West Side Story

×

Expand

Image courtesy of Liceu.

Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990) was a  composer, conductor and an essential musical educator for the generations that came after him. He is considered one of the iconic figures in the musical history of the United States. He served as a vital bridge between the great European classical tradition and the American musical identity, which he expressed through a distinctive voice shaped by a wide range of cultural, socio-economic, and even racial influences.

His most celebrated work is West Side Story, a musical that premiered in 1957 with a book by Arthur Laurents (1917–2011) and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim (1930–2021). This landmark piece in Bernstein’s catalogue took ten years of conceptual development before its first stage performance. In 1961, it was adapted for the big screen by Robert Wise, achieving overwhelming success and winning ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

Since then, West Side Story has become one of the most important works in the history of musical film. In 2021, Steven Spielberg released a new cinematic version, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the score performed by the New York Philharmonic, the orchestra once led by Bernstein himself. With powerful artistic choices, this reinterpretation sheds new light on the aesthetic depth of the original.

Now, this iconic score comes to life at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, with Gustavo Dudamel conducting the orchestra in a powerful performance that captures the emotional world of a young couple. Like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, their love is forbidden by their feuding communities.

A dream tragically cut short, where only the death of one of the lovers will make the community understand the urgent need for reconciliation – and that hatred is a poison for which there is no cure.

For more music events check our online events calendar.