SHAKESPEARE

Synopsis

Television documentary that follows conductor Leonard Bernstein as he records, over four days, the first complete recording of West Side Story. Filmed in a New York recording studio with a pick-up orchestra, session singers, and singers Kiri Te Kanawa (Maria), José Carreras (Tony), Tatiana Troyanos (Anita), and Kurt Ollmann (Riff). Alternates rehearsal footage with complete final takes of the main numbers including ‘Tonight’, ‘America’, and ‘Maria’ with limited comments from the principal players. Te Kanawa explains how much the music means to her, Troyanos notes how she grew up in the very streets depicted on stage, and Carreras provides a rare moment of tension when a session ends unsatisfactorily and he walks out. Bernstein himself is by turns bullying, charming, enthusiastic, and weary. Carreras’ singing of ‘Maria’ is joyous.

Series

Omnibus

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Television

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Transmission details

10 May 1985 (Channel: BBC1)

Duration

88 mins

Credits

Director

Christopher Swann

Producer

Humphrey Burton

Cinematographer

John Else

Contributor

Leonard Bernstein

Cast

José Carreras	Tony (Romeo)
Kiri Te Kanawa	Maria (Juliet)
Kurt Ollman	Riff
Tatiana Troyanos	Anita

Additional Details

Production type

Documentary/Educational/News

Subjects

Music

Keywords

musicals; Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Notes

Available on DVD on NTSC only (4/2007).

History

First US broadcast 17 May 1985 in the Great Performances series.

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Archive

Name

BFI National Archive

Web

http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7436 0165

Address

21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

Distributor

Name

Deutsche Grammophon

Online Retailer

Name

amazon.com

Web

http://www.amazon.com External site opens in new window