Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
List Price:
Our Price: $10.04
You Save: $7.94 (44%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $9.48 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Composer: Sergey ProkofievConductor: Lorin Maazel
Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1998-06-09
Music Label: Decca
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Romeo And Juliet: Intro - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 1: Romeo - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 1: The Street Awakens/Morning Dance - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 1: The Quarrel - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 1: The Fight - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 1: The Prince Gives His Order/Interlude - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Preparations For The Ball (Juliet And The Nurse) - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Juliet As A Young Girl - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Arrival Of The Guests (Minuet) - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Masks - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Dance Of The Knights - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Juliet's Var - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Mercutio - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Madrigal - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Tybalt Recognises Romeo - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: The Departure Of The Guests (Gavotte) - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act I Scene 2: Balcony Scene/Romeo's Var/Love Dance - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act II Scene 1: Folk Dance - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act II Scene 1: Romeo And Mercutio - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act II Scene 1: Dance Of The Five Couples - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act II Scene 1: Dance With Mands - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Act II Scene 1: The Nurse/The Nurse Delivers Juliet's Message To Romeo - Sergei Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Romeo At Friar Laurence's - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Juliet At Friar Laurence's - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: The People Continue To Make Merry - Further Public Festivities - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Tybalt Meets Mercutio - Tybalt And Mercutio Fight, Mercutio Dies - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Romeo Resolves To Avenge Mercutio's Death - Finale - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Introduction (Act Three) - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: The Last Farewell - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: The Nurse - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Juliet Refuses To Marry Paris - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Juliet Alone - Interlude - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: At Friar Laurence's - Interlude - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Juliet's Room - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Juliet Alone - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Morning Serenade - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Dance Of The Girls With Lilies - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: At Juliet's Bedside - Prokofiev
- Romeo And Juliet: Juliet's Funeral - Death of Juliet - Prokofiev
Free Music Notes for Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
Free Music Review: The very best version of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet
Hit: 5 Stars
This classic account of Prokofiev's perennially engaging ballet is the best rendition currently available. Maazel may not be as renowned a Prokofievian as, say, Gergiev, Weller, Jarvi, Rozhdestvensky, Kuchar, or even Ozawa, but he delivers an exemplary performance here that has stood the test of time for more than three decades.
On matters of interpretation, Maazel strikes the perfect balance between metrical precision and romantic indulgence. Ashkenazy exemplifies the former sternly disciplined and metronomic approach, whilst Previn adopts a more unfussy and sentimental take. Maazel is perhaps somewhat less passionate than Previn, resulting in a reading that is less 'popular' and filmic. At the same time, he is more flexible and attuned to the crests and troughs of the score than Ashkenazy, so the music is suitably imbued with warmth and emotion, though never to an excessive degree. Previn's conducting sometimes seems unnecessarily maudlin, though there are some incredibly poignant moments. Ashkenazy, who keeps to the score and delivers a performance that can be thrilling in its rhythmic intensity, could nonetheless do with a bit more give and take, a bit more sensitivity to the pulsing heart of the score. Maazel gives the listener the best of both worlds: he allows Prokofiev's ineffably beautiful melodic lines to swell and soar, but he also preserves cohesion by maintaining a sort of symphonic momentum.
The Cleveland Orchestra performs magnificently under Maazel's baton. Renowned for their technical exactitude, they also make a case here for their ability to sing with eloquence and arduour. Their brass section, though marginally less emphatic than Previn's London Symphony band, is nonetheless a model of gusto and, importantly, lucidity. Similarly, Cleveland's string section is at once richly articulate and flawlessly transparent. Ashkenazy's Royal Philharmonic is a nonpareil in terms of exact execution, but Cleveland are the more intense ensemble. Happily, this recording gives us a delectable balance between emotional intensity and instrumental clarity.
Maazel views the ballet not as an episodic sequence of shouts and whispers but as a coherent and adhesive long-line of melody. This is the product of a mind dedicated not to fleeting moments of sonority and drama but to the complete architecture of the composition. This was, after all, the first ever recording of the entire ballet, and it differed from recordings of the suite in that Maazel believed in the power of the entirety of the piece, not just its constituent chapters and episodes. This is, to my mind at least, the most sensible and effective method- what Prokofiev probably intended.
To top things off, the clarity and impact of the recording belies its 70's vintage- the timpani rolls with thunderous authority, the strings are as lucent as crystal. The entire orchestra is made a deliciously tangible presence by the superbly remastered sound.
That's the end of my two cents. Of course, Previn and Ashkenazy are well worth investigating if you want to look into the interpretative possibilities presented by this ballet. However, if you want just one recording of this glorious work, Maazel is a firm first-choice, and Decca's two for one price-tag makes this a bargain. An unreserved recommendation if there ever was one.
Classical Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Classical Music CDs
Winterscapesby London Philharmonic
Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.74
Price in other shops:
The Queen, the Bear, and the Bumblebeeby Dini Petty
Childrens Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.40
Price in other shops:
Classical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs CdrRelease date: 2000-04-05; Music CD
Best price: $25.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann
Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $35.99
![Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS] Image](/images/Jose-Carreras-Jubileum-Concert-VHS-1584481471-X.jpg){kind=small}
Jose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $5.87
Price in other shops:
![Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS] Image](/images/Tchaikovsky-The-Nutcracker-Nureyev-Park-Royal-Ballet-VHS-156127092X-X.jpg){kind=small}
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.94
Price in other shops:
![Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS] Image](/images/Lonely-Town-Lonley-Street-Sergeant-Early-Dream-VHS-1561270857-X.jpg){kind=small}
Rambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops:
Winter Music: Composing the Northby John Luther Adams
Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $23.62
Price in other shops:
![Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] Image](/images/Puccini-La-Fanciulla-del-West-Santi-Domingo-Neblett-Royal-Opera-Covent-Garden-VHS-0769720382-X.jpg){kind=small}
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] Image](/images/Verdi-Falstaff-Giulini-Bruson-Ricciarelli-Nucci-Royal-Opera-Covent-Garden-VHS-0769720358-X.jpg){kind=small}
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Rachmaninov: The SymphoniesRelease date: 1998-02-10; Music CD
Best price: $14.57
Price in other shops:
Prokofiev: Peter & the WolfRelease date: 2006-10-17; Music CD
Best price: $3.95
Price in other shops:
Prokofiev: 7 Symphonies; Lieutenant KijéRelease date: 2001-03-13; Music CD
Best price: $17.55
Price in other shops:
Prokofiev: CinderellaRelease date: 2010-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $5.39
Price in other shops:
Prokofiev: Complete ConcertosRelease date: 2003-01-14; Music CD
Best price: $15.83
Price in other shops:
Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: Firebird-Complete / Scherzo a la Russe / Fireworks / Scherzo fantastiqueRelease date: 1990-10-25; Music CD
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Ballet Edition - Tchaikovsky: Sleeping BeautyRelease date: 2010-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $7.87
Price in other shops:
Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake (complete ballet)Release date: 2004-06-01; Music CD
Best price: $6.72
Price in other shops:
Prokofiev: Cinderella,Op.87 / Glazunov: The Seasons,Op.67Release date: 2000-02-08; Music CD
Best price: $10.00
Price in other shops:
Prokofiev: Romeo & JulietRelease date: 2010-01-26; Music CD
Best price: $5.52
Price in other shops: