Composed 1957, arranged 1960+1998; 22 minutes

In 1961, with the musical West Side Story already his biggest hit and a film version in the works, Leonard Bernstein quickly crafted a suite from the dance sequences of the show, a mid-20^th century take on the Romeo and Juliet story. With help from Sid Ramin and Irwin Kostal, the music was re-ordered to add musical, rather than theatrical, logic. The Symphonic Dances from West Side Story were premièred February 13, 1961, just as the New York Philharmonic announced a seven-year extension to the composer’s contract as its first American-born Music Director. Today’s highly effective sequence was arranged for two pianos by American composer and pianist John Musto in 1998.