Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet

An amazing piece of music !

It was completely as I hoped that it would be,¬ easy to find now.

Fantastic, never had a full recording before only excerpts so this fills in all the gaps.

Great music, well played.

In his score for Romeo and Juliet Prokofiev is on top form. Here we see him triumphant after dealing with his own personnal battles. His modernist musical impulses were at odds with his desire to return, after self imposed exile, to Russia. Here he find resolution by giving late romanticism an early modern bite, with a profusion of fine tunes. What to compare it with? Well Imagine that Prokofiev's 'Peter and the Wolf' is his children's cartoon: this is his full lenght film epic.What could be more appropriate than to hear a performance by one of Russia's great Ballet Orchestras? There is also some irony, as this Ballet company rejected Prokofiev's proposed Ballet in 1934. The 1990 orchesta aquit themselves well. The ballet is presented as it is danced. This has lead some critics to complain that there is less depth of interpreation that in some other recordings. What is true is that there is no added weight of interpretation here to make up for the lack of the visual spectacle of the dancers.I find that this approach works well. This is a thoroughly romantic performance with an added edge of Russian grit. The sound is good, but perhaps a little shrill in the upper registers. A few instruments are partly muted the mix: for example the mandolins in the Dance With Mandolins, Disc 1 Track 23. However it is a satisfying sound overall.The uncompromisingly balletic approach works excellently from Act 1 Scene 2 to Act 3 scene 2. However it is a little less satisfying at either end of the Ballet, most tellingly at its conclusion. At this point, which culminates in Juliet's death, a greater emotional palette would have been appropriate. As it is the last few scenes have an oddly stoney faced resilience to them, almost an out of place truimphalism. However, for three quarters of the performance there are few causes for complaint. Act 1 scene 2, with its succession of dances at different tempos is especially well executed, bar the muting of the mandolins, as mentioned above.All in All a fine set which will appeal to listeners who prefer to add a little interpretation of their own while listening, rather than have every emotion imposed on them by the conductor.

I will say first that in my opinion this is Prokofiev's masterpiece and the finest ballet score ever written (pace Tchaikovsky and Stravinsky). I think, if I was held at gunpoint and asked to name the single piece of music I would take to my desert island, it would have to be this. Beyond the ubiquitous 'Dance of the Knights' (aka 'The Capulets and the Montagues'), the score is miraculous; endlessly inventive (parts for mandolins, saxophones and a chamber organ), uplifting, moving and beautiful.I got to know and love this wonderful music through the lovely Previn/LSO recording, which I've been listening to again to compare with this one. Previn was a superb conductor of Prokofiev (listen to his glorious LSO Seventh Symphony and the violin concertos with Kyung Wha Chung), but compared to Gergiev, Previn seems a little reverential in Romeo. Despite fabulous playing from the LSO and a spacious, warm EMI recording, his recording lacks the last degree of excitement that is needed to really make Prokofiev's music take off. Turn to Gergiev, and there is an immediate sense of drama and drive that is entirely captivating. It is a performance that truly dances. Interestingly, Previn's slower speeds are much closer to those in a performance of the ballet (compare, for example, the latest DVD of the ballet from Covent Garden), but without the dancers, it sounds to me rather too slow. Gergiev is often extremely fast, far too quick in places (such as 'Juliet as a little girl' and 'Masks') to be danced to, but the excitement is palpable (the fight music comes scorching off the page) and even the slower, more lyrical passages have a dynamic pulse that is irresistible. It could be argued that the orchestral playing lacks a degree of finesse compared to Previn's LSO, but this does not significantly affect the overall impact of this searing performance.Definitely, the performance of the complete ballet to have, supplemented by Abbado's recording of extended suites on a single CD.

I do believe this version of this music would be very good, but I am not sure is the CD a legal published one...

Aunque no he podido compararlo con ninguna otra versión, he aprovechado ahora que ha bajado de precio para adquirirlo. Lo dicho, muy buena calidad de sonido y elegante versión de Valery Gergiev y la escuela rusa. Lo recomiendo.

Idéal pour les longues routes

"Romeo und Julia", 1935/36 komponiert, ist das Meisterwerk von Sergei Prokofiev für Ballett. Prokofiev vertonte die tragische Liebesgeschichte in epischer Breite (145 Min.) und spannt so einen grossen Bogen von der leidenschaftlichen, hoffnungsvollen Liebe bis zur tiefsten Trauer. Dabei haben die grossen emotionalen Gesten keinen falschen Pathos. Die neoklassizistische Musik ist einfach nur schön, lyrisch, poetisch. Gergievs transparenter Orchesterklang verleiht der Musik zusätzlich unendliche Leichtigkeit. Verschiedene Melodien aus "Romeo und Julia" sind sehr bekannt, nicht zuletzt wegen verschiedener Suiten für Orchester und Klavier. Die tragische Liebesgeschichte kommt aber am besten in der Gesamtaufnahme des Balletts zur Geltung.

Romeo and Juliet by Sergei Prokofiev is performed wonderfully by the Kirov Orchestra in St. Petersburg. I really loved No. 13, 46-52. Great music!!

j'ai commandé ce cd pour un titre en particulier ;je ne suis pas déçue et ne me lasse pas de l'écouter .livraison rapide .qualité conforme à mon attente.