West Side Story - 50th Anniversary Recordingby Anonymous

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December 19, 2007: I do like the original soundtrack, but musically speaking, this recording is far superior. To start with, the two young leads have amazing voices. The first Tony and Maria were adequate, but not excellent. Kiri Te Kawana and Jose Carreras have excellent voices, but they sound too mature for the role of the teenage lovers. Hayley Westenra and Vittorio Grigolo are both young AND accomplished, and as such they bring the perfect combination of beauty and passion to the roles Tony and Maria. The rest of the cast is great too. In fact, I wasn't expecting to like "The Jet Song" or "Cool," but Will Martin's compelling strong but controlled voice brings real life to the Riff character, and I can't imagine anyone else doing a better job of it. His voice is both tough and beautiful at the same time…I don’t know how he does it. Another standout is Connie Fisher's incredible performance of "Somewhere." The only reason for criticism of this magnificent album would be the international cast. Personally, I don't have a problem with Vittorio's accent, I think it's kind of cute, but the "real" Tony wouldn't have one. Hayley doesn't look or sound Puerto Rican either. Oh well. These singers were chosen for their vocal abilities, not for their nationality. Anyway, of the three major recordings of "West Side Story" that I have heard, this is the one I like best. The main reason I like it best is because of how well Hayley and Vittorio compliment each other. They’re truly a match made in heaven!