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From: brian@ut-sally.UUCP (Brian H. Powell)
Newsgroups: net.music.classical,net.audio
Subject: Re: Bernstein's new "West Side Story" (recording producer blues)
Message-ID: <2160@ut-sally.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 21-Jun-85 15:48:19 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-sally.2160
Posted: Fri Jun 21 15:48:19 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Jun-85 04:13:20 EDT
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Organization: U. Texas CS Dept., Austin, Texas
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Xref: watmath net.music.classical:1135 net.audio:5170

> As to the musical execution, the only one of the operatic "stars" 
> used that I found really satisfactory was Troyanos as Anita.  She
> was the only one who seemed to be able to master the style and accent
> required.
     I also really liked the Bernstein kids for the dialog parts.  I also
thought Ullman was good.  In general, the supporting parts (the rest of
the Jets and Sharks, and the "girls" were up to par.

>Te Kanawa's voice is lovely as abstract sound, but that
> sound which seems so fresh and clear in opera and concert sounds stiff
> and matronly as Bernstein's Maria.  Part of the problem, I believe,
> is that she is primarily a singer of sounds rather than words, by
> which I mean that she concentrates on producing tones of a certain 
> quality and roundness to the degree that she seems unable to give 
> her articulation of the text the crispness and vitality it needs.
     Agreed.  She's great for lieder, et al, but not for a Puerto Rican
girl.  Boy what a contrast when Maria spoke dialog (with a nice accent) and
then the music started and Kiri kicked in with her definitely-not-Puerto-Rican
accent.

> The casting of Carreras as Tony was a bad mistake, and one that should
> have been predictable.  The "Romeo and Juliet" concept of the story
> dictates that Tony should definitely NOT have a foreign accent, so
> that he will contrast with Maria's Puerto Rican accent.  Carreras
> tried but failed to suppress his distinct Spanish accent.  In addition,
> he's been pushing what was once a beautifully soft-textured lyric tenor
> more and more to the dark and dramatic side, so that his voice has
> lost the clarity and youthful quality Tony should have and has, in
> addition, caused the break between his middle and upper register to
> become exaggerated so that lines that should rise smoothly cross over
> the break with an audible lurch.
     Bingo.  Who picked him?  This destroyed the recording for me.  The other
stuff I can accept.  Even Kiri as Maria.  Did you see the trouble he had
with "Something's Coming"?  The parts with Ullman (gee I hope I am spelling
his name right, he deserves credit) and Carreras really stick out from
C's point of view.  I think using opera stars might have been a mistake.
There were parts where they sounded good, but I'd trade those "power" moments
for a good accent and a Broadway feel.

> 
> 	- Greg Paley


Brian H. Powell      brian@ut-sally.{ARPA,UUCP}