West Side Story, Suite No. 2

A work like West Side Story demonstrates that easy distinctions between concert music, opera, and musical theater—or between “serious” and “popular” music—were not so firm a few generations ago. The collaboration between composer Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), writer Arthur Laurents, choreographer Jerome Robbins, and a fresh-faced lyricist named Stephen Sondheim took years to develop. Sparked by Robbins and Laurents at the beginning, the idea of an East Side Story built around rival Irish-Catholic and Jewish communities was shelved in 1947 as various parties were pulled in different directions. Robbins and Bernstein had already teamed up to make Fancy Free (later re-branded as On the Town), but Bernstein made a series of conducting tours that occupied most of his time. While also working on Candide, the project came back together, and the whole of West Side Story—now reimagined as a Romeo and Juliet tale set amidst a turf war between whites and Puerto Ricans—was written between 1955 and 1956. Producers balked at the gritty portrayal of street gangs. But West Side Story would become one of the most beloved and significant theater pieces in the entire repertory largely because its setting was so timely. (A great deal of its worldwide appeal must also be credited to the 1961 film adaptation starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer.)
At the core of West Side Story is the star-crossed love between Maria and Tony, members of two rival communities in 1950s Harlem. Critics tended to favor the supporting action over the love story, though neither element thrives without the other. Like Shakespeare’s play, the love story needs the tension of open hostility as a frame in order to gain urgency and, at the end, tragic significance. Concert Suite No. 1 focuses on the tender love themes that Bernstein and Sondheim created for their modern-day Romeo and Juliet. Concert Suite No. 2 (1992), heard this evening, celebrates instead the infectious vitality of the ensemble and dance numbers. It contains four movements beginning with “I Feel Pretty,” which Maria sings the day following her balcony rendezvous with Tony. It is one of the most upbeat moments in the entire drama, while still being grounded in infectious Latin rhythms.
Jet Song is the signature vocal-dance number by members of the white American gang, headed by Riff. Punctuated by syncopations between voice and orchestra, Jet Song also lands repeatedly on the tritone interval, which became Bernstein’s motivic thread binding the warring parties together. America, on the other hand, stands as the musical emblem of the Puerto Rican immigrant community, led by Bernardo and Anita. A brilliant combination of Latin rhythmic verve and witty lyrics that banter the pros and cons of life in the States, the song has become a classic showtune.
The suite concludes with the Tonight Quintet, heard in the build-up to the climactic rumble. Bernstein melds the drama’s principal roles and musical themes, including Tony and Maria serenading from afar with “Tonight,” as well as the Jets and Sharks both strutting their predictions about the fight’s outcome with “They’re gonna get it tonight.” This is the pivotal moment in the play. For with Tony’s unwilling intervention in the melee, all the sunny optimism of the love story dies—all the hope for love as a reconciler between warring factions is cut down. After this ensemble, West Side Story spirals to its heart-rending conclusion.

(c) Jason Stell