Credits:

ONOFRI, E./IMAGINARIUM ENSEMBLE

Description:

Shakespeare's most famous play, Romeo and Juliet. There are many musical compositions inspired by this story, but perhaps the most popular is Prokofiev's ballet music. The script, first completed with the help of Shakespeare scholars, director Radloff, Piotrowski, an authority on Greek drama, and choreographer Lavrovsky, was based on the then custom "the dead cannot dance," with "Romeo arrives before Juliet dies and there is a happy ending. However, Prokofiev, thinking that this would not convey the essence of the story, again consulted with the people and changed the ending to a tragedy. The present form was adopted. Although often performed in the form of a concert suite, Prokofiev's intentions can be clearly conveyed when the entire work is heard. The program will be conducted by Marin Allsopp, who has been appointed as the next principal conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. This 2-CD set complements Prokofiev's complete symphonic works. Naxos Japan