BSO — 2014/02/14-16

Tonight, tonight won't be just any night./
Tonight they play "West Side Story."

That's right, folks: under the baton of David Newman the orchestra will be accompanying the movie. The performance detail page, with its links to notes and spoken audio, explains further:

Experience a thrilling new presentation of this iconic film and winner of ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The Boston Symphony plays Leonard Bernstein's electrifying score live, while the newly re-mastered film is shown on large screens in high definition with the original vocals and dialogue intact.  This classic romantic tragedy, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, and with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is one of the greatest achievements in the history of movie musicals. It features Robbins' breath-taking choreography and a screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the masterful book by Arthur Laurents.

(Emphasis added.)

One is entitled to wonder why. Not having heard the audio podcasts, I'm guessing that they thought it would fill the seats for St. Valentine's Day weekend. I truly wish them well, even though I'm not very interested. Of course listeners via radio or internet won't see the screen, but I gather we'll hear the sounds of the movie, including the singing, along with the live orchestra.

Since they did not do the show on Thursday — instead there's a Sunday matinee, so there's still time to go see it if you live around here — I can't offer an opinion as to how good it was. I can't find a review in the Globe, either, although they offered a preview, focusing mainly on Marni Nixon, whose voice was used in the movie in place of Natalie Wood.

As usual, you can hear it live over Classical New England's radio station or webstream, beginning at 8:00 p.m., Boston Time, but tonight, tonight will be the only night you can listen on the air. There will not be a rebroadcast on February 24, or any other time. I'm not sure whether it'll be available over the web on demand; I wouldn't count on it, but you can always try. Their BSO page has a link to an interview with the conductor, and the usual information about future broadcasts.