Jerry Hadley - Tonight Quintet - West Side Story

[@loued4011]

Louise Edeiken here. Not only did Jerry Hadley have a beautiful voice, he was also a really nice guy and down to earth. I was also very sad to hear he was in so much pain and he is gone. Not everyone who's commented has the right stories here - since I was there for both the classical album and this event, I thought I'd clear some things up. It was the very end of a 4 hour concert - we were ALL tired. Candice and I were pregnant (I had to rent a gown since nothing I owned fit. By the way, that baby is now 34 years old!!!) - so I was falling off of my feet. All the soloists in the Quintet were classical singers except me - I was a musical theatre person - and maybe the Bernardo. I love Sierra Boggess so thanks for the compliment. It did sound as if the singers and musicians were off - hope it wasn't me but could have been! The album: I had never heard Jerry was considered for Tony but I wouldn't be surprised. Neil Shickoff was supposed to be Tony and he backed out 2 months before (which is like last minute in the opera world). Rumor has it that Lenny wanted another tenor and, mistakenly, his people thought he wanted Jose. But I can't confirm that. Kiri Te Kanawa and Tatiana Troyanos were always his first choices. Lenny asked Tatiana to belt and asked me not to belt (and do it as if I had just gotten off the boat) for America. Kiri knew that she would lose her voice because of the air conditioning in the studio and sure enough, the second day she had very little voice. Both were lovely to work with. Tatiana was another wonderful artist and person we lost too early. The documentary (The Making of West Side Story) is fascinating, glorious, painful, etc and I recommend seeing it. Whether you loved or hated this Quintet or the album, they were phenomenal experiences for me (I was only in the business for 10 years before I left to teach and have family). I got to do Broadway shows AND work with Lenny lots. I'm so glad I can revisit things on youtube. (BTW, I have a youtube channel if you are curious.)

[@moimeme6533]

beautiful performance by all of you & TY for sharing. 🙏 (although think you still should have belted the C6 at the end anyway!) 😉 I mean that very note is the top of the chord that is in one sense the pinnacle moment in *WSS*, and according to some critics/aficionados, the pinnacle of all musical theater.

[@candiceburrows6812]

Hello Louise! Thanks for setting the record straight and thanks for the memories! My daughter was born February 1989! I never told Lenny because I was afraid he would tell me I couldn’t go on tour. Ha! Best week! Best to you friend!❤ Candi

[@Caio0_057]

Is that JOHN WILLIAMS conducting WEST SIDE STORY????? My dream has come true!

[@candiceburrows6812]

Yes it is! I was singing Anita and Williams was amazing. Pretty much all business. all work and no play, but it was ridiculously fun and we worked hard for that performance. :=) Good times!

[@countalucard4226]

Wasn’t planning listening to music but when I saw thumbnail I had to click. I love WSS so much. I saw film in 61 when first release.

[@falco830]

This song really gives that "everything is about to get fucked" feeling.

[@oliverdelica2289]

Ohh hell yeah

[@ghtsw11]

Great singing, dramatic acting and a very fine orchestra - you could not really ask for more than that. Very exciting, plus a pleasure to watch Jerry Hadley..

[@carolenewman5180]

Rip Jerry Hadley. The greatest

[@SongbirdAlom]

The Anita has a lovely alto; The Maria, omg when I first heard her sing I thought she was Sierra Boggess. Their timbres are so similar.

[@hellofriends2649]

Agreed

[@oliverdelica2289]

You mean mezzo?

[@oliverdelica2289]

And yeah true. I thought Boggess time traveled to perform with Hadley

[@carlodurian3730]

Why are there so very few views on this? This is a gem!

[@wille3450]

Because its oprea

[@Kristina-u1n]

No surfing

[@loued4011]

OMG - so fun to see - and the comments are interesting to read. It was the last song of (I think) a 4-5 hour concert - I'm guessing it was after 1:00 AM. Candice and I were pregnant and I don't know about her, but I was really tired. I was the only musical theatre person in the quintet. By the way, I agree that Jerry Hadley would have been great in the recording. From what I understand Neil Shicoff was hired and bowed out 2 months before - in the opera world, that is almost last minute. Jose Carreras is a lovely man and a wonderful singer - but I wonder if he knew what he was getting into when he agreed to do the role.

[@detectivefiction3701]

You know, I wish Jerry Hadley could have been Tony in Bernstein's own recording of WEST SIDE STORY. He would have been so much more appropriate for the role than Jose Carreras was.

[@eddihaskell]

I think Bernstein was asked to used Carreras by DG to boost sales -- and went along with it -- but originally wanted Hadley for the role.

