One of the most lauded musicals ever written, West Side Story is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet. It is one of the few musicals that never age, and is still as relevant and well-loved today as it ever was. In this 50th anniversary year of the musical, UCJ has assembled some of the biggest classical crossover stars to record a brand new glitzy version of the musical. This is one of the only major recordings of this masterpiece to have been made since the 1984 version with Leonard Bernstein himself conducting, and has been made with the authorisation of the Bernstein foundation in New York. The cast in the seminal 1984 recording included Kiri Te Kanawa, Jose Carreras, Tatiana Troyanos, Kurt Ollmann and Marilyn Horne. In this version the part of Maria is passed over to fellow Kiwi Hayley Westenra who pairs up with Italian tenor Vittorio Grigolo.
Other stars include Connie Fisher and Melanie Marshall (currently playing the lead in Porgy and Bess).
With a bright young cast (the singers ages on this new UCJ recording also more closely resemble the youth of both Romeo and Juliet and Maria and Tony) and timeless tunes, this is set to become the recording of choice for the 21st Century West Side Story lover.
Cast List Tony Vittorio Grigolo Maria Hayley Westenra Riff Will Martin Anita Melanie Marshall A girl Connie Fisher
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Nick Ingman
Track List 1. Prologue 2. Jet Song Riff and the Jets 3. Somethings Coming Tony 4. The Dance at The Gym (Blues, Promenade, Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, Jump) Jets and Sharks 5. Maria Tony and Maria 6. Tonight (balcony) Tony and Maria 7. America Anita, Rosalia and girls 8. Cool Riff and Jets 9. One Hand, One Heart Tony and Maria 10. Tonight (ensemble) Tony and Maria and cast 11. I Feel Pretty Maria and girls 12. Somewhere A Girl 13. Gee Officer Krupke Jets 14. A Boy Like That Anita and Maria 15. I Have A Love Maria and Anita 16. Finale Tony and Maria