Product Details

• Actors: Leonard Bernstein, Kiri Te Kanawa
• Format: Classical, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Polygram Video
• VHS Release Date: August 10, 1991
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 630169399X
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,751 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Filmed in 1984, the feature-length documentary Leonard Bernstein Conducts "West Side Story" follows the composer as he records the first-ever complete recording of his musical-theater masterpiece. Virtually the entire documentary takes place in a New York recording studio with a pick-up orchestra, session singers, and headliners Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita), and Kurt Ollmann (Riff). The 89-minute program alternates rehearsal footage with complete final takes of the main numbers--including "Tonight," "America," and "Maria"--with limited comments from the principal players. Te Kanawa explains how much the music means to her, Troyanos notes how she grew up in the very streets depicted on stage, and Carreras provides a rare moment of tension when a session ends unsatisfactorily. Bernstein himself is by turns commanding, charming, enthusiastic, and weary. This is a fascinating insight into what happens as a major album is recorded. --Gary S. Dalkin

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bernstein and Carreras at their magnificent best, November 21, 2001

By	D. MCGOVERN "Derek McGovern" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This 1984 behind the scenes look at Bernstein's first recording of his classic score, West Side Story, is a real treat. The singers he assembled were an eclectic mix: Kiri Te Kanawa, Tatiana Troyanos and Jose Carreras, among others. The latter may have seemed an odd choice for the role of Tony, but vocally this character has never been better interpreted. Less successful is Te Kanawa, who overdoes her Puerto Rican accent, ignoring Bernstein's plea for "the merest hint of Puerto Rican-ness".

The video takes the viewer through preliminary rehearsals in Bernstein's apartment, interviews with the singers and Bernstein, and finally the recording studio. More than anything else, it conveys the joys and frustrations of making a recording with the composer himself conducting, and the programme does not shrink from showing temper tantrums from both Bernstein and Carreras (who storms out of the studio at one point, cursing "Ma porco in Dio!")

Bernstein's energy, creativity, anguish and love of life are evident in every scene, and this is often a moving study of a towering musical figure.

Among the singers Jose Carreras steals the show, singing the demanding "Maria" in a performance that is both poetic and powerful. He sings a magnificent High B flat on the word "MAria!" and then ends the song on a melting falsetto. This is the Carreras of yore, and he is unforgettable.

Forget the off-key singing in the movie version of this classic - this is the real thing, with the maestro himself in charge.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent but..., May 29, 2002

By	Sean Lehman (Arroyo Grande, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonard Bernstein Conducts "West Side Story" (DVD)

This is an excellent DVD. I however was expecting what I had seen a few years back on PBS. In that version there was far more tension between Carreras and Bernstein. Carreras, whom I believe had just found out he had leukaemia, walked out in the middle of rehearsal after Bernstein picked him apart. Although there is not all that tension present in this DVD, it is still a good look inside the making of this recording. Watching the performance of the singers, musicians, and Bernstein is a far better treat then just listening to them on a CD. I do believe it has been whitewashed by removing a lot of the tense moments which is why I didn't give it 5 stars.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Geniuses at work, October 13, 2005

By	PhantomOfTheOpera "Maria" (Norway) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Making of West Side Story - Leonard Bernstein (DVD)

Almost a year ago I was away on a one week photo workshop. After a few days our teacher treated us to this dvd while saying that "this is to show you that real artists also struggle to achieve what they want. They are not merely superstars that always can deliver at the tip of a hat".......... The film started and we watched the great ensemble of artists giving their all to get the best possible result out of the recording sessions. I have to say it was kind of encouraging for me to watch and to hearing a voice saying "take 132" while the great artists are getting ready to record. It shows that no man is infallible. We're getting a really interesting glimpse into how things are working when an artist is recording an album. I was sitting there watching and then came the clip where Carreras is singing Maria and my mouth just fell wide open. Something went "click" in my head and it's possible that my heart skipped a beat too and I was completely hooked on this absolutely beautiful voice. The first thing I did when returning back home was to order a copy of this dvd and then I started checking out José Carreras and at the moment I'm the proud and delighted owner of a substantial opera collection - all of them of course with Carreras singing the tenor role.

This dvd is showing us clips from rehearsals and recording sessions as well as some brief comments from the singers about how they feel about working with Bernstein; Troyanos and Te Kanawa are talking about their "connection" to the music of West Side Story and of course we have the more or less (in)famous episode where Carreras is cut of in the middle of "Maria" and someone is saying that this was the end of the session and they have to continue the next day. Carreras, who obviously had worked a lot to get into the right mood to sing this song, in addition to the tension because of a vital top G still not recorded, gets cut of and reacts in a very natural way, I think. He utters a few words in Spanish; (not saying anything nice, I guess) collects his notes and then storms out of the studio. However, the next day he returns in resplendent voice and delivers his top note without any seemingly problems.....

It's also really fun watching the recording of "America" where the artists in addition to Bernstein himself are literally dancing around the studio. I just love watching this. I especially love the look on the face of one of the singers when the song ends; you can see the satisfaction just glowing, because she knows they have pulled it off perfectly.

There are lots of things I could say about this dvd, but I don't want to spoil all the fun for those who haven't watched it yet. What I can say is that this is a "spirited" injection for all those people out there struggling to achieve something, in addition to being a wonderful testament to Bernstein and his music as well as the musicianship of Carreras, Te Kanawa and the late Tatia Troyanos. Don't miss this opportunity to watch real geniuses at work......

PS. I just have to add that "my" workshop ended with almost all the participants going around singing "I feel pretty", becuase we felt that we had triumphed at last, and I can tell you that this song is really "contagious"....