Prokofiev Love

Libor Pešek offers a fulsome selection of Romeo and Juliet excerpts–more than 71 minutes’ worth. Rather than the usual suites, Pešek’s selections follow the order of their appearance in the full ballet, thereby creating a cogent narrative (as opposed to Prokofiev’s own suites that, while not necessarily following the story line, are nonetheless dramatically effective). Pešek proves a fine ballet conductor, ever alert to the music’s rhythm, energy, and color. He beautifully shapes Folk Dance, Friar Lawrence, and Juliet’s Funeral, taking care to highlight rhythms and accents while pointing up the music’s drama. The balcony scene flows smoothly yet surges with unabashed feeling at the climaxes.

Whatever listeners may think of Mstislav Rostropovich's first recording of Shostakovich's Symphony No. 5 with the National Symphony Orchestra, it is a historical document of the utmost importance to anyone who claims to love the music of Shostakovich.

Prokofiev's enchantingly surreal commedia dell'arte masterwork is turned into a spectacular triumph of total theatre in this vital production from the Amsterdam Muziektheater. De Nederlandse Opera has chosen to use the more flexible French libretto of the 1921 premiere, a pertinent choice which has the advantage of accentuating the aesthetic common ground shared by Prokofiev and Les Six. Stéphane Denève's brilliant musical direction inspires outstanding performances from the soloists and the superb Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, enhanced by the smart, blockbusting staging of Laurent Pelly and the exquisite sets of Chantal Thomas, which propel this feverish fable to great heights.

Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and during World War II he conducted at the Berlin State Opera. Generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, he was a controversial but dominant figure in European classical music from the mid-1950s until his death. Part of the reason for this was the large number of recordings he made and their prominence during his lifetime. By one estimate, he was the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, having sold an estimated 200 million records.