Prokofiev - Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa – Romeo & Juliet (Highlights)

Prokofiev – Romeo & Juliet (Highlights)
Sergei Prokofiev
Performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa

One of the greatest 20th-century ballet scores, Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet distils Shakespeare’s tragic love story into music of striking dramatic contrast - lyrical intimacy, violent tension, and sweeping orchestral colour. This highlights selection captures the emotional arc of the full ballet in a concentrated, cinematic form.

Under Seiji Ozawa, the Boston Symphony Orchestra delivers a performance of vivid clarity and theatrical precision. The orchestration is brought into sharp focus, allowing Prokofiev’s shifting moods - from delicate romantic passages to brutal rhythmic clashes -to register with full impact.

Act I introduces the world of Verona with energetic dances, street scenes, and character themes that establish both romance and conflict. The famous “Balcony Scene” stands out as one of Prokofiev’s most soaringly lyrical moments, capturing the fragile intensity between Romeo and Juliet.

Act II intensifies the drama, moving through festive public scenes into escalating tension and tragedy following Mercutio’s death. The music becomes darker and more urgent, reflecting the irreversible consequences of the feud.

Act III contains the emotional core of the tragedy, including the farewell between the lovers and Juliet’s desperate isolation. The orchestration here is particularly expressive, balancing tenderness with inevitability.

Act IV concludes the work with some of its most haunting material, including Juliet’s funeral and the final moments of the lovers’ fate, bringing the story to a devastating and poignant close.

A powerful distilled version of one of ballet’s most emotionally charged scores.

Tracklist:

Act I

1. The Street Awakens – 2:25
2. Morning Dance – 2:09
3. The Fight – 3:53
4. The Prince’s Decree – 1:16
5. Juliet the Young Girl – 3:28
6. Masks – 2:43
7. The Knights’ Dance – 5:22
8. Mercutio – 2:19
9. Gavotte – 3:41
10. Balcony Scene – 3:25
11. Romeo’s Variation – 1:37
12. Romeo and Juliet’s Love Dance – 6:03

Act II
13. Folk Dance – 3:52
14. Romeo at Friar Laurence’s – 2:59
15. The People Continue to Make Merry – 3:19
16. Romeo Resolves to Avenge Mercutio’s Death – 2:05
17. Finale of Act II – 1:51

Act III
18. Romeo and Juliet – 1:21
19. The Last Farewell – 5:22
20. Dance of the Young Girls with the Lilies – 2:11

Act IV
21. Juliet’s Funeral – 5:30
22. Death of Juliet – 4:27