"The Making of West Side Story", which I picked up as a bargain offer at FNAC Lisbon, is a joyous and moving film of Bernstein's operatic recording of his great musical. Now I am caught: everyday I wake up singing those tunes in my head: "I feel pretty, oh so pretty...."; or "Maria.... Maria, Maria, Maria". Is West Side Story the great opera of the second half of the twentieth century? After all, when it was invented, opera was a popular genre. The day after Rigoletto's opening, people were whistling "La Donne e mobile" in the street. Here, as Bernstein himself remarks, everything still sounds fresh and bubbling. These tunes, sang with great gusto by Tatyana Troyanos, transformed into classical arias by Jose Carreras, or seamlessly delivered by Kiri te Kanawa, will remain with us forever.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
The joy of music
"The Making of West Side Story", which I picked up as a bargain offer at FNAC Lisbon, is a joyous and moving film of Bernstein's operatic recording of his great musical. Now I am caught: everyday I wake up singing those tunes in my head: "I feel pretty, oh so pretty...."; or "Maria.... Maria, Maria, Maria". Is West Side Story the great opera of the second half of the twentieth century? After all, when it was invented, opera was a popular genre. The day after Rigoletto's opening, people were whistling "La Donne e mobile" in the street. Here, as Bernstein himself remarks, everything still sounds fresh and bubbling. These tunes, sang with great gusto by Tatyana Troyanos, transformed into classical arias by Jose Carreras, or seamlessly delivered by Kiri te Kanawa, will remain with us forever.
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