Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
Romeo & Juliet – Music from Orchestral Suited
In 1940 the Kirov Ballet, choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky and the music by Prokofiev performed the first Russian performance of Romeo and Juliet. This was not the first time the score Romeo and Juliet was performed. The music was composed in 1935 for the Leningrad Theatre of Opera and Ballet and the music was performed as a suite. The score is astonishing with attention to every character, mood, and situation. The imagery portrayed by the musical nuances makes the work memorable.
Mantague and Capulets has a dissonance musical line portrays the anger and inevitable and looming tragedy. The sweeping long line of the theme presented by the strings establishes the…show more content… The vibrant, whirling together of themes enhances the portal of two families and two lovers. Death of Tybalt happens when Tybalt kills Mercutio and Romeo intends to avenge his death. Romeo is reluctant to battle; it is his wedding day to Juliet. The music swirls in dueling musical lines that with building attempts of lunges and staggers. Tybalt’s death is cumulated and exaggerated by fifteen punctuations from the timpani and woodwinds. The searing theme chants the tragedy of death and alludes to the greater tragedy to come. Romeo at Juliet’s Grave showcases Romeo’s grief is presented through the love theme and builds the intensity of his love. The contrabassoon speaks from the tomb and is silenced by the soft glistening strings with the piccolo sings a single high notes while cellos and bass clarinet ache as in deep…show more content… Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet lent itself as a perfect musical story for Tchaikovsky. After the suicide of his cousin, student and his love, Eduard Zak, Tchaikovsky wrote about his feelings of longing for the young 15 year old boy and his lack of understanding of losing him. The tragedy in Romeo and Juliet connected to the personal torture in Tchaikovsky’s own life.
The fantasy-overture opens with a extended introduction depicting two main theme groups; the tyrannically fierce music signifies the divergence between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s and the euphoric love theme for Romeo and Juliet. The second statement of this theme is intermittent by the music for the sparring families as Romeo and Juliet’s love is trampled by the two families’ hatred for one another. After a melancholy altered version of the love theme in the minor mode, it is transformed into music that is tranquil and chorale- like, ending the piece on a jubilant and ethereal note.
Leonard Bernstein (1981-1990)
Symphonic Dances from West Side