presents
West Side Story
Kenneth Schermerhorn and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra

West Side Story Trivia

• This recording features the original score for West Side Story. Originally, the score of West Side Story did not contain an overture. However, the producers of the Broadway premiere insisted that Bernstein compose an overture for the show. Additional changes were made to the score for the film version, including the reversal of “Cool,” and “Gee, Officer Krupke,” an earlier placement of “I Feel Pretty,” and changing “Somewhere” from a full cast ballet/dream sequence to a love duet between Tony and Maria. After the success of the movie, many stage productions were altered to reflect the changes in the movie. However, this landmark recording includes the Prologue without the Overture, the original placements of “Cool,” “Gee, Officer Krupke,” and “I Feel Pretty,” and the original version of “Somewhere,” sung by an anonymous girl rather than Tony and Maria.


• Sid Ramin, the author of the liner notes for the Naxos West Side Story, is the original co-orchestrator of the work and was a close friend to Leonard Bernstein. Following the remarkable debut of West Side Story, Ramin continued to arrange many successful Broadway shows in addition to his work in television and film.


• This album was recorded September 17-18, 2001 following a stage run of the show from September 4-16. Although the September 11 performance was cancelled following the horrific events of that day, the cast soon resumed performances, determined to provide a few moments of happiness for a nation locked in grief. The recording is dedicated to the victims of 9/11 and their families.


• Kenneth Schermerhorn, the conductor on this recording, studied as student conductor under Bernstein at Tangelwood in the summer of 1955. He was briefly considered to be the conductor for the premiere of West Side Story in 1957.

WEST SIDE STORY
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