"West Side Story" to the Gran Teatre del Liceu

Concert of Bernstein's symphonic version of the musical

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), composer, orchestra conductor, essential sound educator for the new generations, is considered one of the emblematic names in the musical history of the United States. He is a necessary bridge between the great European classical tradition and the American proposal that displays, in its own voice, its multiple cultural, socioeconomic, and even racial influences.

His most celebrated work is "West Side Story," a musical premiered in 1957 with a libretto by Arthur Laurents (1917-2011) and lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021). A masterpiece in Bernstein's catalog, which took 10 years of conception to reach the first performance, was brought from the theatrical stage to the movie screen by Robert Wise in 1961. With overwhelming success, it received 10 Oscars, including the Best Picture award.

Since then, this work has become one of the reference points in musical filmography. In 2021, Steven Spielberg made a new version with Gustavo Dudamel as the musical director of the score and the NY Philharmonic, the orchestra of which Bernstein was the conductor. With a set of powerful resources, this revision enlightens us in its aesthetic proposal.

An iconic score presented by Gustavo Dudamel leading the orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, which will bring to the stage the emotions of a young couple, but who, in the manner of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," have their clandestine relationship denied by their own feuding clans.

A pursued dream that unfortunately only the death of one of them will reveal, to the community, that they are forced to understand each other and that hatred is a poison for which there is no antidote.

Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International www.mtishows.eu