Sony Masterworks proudly announces the upcoming release of the New Broadway Cast Recording of WEST SIDE STORY. The recording will be available nationwide on June 2, 2009. The official opening of WEST SIDE STORY, which took place at the Palace Theatre in New York City on Thursday, March 19, 2009, has been greeted with great critical acclaim and sold-out performances. The opening followed a pre-Broadway engagement at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C., where the musical made its original world premiere in 1957.
WEST SIDE STORY is written by three theatrical luminaries: two-time Tony Award winner Arthur Laurents (book) and multiple Tony and Grammy Award winners Leonard Bernstein (music) and Stephen Sondheim (lyrics) in his Broadway debut. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway's finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as "Something's Coming," "Tonight," "America," "I Feel Pretty" and "Somewhere." "The irresistible score, gloriously rendered here, remains a ravishment, with some of the most gorgeous love songs ever. It's hard not to melt into sweet agony," commented Ben Brantley of The New York Times.
"To have the opportunity to produce the new Broadway cast recording of the great American classic WEST SIDE STORY is truly an honor for Sony Masterworks," said Alex Miller, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Sony Masterworks. "That this revival is so relevant, powerful and electrifying today, after more than half a century, only confirms the greatness of WEST SIDE STORY, which has been part of our label's history since 1957. The new production and recording, which features a full 30-piece orchestra performing the original orchestrations, will introduce a new generation to the show, and we are proud to be part of it."