[@dianavictoriaaljadeff5302]

Yes Berstein wanted Hadley and Angelina Reaux for Tonyh and Maria the 1985 recording.But he had to accept both Te kanawa and Carreras who were more popular. S,he was Francisca and sang I feel pretty with Dame Kiroi but there wasnt a role for Hadleyl His favorite baritone Kurt Ollman,the bearded boy in this video, was Riff in the the recording as he was in this video. as also Luise Ediken who sang Rosalia in the recording. Here there are singers chosen by Berstein. He liked te Kanawa but didnt like Carreras.

[@The_Barefoot_Bass]

Carreras proved to be a sad mistake - of course Lenny wanted Jerry, in that time he was the ideal interpreter of the role. So sad he took his own life almost 11 years ago...

[@WelshHomo87]

barefootroeland i agree Carreras was a very bad choice

[@Mooseman327]

What a mistake that was. Carreras just couldn't grasp the jazzy American rhythms. Ruined what should have been the quintessential recording of the work.

[@donm7823]

Jerry you are gone tooooo soon. RIP" dear talented one. Your videos and recordings bring you back to life to appreciate what a versatile and super artist you were.

[@patrickblaney1675]

Quintet from West Side Story JOHN WILLIAMS conducting LOUISE EDEIKEN (Maria) CANDICE BURROWS (Anita) JERRY HADLEY (Tony) KURT OLLMANN (Riff) ROBERT OSBORNE (Bernardo) MEN OF THE TANGLEWOOD FESTIVAL CHORUS, JOHN OLIVER, conductor

[@lloydarriola3481]

I loved this performance when I first heard it 25 years ago. I had forgotten how scary the ensemble had gotten at the end of the Quintet. Lots of strong drumming is heard to try to get the errant singers back on track!

[@sirenblake]

I think the conductor was pushing the tempo at the end and actually the singers are right on. The percussion section keeps speeding up. (Looking at the score 😉)

[@candiceburrows6812]

I just saw this comment. I was one of those singers and trust me, we were not errant. We had a blast and were thoroughly prepared. In fact, Lenny hand picked us all for this 70th Birthday gala. That is good enough for me. And yes, Jerry Hadley was superb to work with.

[@moimeme6533]

@@sirenblake yes exactly & now wondering why he decided to push the tempo toward the end? would have been even better without that & btw there is no _accelerando_ in the orig score at that point.

[@moimeme6533]

@@candiceburrows6812 so glad LB did that, this is a stunning rendition IMO

[@sifridbassoon]

one of my favorite numbers in West Side Story. Anyone who doubts the operatic quality of Berstein's music only needs to listen to this piece. Change the language and the orchestration, and it could be a chorus from a Verdi opera.

[@alexmz123]

sifridbassoon in fact, it may be better than some operas! Bernstein’s music with Sondheim lyrics is beautiful ❤️

[@marthaanne820]

I think that this is Bernstein's greatest masterpiece. And agree, it is the equal of many operas, if not greater.

[@thomasr5740]

How can such perfection exists

[@fontevrault4690]

Jerry Hadley didn't participate in that recording because Beverly Sills would not let him out of his contract with the NYCO to do it. It had nothing to do with sales. Also, in various interviews, Hadley talks about the difference in singing opera and musical theatre. He was well aware of the challenges and unusually capable of adapting his technique and style to the different media. He was an incredibly versatile performer.

[@paragod333]

Not true!

[@alyssahanwell8210]

The acoustics in there were amazing I can tell I wasn't there but when I heard this wow to be able to sing like that and remember what part you're supposed to sing when five other people are singing around you different words wow that is something

[@davidalfredmorgan3212]

Bravo Bravo Bravo / Simply Stunning rendition of this song from West Side Story : > )

[@1goodvibrations]

this is fantastic!

[@hopha166]

Funny how Kurt Ollmann misses the "So I can count on you boy" cue both here and on the DG recording 🙂

[@michaellazzeri9439]

This is fantastic -----------well done, by pros.

[@bh5606]

Gorgeous music.

[@odilondasilvarocha]

Imitando óperas como Rigoletto. Lucia di Lamermoor. Várias pessoas falam de seus sentimentos. Coisa de gênio. Do musical Amor Sublime Amor.

[@gregarian4]

Love this!!!!

[@ransomcoates546]

I never understood why Hadley was not immediately cast in Bernstein’s recording, in stead of Carreras, who was not prepared musically and upended the ethnic dynamic.

[@Uncle-Smart-Alec]

Finally I know what song (this version) will be playing in hell-undoubtably on a loop!

[@carlodurian3730]

Wow!!!

