West Side Story requires no introduction. The cult musical takes place on the Upper West Side of 1950s New York. The plot is based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but instead of focusing on two feuding families, here the conflict is between two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. Although constraints of time and scope mean that Leonard Bernstein's musical cannot be performed in its entirety at this concert, the virtuoso orchestral suite Symphonic Dances from West Side Story offers a complete picture of all the musical layers of the original work. Featured in these popular excerpts will be many familiar sounds, ranging from cool jazz to Latin American ballroom dance and classical music almost reminiscent of Stravinsky. The second half of the concert features Andrew Lloyd Webber's Requiem, which the composer known primarily for his musicals wrote in memory of his father. Reluctant to continue the modernist trend of the 20th century in this work demonstrating once again the versatility of his talent, Lloyd Webber instead drew inspiration from the English church music tradition, as well as from Fauré's Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana. The Requiem's natural melodic world, colourful orchestration and lively rhythms demand no detailed commentary. Bearing special mention, however, is the Pie Jesu movement, a duet between a female and boy soprano joined by the choir that became a hit in its own right, independently of the rest of the composition.

Presented by: Budafok Dohnanyi Orchestra, Müpa Budapest