NY Philharmonic to Screen WEST SIDE STORY Film; Score Played Live

The New York Philharmonic will screen the multi-Academy Award-winning film West Side Story, with Leonard Bernstein's complete score performed live by the Orchestra, led by Academy Award-nominated film composer/conductor David Newman in his Philharmonic debut, Wednesday and Thursday, September 7 and 8, 2011, at 7:30 p.m. A new sound technology, developed by Paris-based Audionamix and utilized by Chace Audio by Deluxe, has isolated the dialogue and the vocal tracks, allowing the Orchestra to accompany the film in real time.

The film, now in its 50th anniversary year, stars Natalie Wood as Maria, Richard Beymer as Tony, Rita Moreno as Anita, and George Chakiris as Bernardo, and was composed by the New York Philharmonic's Laureate Conductor. The newly restored print, which reveals details unseen since its original 1961 release, is a presentation of MGM HD. A 50 th Anniversary edition of the film will be released this fall on Blu-Ray by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.

This is the first of three music-with-film programs that the New York Philharmonic is presenting in the 2011–12 season. On October 25, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., Academy Awardwinning composer and conductor John Williams will lead the Orchestra in a performance of orchestral music, with film clips, which will feature excerpts from such classic Hollywood scores as Alex North's for Spartacus and Bernard Herrmann's for Vertigo, as well as highlights from Mr. Williams's own career. On November 2–3, 2011, at 7:30 p.m., the Philharmonic will celebrate Philip Glass's 75th birthday year with two concerts featuring the composer's score for Godfrey Reggio's 1982 cult film, Koyaanisqatsi, marking the Philharmonic's first performances of a work by Philip Glass. The performances will feature Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble (each in their Philharmonic debuts), with Michael Riesman conducting (debut), and the Westminster Symphonic Choir, Joe Miller, director.

Single tickets for the West Side Story performances start at $35. All tickets may be purchased online at nyphil.org or by calling (212) 875-5656, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets may also be purchased at the Avery Fisher Hall Box Office or the Alice Tully Hall Box Office at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 65th Street. The Box Office opens at 10:00 a.m. Monday through Saturday, and at noon on Sunday. On performance evenings, the Box Office closes one-half hour after performance time; other evenings it closes at 6:00 p.m. To determine ticket availability, call the Philharmonic's Customer Relations Department at (212) 875-5656. [Ticket prices subject to change.]