Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)

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This article is about Sergei Prokofiev's ballet. For other uses, see Romeo and Juliet (disambiguation).
Romeo and Juliet (Russian: ), Op. 64, is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based
on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev reused music from the ballet in
three suites for orchestra and a solo piano work.

Commemorative coin depicting a scene from the ballet.

Ballet[edit]

Galina Ulanova and Yuri Zhdanovin the Romeo and Juliet ballet

Based on a synopsis created by Adrian Piotrovsky (who first suggested the subject to Prokofiev)[1] and
Sergey Radlov, the ballet was composed by Prokofiev in September 1935 to their scenario which
followed the precepts of "drambalet" (dramatised ballet, officially promoted at the Kirov Ballet to
replace works based primarily on choreographic display and innovation).[2] Following Radlov's
acrimonious resignation from the Kirov in June 1934, a new agreement was signed with the Bolshoi

Theatre in Moscow on the understanding that Piotrovsky would remain involved.[3] However, the ballet's
original happy ending (contrary to Shakespeare) provoked controversy among Soviet cultural officials;
[4]
the ballet's production was then postponed indefinitely when the staff of the Bolshoi was overhauled at
the behest of the chairman of the Committee on Arts Affairs, Platon Kerzhentsev.[5] The ballet's failure to
be produced within Soviet Russia until 1940 may also have been due to the increased fear and caution in
the musical and theatrical community in the aftermath of the two notorious Pravda editorials
criticising Shostakovich and other "degenerate modernists" including Piotrovsky.[6] The conductor Yuri
Fayermet with Prokofiev frequently during the writing of the music, and he strongly urged the composer
to revert to the traditional ending. Fayer went on to conduct the first performance of the ballet at the
Bolshoi Theatre.
Suites of the ballet music were heard in Moscow and the United States, but the full ballet premiered in
the Mahen Theatre, Brno (then inCzechoslovakia, now in the Czech Republic), on 30 December 1938. It
is better known today from the significantly revised version that was first presented at the Kirov
Theatre in Leningrad on 11 January 1940, with choreography by Leonid Lavrovsky and with Konstantin
Sergeyev and Galina Ulanova in the lead roles.

Instrumentation[edit]
In addition to a somewhat standard instrumentation, the ballet also requires the use of the tenor
saxophone. This voice adds a unique sound to the orchestra as it is used both in solo and as part of the
ensemble. Prokofiev also used the cornet, viola d'amore and mandolins in the ballet, adding an Italianate
flavor to the music.
Full instrumentation is as follows:

Woodwinds: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes (2nd doubling on 2nd English horn), English horn,
2 clarinets (2nd doubling on E-flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 2 bassoons,contrabassoon, tenor
saxophone
Brass: 6 French horns, 3 trumpets, cornet, 3 trombones, tuba
Percussion: timpani, snare
drum, xylophone, triangle, woodblock, maracas, glockenspiel, tambourine, chime in
A, cymbals, bass drum
Keyboards: piano, celesta, organ
Strings: 2 mandolins, viola d'amore (or viola), 2 harps, first and
second violins, violas, violoncellos, double basses

The score is published by Muzyka and the Russian State Publisher.

Revivals and other productions[edit]

In 1955 Frederick Ashton choreographed a production of Romeo and Juliet for the Royal Danish Ballet.
In 1962 John Cranko's choreography of Romeo and Juliet for the Stuttgart Ballet helped the company
achieve a worldwide reputation. It had its American premiere in 1969.
In 1965 choreographer Sir Kenneth MacMillan's version for the Royal Ballet premiered at the Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden. Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev danced the title roles; Fonteyn,
considered to be near retirement, embarked upon a rejuvenated career with a partnership with Nureyev.

In 1971, John Neumeier, partly inspired by John Cranko, created another version of the ballet in
Frankfurt. In 1974 Neumeier's Romeo and Juliet premiered in Hamburg as his first full-length ballet with
the company.
In 1977, Rudolf Nureyev created a new version of Romeo and Juliet for the London Festival Ballet,
today's English National Ballet. He performed the lead role of Romeo, with British ballerina Patricia
Ruanne creating the role of Juliet. As a partnership, they would tour the production internationally, and it
continues to be a popular ballet in the ENB repertoire, with its most recent revival in 2010 being staged
by Patricia Ruanne and Frederic Jahn, of the original 1977 cast.
In 1979, Yuri Grigorovich created a new version for the Bolshoi, "which did away with most of the stage
properties and stylized the action into an all-danced text." This was revived in 2010 and remains in the
Bolshoi repertory.[7]
In 1985 choreographer Lszl Seregi's production premiered at the Hungarian National Ballet, Budapest.
In 2007 Peter Martins made Romeo + Juliet on New York City Ballet to the Prokofiev music.
In 2008, Krzysztof Pastor presented a his version by the Scottish Ballet at the Edinburgh Festival
Theatre. The United States debut of this version was by the Joffrey Ballet in 2014.
On July 4, 2008, with the approval of the Prokofiev family and permission from the Russian State
Archive, the original Prokofiev score was given its world premiere. MusicologistSimon Morrison, author
of The People's Artist: Prokofiev's Soviet Years, unearthed the original materials in the Moscow archives,
obtained permissions, and reconstructed the entire score. Mark Morris created the choreography for the
production. The Mark Morris Dance Group premiered the work at the Fisher Center for the Performing
Arts at Bard College in New York state. The production subsequently began a year-long tour to include
Berkeley, Norfolk, London, New York, and Chicago.
In 2011, the National Ballet of Canada premiered a new choreography of Romeo and Juliet by Alexei
Ratmansky in Toronto, with plans to take it on tour in Western Canada in early 2012.

