One of the standout films of 2021, director Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" has come out as an outstanding companion 21-track Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.
Featuring music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, "West Side Story" is widely regarded as a a groundbreaking musical because of the creators' advances in music as well as bringing a gritty realism to musical theater in the late 1950s (the original production came to Broadway in 1957).
Vocals on the soundtrack are provided by the stars of the new film, including Ansel Elgort, Rachael Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist and Rita Morena — the latter who played Anita in the 1961 film adaption.
The powerful on-screen performances by the cast translate well on the audio CD. Gustavo Dudamel conducted the New York Philharmonic Orchestra during 2019, with additional recording completed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The mix of jazz, Latin rhythms, classical orchestrations and broadway sensibilities is a delight across the soundtrack. The fully-illustrated booklet features photographs from the film, lyrics for the songs and liner notes from music consultant John Williams.
The West Side Story Original Motion Picture Soundtrack track list follows:
1. Prologue
2. La Borinqueña (Sharks Version) - Performed by David Alvarez, Sharks
3. Jet Song - Performed by Mike Faist, Kyle Coffman, Kevin Csolak, John Michael Fiumara, Patrick Higgins, Jets
4. Something’s Coming - Performed by Ansel Elgort
5. The Dance at the Gym: Blues, Promenade
6. The Dance at the Gym: Mambo
7. The Dance at the Gym: Cha-Cha, Meeting Scene, Jump
8. Maria - Performed by Ansel Elgort
9. Balcony Scene (Tonight) - Performed by Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort
10. Transition to Scherzo / Scherzo
11. America - Performed by Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Ana Isabelle, Jennifer Florentino, Natalie Toro, Arianna Rosario, Ilda Mason, Jeanette Delgado, Annelise Cepero, Tanairi Sade Vazquez, Jamila Velazquez, Edriz E. Rosa Pérez, Melody Martí, Gaby Diaz, Juliette Feliciano,
Isabella Ward, Maria Alexis Rodriguez, Yesenia Ayala, Gabriela M. Soto, Sebastian Serra,
Julius Anthony Rubio, Ricardo A. Zayas, Yurel Echezarreta, Kelvin Delgado, Ricky Ubeda,
Carlos Sánchez Falú, Adriel Flete, Jacob Guzman, Carlos E. Gonzalez, David Avilés Morales, Andrei Chagas, David Guzman
12. Gee, Officer Krupke - Performed by Kevin Csolak, John Michael Fiumara, Jess LeProtto, Ben Cook, Kyle Allen, Myles Erlick, Patrick Higgins
13. One Hand, One Heart - Performed by Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler
14. Cool - Performed by Ansel Elgort, Mike Faist
15. Tonight (Quintet) - Performed by Mike Faist, David Alvarez, Ariana DeBose, Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Jets, Sharks
16. The Rumble
17. I Feel Pretty - Performed by Rachel Zegler, Ana Isabelle, Ilda Mason, Annelise Cepero, Jamila Velazquez, Andréa Burns, Tanairi Sade Vazquez, Yassmin Alers
18. Somewhere - Performed by Rita Moreno
19. A Boy Like That / I Have a Love - Performed by Ariana DeBose, Rachel Zegler
20. Finale
21. End Credits
Soundtrack Album Produced by David Newman, Matt Sullivan & Jeanine Tesori
Executive Soundtrack Producers: Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger
Music Arranged by David Newman
Music Supervisor: Matt Sullivan
Supervising Vocal Producer: Jeanine Tesori
Robert Kinsler
