↑ When Bernstein is mentioned, his identity is always mentioned in passing: conductor, composer, pianist, educator. He was active in all corners of the world classical music scene in the 20th century. An American, Jewish, bisexual. From any point of view, Bernstein was a controversial figure. As the first American conductor to be known to the world, his conducting style is also full of controversy, and the unbridled and provocative conducting style seems to be incompatible with the "high art" of Europe. But at the same time, his eclectic strengths cannot but be admired.
It was such a contradictory figure who dedicated himself to bringing European classical music into 20th-century American society, which gave birth to such a great work, "West End Story".
In September 1984, Bernstein walked into the studio and conducted the musical "West End Story" that he had created in the 50s for the first time, and the record company invited a group of opera stars such as Kanawa, Kareiras, and Trojanus to complete this protracted recording masterpiece. In the blink of an eye, 30 years have passed.
The star version of "West End Story" is due to Bernstein's sense of violence against the Latino community in the United States, so he is determined to follow Shakespeare's tragedy "Romeo and Juliet" as a model, telling the tragic love of a couple who died in the gang fight in New York's West End. The plot setting with a strong sense of the times, coupled with Shakespeare's original spirit, whether it is the original musical or the subsequent song and dance films, have achieved great success. Of course, Bernstein's theatrical concept and musical composition are undoubtedly the soul of this work.
— Bernstein himself once said: "Although I have recorded the symphonic dance music, I never wanted to conduct my own work in its entirety, and these days I look at the score and still think this work is too exciting." ”
For Bernstein, the West End story wasn't the most perfect. The goal of life that he has been pursuing, to break the boundaries of music and improve the popular status of classical music, has not actually been achieved. He was always grieving that he could not create the greatest work to make history. But for 20th-century music history, West End Story is unique and epoch-making. Bernstein seamlessly combined American jazz with European symphony; he brought tragedy and classical art into a Broadway musical that was supposed to be working-class entertainment; and the depth of music and the accessibility of listeners were unified like never before.
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This article was published by the self-media "Sansheng" under the SMG Foundation for the Development of Arts and Humanities
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