Prokofiev (1891-1953) - Romeo & Juliet -complete : Gergiev / London Symphony Orchestra (2SACD) - Import 2 SACD Hybrid

Credits:

Prokofiev (1891-1953)

Description:

Prokofiev's music has a strong dramatic power, especially in his ballets and operas. Symphonic music is an important genre in his compositional life, but it is his works for the theater that really come into their own. One could even say that Prokofiev is the composer who wrote Romeo and Juliet." Gergiev spoke passionately about Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet" at the symposium and performed a total of 10 pieces from the first and second suites during his Japan tour, but it must be a repertoire to which he is very particular. This new recording with the LSO, like his previous recording with the Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra in 1990, is complete, consisting of 52 pieces.Romeo and Juliet," which Gergiev admired so highly, was created by Prokofiev, who was deeply moved by Shakespeare's tragedy upon his return to his homeland from Paris, and he set himself the task of creating a ballet adaptation of the original work to mark a turning point from experimentalism and modernism to a simple, natural approach and romanticism. He completed the ballet in only four months. The fact that it is the longest, most intense, and dramatic ballet score he ever wrote is also a testament to Prokofiev's strong enthusiasm. It is therefore not surprising that Gergiev insisted on recording the work in its complete form, as the composer had originally intended.In the performance in Japan, the treatment of numbers such as "Dances of the Knights (Montague and Capulet)," the famous ostinato of No. 13, and "Death of Tybalt," No. 35, which is full of wild dynamism, was nothing short of spectacular in terms of its vast dynamic range and the amount of information it contained. The dynamic range and the amount of information were nothing short of breathtaking. What left an even stronger impression, however, was the beautiful, gentle and delicate expression of melody in the charming and lovely No. 10 "Juliet," for example, and in No. 52 "Romeo at Juliet's Tomb," which was also placed at the end of the program at the time of the performance in Japan, and which showed the heartbreakingly intense and sorrowful love. The expression of the melody is beautiful, gentle, and delicate. In fact, Gergiev said, "I think 'Romeo and Juliet' is the most beautiful of all Prokofiev's works, in which beautiful melodies are the most important point.This album was recorded at about the same time as his visit to Japan, but under the direction of a master who knows Prokofiev and is a great lover of "Romeo and Juliet," the LSO, with its superb functionality, has been trained in Prokofiev's idiom through repeated demonstrations, and has thus perfectly portrayed the charms of the work. This is an unmissable opportunity to learn more about Gergiev and the LSO, now in its third year as principal conductor beginning with the 2009/10 season, and to see how the orchestra will develop in the future. ［Comment courtesy of King International.

Tracklisting:

1.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: No. 1. Introduction
2.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 2. Romeo
3.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 3. The street awakens
4.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 4. Morning dance
5.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 5. The quarrel
6.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 6. The fight
7.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 7. The Duke's command
8.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 8. Interlude
9.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 9. Preparations for the ball
10.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 10. Juliet the young girl
11.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 11. Arrival of the guests
12.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 12. Masks
13.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 13. Dance of the Knights
14.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 14. Juliet's variation
15.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 15. Mercutio
16.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 16. Madrigal
17.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 17. Tybalt recognises Romeo
18.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 18. Gavotte
19.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 19. Balcony scene
20.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 20. Romeo's variation
21.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 21. Romeo and Juliet's love dance
22.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 22. Folk dance
23.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 23. Romeo and Mercutio
24.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 24. Dance of the five couples
25.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 49. Dance of the young girls with lilies
26.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 50. At Juliet's bedside
27.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 4. Epilogue. No. 51. Juliet's funeral
28.Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64: Act 4. Epilogue. No. 52. Death of Juliet