Prokofiev Romeo

Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet – Scenes from the ballet – San Francisco Symphony Orchestra; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Classical | 1 CD | EAC Rip | 337 MB (3% recovery)| FLAC+LOG+Cue | Complete scans
Publisher: BMG/RCA Red Seal | Recorded: 1995 | Published: 1996

Considering that Thomas' arrangement contains virtually all the main thematic material from the ballet (minus Prokofiev's many repetitions), for many listeners this hugely enjoyable disc will be the one Romeo & Juliet to have and hold. - Victor Carr Jr, Classicstoday.com

This 2008 live recording with the London Symphony Orchestra is Valery Gergiev's second complete recording of Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, the first being a 1991 Philips release with the Kirov Orchestra. This performance, like his first, is notable for its refinement and lyricism. It's perhaps surprising that Gergiev, known for the wildness and ferocity of his performances of other Prokofiev works, like The Fiery Angel, shows such restraint here.

Based on Shakespeare’s most famous romantic play, Prokofiev’s realisation of Romeo and Juliet as a full-length narrative ballet was audacious in its day. It was written during a period of artistic turmoil under a Soviet regime in which arguments raged over such fundamental aspects as the choice between a happy or a tragic ending. Famous movements such as the Dance of the Knights have helped maintain Romeo and Juliet as Prokofiev’s bestloved stage work. Marin Alsop’s acclaimed cycle of Prokofiev’s Symphonies has been described as ‘an outstanding achievement’ by BBC Music Magazine.

Rather than play any single complete suite (of the three) that Prokofiev extracted from the complete ballet, Myung-Whun Chung makes his own selection of numbers, roughly following the plot line and including music representative of all the major characters. Although some other collections offer more music, this hour of Romeo and Juliet makes a satisfying presentation on its own. What makes the performance special is the spectacular playing of the Dutch orchestra. Frankly, it's never been done better. From the whiplash virtuosity of the violins to the bite of the trombones and the firm thud of the bass drum, this is the sound the composer must have dreamed of.

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.

In their debut recording for harmonia mundi, the young viola prodigy Timothy Ridout and his musical accomplice Frank Dupree celebrate the power of love, with selections from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, performed in Borisovsky’s popular arrangement, and with their own transcription of Schumann’s Dichterliebe. The voice of the heart and the soul of candour, here the viola displays an astonishing range of emotions and expressive colours – from boisterous to tender or introspective in the Prokofiev excerpts, while also mirroring the myriad nuances of Heine’s poems in Schumann’s sublime musical love letter to his Clara.

It was George Szell who made the Cleveland Orchestra into a highly responsive virtuoso body, and when he died in 1970 he was in due course succeeded by Lorin Maazel, himself a renowned orchestral trainer. Here is Maazel's first Cleveland recording, notable for a quite outstanding quality of orchestral playing. The strings in particular have a remarkable depth of tone, though they play with great delicacy when it is needed; but then the orchestra as a whole plays with extraordinary virtuosity, tonal weight and exactness of ensemble. If the woodwind have a somewhat piquant blend this suits the music, which throughout is admirably served by Maazel's highly rhythmic, dramatic conducting.

Cuban Superstar Carlos Acosta dances Romeo in Kenneth Macmillan’s timeless version of the Shakespeare/Prokofiev Classic Ballet ‘Romeo & Juliet.’ In this perennial favourite, Carlos Acosta dances alongside his regular partner, the Spanish ballerina, Tamara Rojo – a celebrated stage partnership which currently has no equal. The drama of the doomed lovers is set against the ravishing sets and costumes designs of Nicholas Georgiadis.

Prokofiev - Romeo & Juliet Suites - Respighi - Pini di Roma - Philadelphia Orchestra - Muti
EAC 099pb4 Rip | APE+CUE, LOGs | 1 CD | 75 min | 327 MB | 300 dpi PDF Complete Scans
Genre: 20th Century | Label: EMI - Red line series

These performances are stunning, among the finest from Riccardo Muti's Philadelphia career. Seldom has "The Death of Tybalt" from Prokofiev's Romeo & Juliet Suite No. 1 had such raw excitement and virtuosity, and the great balcony scene is gorgeous. "Montagues and Capulets" also has a crushing power that we never seem to hear in performances of the complete ballet. Suite No. 1 is offered complete, while No. 2 is missing a couple of numbers, including the charming item simply called "Dance" (the Dance of the Girls with Lilies isn't such a loss). Respighi's Pines of Rome makes an odd coupling, but it's similarly magnificently played. Oddly enough, the early digital Prokofiev, despite a touch of glare on top, has more body and presence than the Respighi, which turns cloudy at the climaxes, with cymbals notably off-mike. Still, these sonic reservations don't detract from the quality or audibility of the music-making. -