CHICAGO — The CSO kicks off its blockbuster Friday Night at the Movies series on Friday, November 25 at 8 p.m., with one of the most beloved and acclaimed movie musicals, West Side Story. This presentation is followed by two additional Thanksgiving weekend performances on Saturday, November 26 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 27 at 3 p.m.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the film, which has been newly restored by MGM in honor of this occasion. Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris, West Side Story is a modern retelling ofRomeo and Juliet, directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, featuring Robbins' breathtaking choreography, music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim and a screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the 1957 play by Arthur Laurents. The film dominated the 1962 Academy Awards, winning 10 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, and Best Director.
In honor of this anniversary, the film has been painstakingly restored, and Leonard Bernstein's lost complete film score—which had not been performed in its entirety since its original recording in 1961—was recreated after more than a year of research by the Leonard Bernstein Office. The CSO performs this new version of the score along with the original dialogue and vocals from the film, which were isolated by the Paris-based company Audionamix under the supervision of Chace Audio by Deluxe.
Acclaimed conductor and composer David Newman leads the Orchestra for these performances, guiding the musicians through the difficult task of aligning with the original vocals, dialogue and dancing. This is the third time that Newman—the son of nine-time Oscar-winning composer Alfred Newman—has led these performances. He conducted the premiere of the newly remastered film with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl and also led performances with the New York Philharmonic earlier this summer.
The eighth season of the extraordinarily popular Friday Night at the Movies series continues on Friday, January 6 with the classic romance Casablanca, conducted by Richard Kaufman, and concludes with a showing of Disney's blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl on Friday, March 23.
DAVID NEWMAN is one of today's most accomplished creators of music for film. In his 25-year career, he has scored over 100 films, including War of the Roses, Hoffa and Throw Momma from the Train. The recipient of top honors from the music and motion picture industries, he holds an Academy Award nomination for his score to the animated feature, Anastasia. Newman also appears with leading orchestras throughout the world, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Berlin Score Orchestra, National Orchestra of Belgium, New Japan Philharmonic, Utah Symphony and the American Symphony.
An active composer for the concert hall, Newman's works have been performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, and at the Ravinia Festival, Spoleto Festival USA and Chicago's Grant Park Music Festival. Newman has also spent considerable time unearthing and restoring film music classics for the concert hall, and he headed the Sundance Institute's music preservation program in the late 1980s. As a tribute to his work in film music preservation, he was elected President of the Film Music Society in 2007. Newman also serves as president of the Board of the American Youth Symphony, a 43-year-old preprofessional orchestra based in Los Angeles. The son of nine-time Oscar-winning composer Alfred Newman, David Newman was born in Los Angeles in 1954. He trained in violin and piano from an early age and earned degrees in orchestral conducting and violin from the University of Southern California. From 1977 to 1982, he worked extensively in the motion picture and television industry as a violinist, playing on such films as E.T., Twilight Zone — the Movie, and the original Star Trek film.
Complete program details follow:
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Friday Night at the Movies
Friday, November 25, 2011, 8 p.m.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
David Newman, conductor
MGM HD presents West Side Story
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Tickets: $53—$174
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Special Concert
Saturday, November 26, 2011, 8 p.m.
Sunday, November 27, 2011, 3 p.m.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
David Newman, conductor
MGM HD presents West Side Story
Music by Leonard Bernstein
Tickets: $41—$136
Bank of America is the Global Sponsor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
TICKETS for all 2011/12 Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Center Presents, and Civic Orchestra of Chicago concerts can be purchased by calling CSO ticketing services at 312-294-3000 or 800-223-7114, online at cso.org, or by visiting the Symphony Center box office at 220 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60604. Discounted student tickets for select concerts can be purchased, subject to availability, online in advance or at the box office on the day of the concert. For group rates, please call 312-294-3040. Artists, programs, and ticket prices are subject to change.