[@DMCMT01]

Why didn't DG use this cast.... I mean we still get Ollmann (woo) but this Tony - big yes Is there a full recording of this concert

[@richardhill9379]

2:02 when the percussions can’t keep up and end up on Beats 1 and 3. Fail.

[@rugby8-Philadelphia]

.......shhhhhhhhhh

[@Grace-rq8hv]

I knew something's wrong, i thought my ears were (cause i don't really know much about these kind of things) 😅

[@RamonAlfonsoOMAR]

Tatiana Troyanos best Anita in Berstein own recording she was undeniable superior..Kurt Ollman best choice for his role

[@inesdeerausquin5658]

Who are the soloists?

[@zacharyfarber360]

Who is singing Riff and Bernardo?

[@JWP452]

So brilliant! It is such a shame that Spielberg had to mess with perfection.

[@Ruffiello]

Kurt Ollman (sp?) is great!

[@dianavictoriaaljadeff5302]

Who ae the other singers?I only recognized Jerry Hadley and Kurt Oldman(the bearded man)

[@virginiaabrahamse6048]

Candice Burrows, Louise Edeiken, Robert Osborne.

[@candiceburrows6812]

Me! What a blast that was- and with one run through. Honored and humbled.

[@RamonAlfonsoOMAR]

Kurt Ollman not Oldman

[@howardstrougo2897]

maria is busting out all over,....

[@kevinfarrell523]

They don't look like street gangs on.the stage.

[@paragod333]

Because it's a concert.not a staged musical

[@SPrescott2611]

Is it just me or is this actually fairly loose... lots of tiny moments where it's just not together..?

[@paragod333]

As Ms Burrows said above, "Only one run though" and it waas the end of a very long evening. Give them a break.

[@Cristina4175]

Here, the cast celebratebernstein.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/1988_Aug25_70thBirthdayGala05-e1520454066172.png

[@christopherhill2786]

Somehow this just doesn't work! All the "bits" are there - great voices (although a little too "trained"), good orchestra, a conductor who is sympathetic to this genre - but the outcome is sort of - well the pieces just don't merge together comfortably. Pity.

[@mikekev58]

The voices and facial expressions are good. The tuxes and gowns...not so much.

[@jackrenglish]

wss...je

[@chrisfrenchnyc]

Wow. I’ve never heard this conducted so poorly. It’s possible that the percussionists got lost (as easily heard around 2:00) but Hadley’s back phrasing doesn’t help. Either way, it’s Williams’s job go get everyone back on track and he fails to do so. This is an unusually sloppy performance from many world renowned musicians.

[@alematosmusic7498]

Oh my freaking God!!!! This is awful. They're all amazing singers and they have the right emotions but this is a song from a musical, NOT AN ARIA. It's supposed to be sung Legit (Natural voice, embracing your tone and all the emission channels, more contemporary sound and not an abusive use of vibrato (just at the end of a phrase)) These Opera voices (Complete use of diaphragm, unnatural tone, focusing only on chest and mixed voice and overuse of vibrato through all the notes) just fucked up the whole song. Also they made Riff a baritone and Bernardo a Bass just so they have a wider range in the performance but that's also wrong cause they're supposed to be teenagers, yeah, those are older singers but at least they should sound like what they're portraying. I really didn't like it, but still, amazing voices.

[@eduardoalvarado4330]

I don't know about the other singers, but I wonder why Bernstein wanted Jerry Hadley, a real opera singer with a full lyric tenor voice, to be Tonio in the recording that himself made...

[@Caio0_057]

I do see your point, it feels more like opera than it should, but I think Bernstein had to have a certain operatic quality in mind when he wrote this song. The Brass interludes and the quick percussion feel a bit more operatic as the standard strings that are often used and in the second half, the frase "Tonight" is sung with three notes going up rapidly, which when sung in the planned tempo can only sound operatic.

[@Dan474834]

Bernstein would have wanted this to be an opera. The only reason it became a musical was for commercial music. Bernstein’s own recording of it uses opera singers. Just listen to this piece, it is so obviously operatic. WSS even directly quotes many operatic fragments like the final bars of Gotterdammerung.

[@paragod333]

This quartet is "operatic" and that's only way to sing it. Jerk!

[@photo161]

awful!!! the worst version of this great piece I ever heard...

[@eduardoalvarado4330]

why tho

[@alematosmusic7498]

@@eduardoalvarado4330 because this song is from a musical not from an Opera, it's supposed to be sung Legit, the Operatic timbres just fuck it up and take away all the flow.

[@eduardoalvarado4330]

​@@alematosmusic7498 I think that is a matter of tastes but ok. Also, I think Jerry Hadley was the only one there who was a real opera singer. I listen to more opera than musicals and I only recognize Jerry, which was a great tenor and a lovely singer.