Structure[edit]
List of acts, scenes and musical numbers.[8]

Scene

No.

English
title

Russian title
(Original title)

Tempo
indication

Act 1

Scene 1

Introductio
n

Andante assai

Romeo

Andante

The Street
Awakens

Allegretto

Notes

Scene 2

Morning
Dance

Allegro

The
Quarrel

Allegro
brusco

The Fight

Presto

The Prince
Gives His
Order

Andante

Interlude

Andante
pomposo
(L'istesso
tempo)

Preparing
for the Ball
(Juliet and
the Nurse)

(
)

Andante
assai.
Scherzando

a.k.a. At the Capulets' (Preparations

for the Ball)

10

Juliet as a
Young Girl

Vivace

a.k.a. The Young Juliet

11

Arrival of
the Guests
(Minuet)

()

Assai
moderato

12

Masks
(Romeo,
Mercutio
and
Benvolio in
Masks)

(,


)

Andante
marciale

13

Dance of
the Knights

Allegro
pesante

a.k.a. The Duke's Command

a.k.a. Montagues and Capulets

14

Juliet's
Variation

Moderato
(quasi
Allegretto)

15

Mercutio

Allegro
giocoso

16

Madrigal

Andante
tenero

17

Tybalt
Recognizes
Romeo

Allegro

18

Gavotte
(Departure
of the
Guests)

(
)

Allegro

19

Balcony
Scene

Larghetto

20

Romeo's
Variation

Allegretto
amoroso

21

Love
Dance

Andante

22

Folk Dance

Allegro
giocoso

23

Romeo and
Mercutio

Andante
tenero

Act 2

Scene 3

Gavotte (movement III)

from "Classical" Symphony, Op. 25

Scene 4

Scene 5

24

Dance of
the Five
Couples

Vivo

25

Dance with
Mandolins

Vivace

26

The Nurse

Adagio
scherzoso

27

The Nurse
Gives
Romeo the
Note from
Juliet

Vivace

28

Romeo at
Friar
Laurence's

Andante

espressivo

29

Juliet at
Friar
Laurence's

Lento

30

The People
Continue to
Make
Merry

Vivo

a.k.a. Public Merrymaking

31

The Folk
Dance
Again

Allegro
giocoso

a.k.a. Further Public Festivities

( )

32

Tybalt
Meets
Mercutio

Moderato

a.k.a. Meeting of Tybalt and

Mercutio

33

Tybalt and
Mercutio

Precipitato

a.k.a. The Duel

a.k.a. The Nurse and Romeo

Fight

34

Death of
Mercutio

Moderato

35

Romeo
Decides to
Avenge
Mercutio's
Death

Andante.
Animato

36

Finale of
Act II

Adagio

dramatico

37

Introductio
n

Andante

38

Romeo and
Juliet
(Juliet's
bedroom)

(
)

Lento

39

Farewell
before
Parting

Andante

40

The Nurse

Andante assai

41

Juliet

Refuses to

Marry Paris

Vivace

42

Juliet Alone

Adagio

a.k.a. Death of Tybalt

Act 3

Scene 6

reprise of No. 7

a.k.a. Romeo Bids Juliet Farewell, or

The Last Farewell

Scene 7

Scene 8

43

Interlude

Adagio

44

At Friar
Laurence's

Andante

45

Interlude

L'istesso
tempo

46

Again in
Juliet's
Bedroom

Moderato
tranquillo

47

Juliet Alone

Andante

48

Morning
Serenade

Andante
giocoso

49

Dance of
the Girls
with Lilies

Andante con
eleganza

50

At Juliet's
Bedside

Andante assai

a.k.a. At Friar Laurence's Cell

a.k.a. Aubade

Act 4: Epilogue

Scene 9

51

Juliet's
Funeral

Adagio
funebre

52

Death of

Adagio

Juliet

(meno
mosso del

a.k.a. Romeo at the Tomb of Juliet

tempo
precendente
)