which Leonard Bernstein himself made in his final decade, one intention was to more fully reveal the "operatic" dimension of West Side Story through big-name opera singers, as well as the symphonic complexity of its beloved score. With this JAY recording--part of the label's Original Masterworks Editions series--you get a similarly completist view of the work, but with a youthful, more "Broadway"-sounding cast that sounds plausibly--and movingly--close to the age of the actual characters. There's of course a good deal more musical material, along with underscored dialog, than what's presented on the OBC recording (let alone the film soundtrack). This West Side Story even includes some music not found on the Bernstein recording: the "Overture" and the alternative motion-picture versions of four songs. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios following 1992's Leicester Haymarket Theatre revival (a successful venture markedly contrasting with the disastrous, passionless 30th-anniversary New York revival). The fine surround-sound captures a detailed performance percolating not just with the necessary energy but with lots of orchestral detail and color as well. Some of the British accents inevitably begin to emerge (mostly in moments of chorus), while the New York accents can seem a bit overdone; but these are minor quibbles over an otherwise stirring vision of West Side Story. Even with his smallish voice, Paul Manuel is an involving Tony thanks to his vocal acting, and he mixes magically with Tinuke Olafimihan's touching Maria. It's easy to visualize the ballet in the chorus's deft vocalizing, and Caroline O'Connor's over-the-top Anita is memorably feisty. Do note that this set unfortunately does not include the libretto or lyrics. --Thomas May

---

Customer reviews

review by: Snowy and Manny's Dad date: 2008-07-04 rating:
Superb in every way
West Side Story, the original broadway cast belongs in every collection. The cast was superb, and because it was brand new the energy sizzled. Chita Rivera, in the part of a lifetime (ok she has had several such as Velma Kelly, and The Spider Woman) will never be beat. However.............there is a great deal of music missing, and West Side Story needs to be heard in its entirety.

Of all the post OBC recordings, this one simply is by far the best of the lot. It comes from an English production, which appears to have been quite good. Therefore there are no major mistakes in casting, unlike the Bernstein conducted recording which was abominably cast (Kiri Te Kanawa and Jose Carreras, what were they thinking?)

This recording is the only one that gives you the overture. I saw a touring revival about 1995 or so that chose to use the overture. The show plays much better when it starts with the high tension overture (it starts off with the opening chords of the Mambo and the cast behind a scrim shout "Mambo." It sets the show up much better than having the curtain rise and jumping into the finger snapping jazzy dance riffs of the opening Jets/Sharks confrontation. I know Bernstein scuttled the overture, but he was WRONG, very wrong.

Everything about this recording is top knotch. Johnathan Owen Edwards know how to pace musicals, and this is especially true of Bernstein. The orchestra is brilliant, the recording balances wonderful and the characters just leap out of the speakers.

This is absolutely the recording to suppliment the OBC, a West Side Story for the ages. Thank you John Yap.

---

review by: date: 2004-05-09 rating:
Perfect
This record is perfect beyond compare, which justifies its price.
Caroline O'Connor as Anita is wonderful ("a voice like a Porsche", as sb said).
If you have survived the London cast, you will happily recognize the caracters in this recording.

However, I do not share the opinion that
Riff's 'COOL' be lacking of vocal style
and Maria be even "ridiculous" in 'SOMEWHERE'.

The symphonic dances have their own unique style
different from the Bernstein recording with Los Angeles Philharmonic.

---

review by: oligodermie date: 2003-02-13 rating:
Finally! The quintessential WSS recording.
I don't know what took me so long to order this terrific recording. This is the best recording of West Side Story to date. The casting is perfect, unlike Jose Carreras's and Kiri Tekanawa's version. I also enjoyed the bonus tracks, which are ideal versions for a Broadway anthology compilation. Grab this while you still can, you won't regr this great experience of one of the best-loved musicals of all time.

---

review by: mystikt date: 2001-01-31 rating:
Some really great songs. . .
This is a good version of West Side Story. The quality is excellent, and has wonderful orchestration. Caroline O'Conner makes a great Anita. Her version of "A Boy Like That" is fantastic. I was dissapointed, however, with Paul Manuel's version of Riff. His voice seemed to crack and "Cool" was lacking in vocal style. Tinuke Olafimihan is a wonderful vocalist, but her operatic style didn't seem to fit with the rest of the ensemble. It was still worth hearing her version of "I Feel Pretty" which was delightful on it's own. Overall a worthy purchase.


review by: date: 2000-09-06 rating:
Wonderful!
I am a huge West Side Story fan and I just love this recording. This is definitely the one to buy, because even if you like some of the movie versions of the songs, hey, they're right here too! I don't know what they're talking about when they say Paul Manuel has a "smallish" voice. He blew me away throughout this whole recording, especially that inconceivable high note during "Maria." Anyone who's heard this recording knows what I'm talking about. Caroline O'Conner was great, the orchestra was great, the cast in general was great. I only have one minor quibble and that is, while Tinuke Olafimihan is a fantastic singer, she does sound a little ridiculous in some of the acting scenes, particularly at the beginning of the "Somewhere" ballet. But other than that, this is darn near perfect and should be the only recording anyone ever really needs of this incredible play.

---

Similar products

West Side Story (1957 Original Broadway Cast)
West Side Story
West Side Story (Full Screen Edition)
The Making of West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein
West Side Story: Highlights (1985 Studio Recording)

---

Similar categories

Music . Styles . Broadway & Vocalists . Musicals . Classic Musicals
Music . Styles . Soundtracks . General
Music . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . Indie Music . Classical
Music . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . Indie Music . Opera & Vocal
Music . Specialty Stores . Custom Stores . Archives . Featured Composers, A-Z . Bernstein, Leonard - Works by Bernstein
Music . Refinements . Format (binding) . CD . CD Album
Music . Refinements . Edition (format) . Extra Tracks
Music . Refinements . Edition (format) . Main Albums

---