The West Side Story Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Set for release on digital and Dolby Atmos on December 3rd.

Physical album available on December 10th

Pre-order HERE: https://disney.lnk.to/WestSideStory_

Out Now - Hear It Here : https://open.spotify.com/album/2WcL0CchdMpqBlyu2JRmHy?si=ub5aaYe7TOuAjb-XgYAiwQ&nd=1

More Information Here: https://www.westsidestory.com/2021-film

From a very young age I inherited my father’s love for music. I used to retreat to our ‘front room’, close the door and curtains and sing along to my father’s Paul Anka, Guy Mitchell, Frank Sinatra and others recorded on 78s. It was during my later teenage years while living in Hong Kong that musical films caught my attention. I would often go alone to the cinema in Kowloon where I would watch 2-3 films a day. It was during these cinematic excursions that I first saw West Side Story followed by Funny Girl. While I doubt I appreciated the quality of song-writing at the time, these experiences led to collecting musicals and film soundtracks. It was in later years that I recognised the supreme quality of song-writing in these and other films. Many of the songs featured became musical standards performed thousands of times by hundreds of artists.

I’ll confess that I tried to use musicals in my early adult life to form romantic relationships, with little success. The first time was when I acquired 2 tickets to see Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl playing at the Prince Of Wales theatre in London. At the time I was a trainee executive at Harrods in London and was attracted to the most beautiful young Indian lady at work who I invited along to see the show. Streisand was pregnant at the time and was only performing in the matinee shows, which was all I could get tickets for! The show was incredible and co-starred British actor Michael Craig. I then discovered that she was engaged to a manager in menswear… Then the musical Hair came along and once again I booked tickets in the hope of ‘finding love’ - another failure, but the show was fantastic! My final attempt at ‘musical seduction’ came with a lovely Italian lady who accompanied me to see My Fair Lady at a Shaftsbury, London cinema. I had more success here but Italian family tradition beat me.

West Side Story with its superb dance sequences by Jerome Robbins and very special song-writing by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim is a film I possess on DVD and watch every few months. I’m more than happy to see and hear the new film version and would heartily recommend it to all, especially those looking for the chance to build romantic relationships - hopefully with more success. My hope is that the millennial generation will discover this and other musicals, like I did very many years ago, and at the same time create new fond memories.

Hollywood Records/UMC are pleased to announce the release dates for the soundtrack from the highly anticipated film WEST SIDE STORY, directed by Academy Award winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tony Kushner. From 20th Century Studios, The Walt Disney Company will release West Side Story in UK cinemas on December 10th.

WEST SIDE STORY has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show. Original choreography by Jerome Robbins, based on the stage play, book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by the late Stephen Sondheim. WEST SIDE STORY tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City.

Spielberg said:

“I dedicated this movie to my father, but it was my mother’s love of music, combined with my insatiable appetite to understand everything about movie making, that led me to start collecting motion picture soundtrack albums when I was young. I loved the ‘West Side Story’ cast album from the first time I listened to it. As a kid I could sing every one of its songs by heart - and I did sing them, until I wore out the patience of my entire family. The score feels like it’s always been part of me, and I believe that this is the greatest music ever written for musical theater. My sincere hope is that young people out there find this album and fall in love with it as hard as I did.”

WEST SIDE STORY Original Motion Picture Soundtrack features 21 songs from the film and will be released in both standard digital and physical (CD and vinyl) configurations, as well as a digital release in Dolby Atmos Music - a new technology placing the listener inside the song in a spatial way, revealing every detail of the music with unparalleled clarity and depth. Both digital versions are set for release on December 3rd, and the CD will be available on December 10th. Pre-order HERE: Leonard Bernstein Stephen Sondheim West Side Story Cast 2021 - West Side Story (lnk.to)

Vinyl versions will be available in early 2022. Both physical versions will include liner notes by West Side Story Music Consultant, Oscar-winning composer John Williams (Schindler’s List, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Star Wars, Jaws, Fiddler on the Roof). This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony), Ariana DeBose (Anita), David Alvarez (Bernardo), Mike Faist (Riff), Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke), Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank), Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino), with Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works), and introduces Rachel Zegler (María). Moreno - one of only three artists to be honoured with Academy, Emmy, GRAMMY, Tony and Peabody Awards - also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.

Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also served as an executive producer; Tony Award winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award nominated composer and conductor David Newman (Anastasia), who arranged the score; Tony Award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home, Thoroughly Modern Millie), who supervised the cast on vocals; and GRAMMY-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (Beauty and the Beast, Chicago, Hairspray), who serves as executive music producer. The film is produced by Spielberg, p.g.a., Academy Award-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger, p.g.a., and Tony Award-winning producer Kevin McCollum.