West Side Story - The Making of the Recording

G :-

All Regions - Regular 1.33:1 / 4:3 - Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo / DTS 5.1 Surround - Colour - NTSC - Documentary

Music by: Leonard Bernstein
Book by: Artur Laurents
Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim
Based on a conception of: Jerome Robbins
Orchestration by: Leonard Berstein with Sid Ramin and Irwin Kestal

Maria - Kiri Te Kanawa
Tony - Jose Carreras
Anita - Tanita Troyanos
Riff - Kurt Ollmann

14 October 2005 marked the 15th anniversary of Bernstein's death; this DVD release commemorates the great conductor - composer.

An exciting behind-the-scenes look at the 1984 Deutsche Grammophon recording of Bernstein's "West Side Story"

This legendary recording features a cast of operatic stars headed by José Carreras and Kiri Te Kanawa. It was the first time that Bernstein conducted his masterwork himself, 28 years after it was composed

With the cameras being allowed full access, this film documents the creative process behind the recording and reveals the moods, triumphs, mistakes and vulnerability of everyone involved

A uniquely close-up view of one of the greatest musicians of the later 20th century, as Kiri Te Kanawa reports: "The funniest thing of all was when he suddenly stopped conducting and said 'That's the tempo. That's it.' And I laughed, because it was like having Mozart with you; you were getting it from the master himself."

"The result is terrific, not just musically, but as video véritéy." - Variety

"A judiciously edited…intriguing….amusing glimpse of artistic temperaments at work." - The New York Times