West Side Story

Description

Almost sixty years after its release, West Side Story remains the greatest musical in history. To grasp the timeless nature of this soundtrack, one only needs to recall its many hits: "I Feel Pretty," "America," and of course, "Maria." To set the rhythm for this modern Romeo & Juliet, set in 1950s New York amidst street gangs and Puerto Rican immigration, Bernstein extensively drew from jazz and pop, without, however, abandoning his operatic ambitions. "The main problem is the fine line between opera and Broadway, between realism and poetry, between ballet and simple dance, between abstract and representative. We must avoid the 'thesis play' aspect," the composer later explained, describing the origins of the music that would keep him at the top of the Billboard charts for fifty-four weeks.