Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)
In September 1935, Sergei Prokofiev completed a ballet score based on William Shakespeare's tragic play. The work was commissioned by Adrian Piotrovsky and Sergey Radlov to follow the principles of drambalet. This style demanded dramatic storytelling over pure choreographic display. Soviet cultural officials rejected the composer's original happy ending for the story. Platon Kerzhentsev, chairman of the Committee on Arts Affairs, ordered an overhaul of the Bolshoi Theatre staff. Production delays stretched indefinitely as political winds shifted against modernist artists. A denunciation of Dmitri Shostakovich in Pravda in 1936 cast a long shadow over the performing arts. Yuri Fayer, the conductor who would eventually lead the premiere, urged Prokofiev to revert to the traditional tragic conclusion. The ballet remained unperformed in the Soviet Union until early 1940.
On the 30th of December 1938, the full ballet premiered at the Mahen Theatre in Brno, Czechoslovakia. Prokofiev could not attend due to his outbound travel restrictions from the Soviet Union. This initial production existed as a single act using music primarily from the first two orchestral suites. The work found its true legacy in Leningrad on the 11th of January 1940 at the Kirov Theatre. Leonid Lavrovsky created the choreography for this significantly revised version. Galina Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeyev danced the title roles of Juliet and Romeo. Despite objections from the composer, Lavrovsky altered the musical score extensively. This specific production received international acclaim and was awarded the Stalin Prize. Mosfilm later filmed this exact staging in 1955 with Ulanova and Yuri Zhdanov reprising their roles.
Frederick Ashton choreographed a new production for the Royal Danish Ballet in 1955. John Cranko's version for the Stuttgart Ballet helped that company achieve worldwide reputation starting in 1962. Sir Kenneth MacMillan presented his version for the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in 1965. Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev danced the lead roles in that historic pairing. Rudolf Nureyev created another version for the London Festival Ballet in 1977. Eva Evdokimova and Patricia Ruanne performed as Juliet alongside Nureyev in that touring production. Mark Morris created choreography for the world premiere of the original Prokofiev score on the 4th of July 2008. Matthew Bourne set an alternative adaptation in a mental hospital called Verona Institute in 2019 at Leicester's Curve Theatre.
Prokofiev included a tenor saxophone within the standard orchestral instrumentation for this ballet. This instrument appears both in solo passages and as part of the ensemble texture. The composer also utilized mandolins to create a distinct Italianate atmosphere throughout the score. A cornet and viola d'amore appear among the brass and string sections respectively. Percussion instruments include xylophone, glockenspiel, maracas, and chime in A. The woodwind section features piccolo, cor anglais, bass clarinet, and contrabassoon. Keyboards include piano, celesta, and organ. Two harps accompany the plucked strings and bowed violins. The full orchestra requires six horns, three trumpets, three trombones, and one tuba.
Prokofiev extracted three orchestral suites from the complete ballet music for concert performance. Suite No. 1 includes the Folk Dance, Minuet, Masks, and Death of Tybalt movements. Suite No. 2 contains Montagues and Capulets, Juliet as a Young Girl, and Romeo at Juliet's Tomb. Suite No. 3 features Romeo at the Fountain, Morning Dance, and The Death of Juliet. He also reduced selected music into Ten Pieces for Piano, Opus 75. These piano pieces were performed publicly during 1936 and 1937 before the full ballet ever reached the stage. The composer published these arrangements through Muzyka and the Russian State Publisher. Recordings of the suites allowed audiences to hear excerpts without seeing the entire dance production.
Musicologist Simon Morrison unearthed original materials in Moscow archives in 2008. With approval from the Prokofiev family and permission from the Russian State Archive, he reconstructed the entire score. This work restored Prokofiev's original ending after decades of censorship and revision. Mark Morris created choreography for the world premiere of this reconstructed version on the 4th of July 2008. The Mark Morris Dance Group presented the work at Bard College in New York state. A year-long tour followed including stops in Berkeley, Norfolk, London, and Chicago. Earlier recordings by conductors like Leopold Stokowski and Gennady Rozhdestvensky had preserved the revised versions. The 2008 restoration finally returned the tragic conclusion that Soviet officials had originally rejected.
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Common questions
When did Sergei Prokofiev complete the Romeo and Juliet ballet score?
Sergei Prokofiev completed the Romeo and Juliet ballet score in September 1935. The work was commissioned by Adrian Piotrovsky and Sergey Radlov to follow the principles of drambalet.
Where did the full Romeo and Juliet ballet premiere on the 30th of December 1938?
The full Romeo and Juliet ballet premiered at the Mahen Theatre in Brno, Czechoslovakia on the 30th of December 1938. Prokofiev could not attend due to his outbound travel restrictions from the Soviet Union.
Who danced the title roles in the Leningrad production of Romeo and Juliet on the 11th of January 1940?
Galina Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeyev danced the title roles of Juliet and Romeo in the Leningrad production on the 11th of January 1940. Leonid Lavrovsky created the choreography for this significantly revised version which received international acclaim.
What instruments did Sergei Prokofiev include in the Romeo and Juliet orchestration?
Sergei Prokofiev included a tenor saxophone within the standard orchestral instrumentation for this ballet. He also utilized mandolins to create a distinct Italianate atmosphere throughout the score along with cornets and viola d'amore.
When was the reconstructed original ending of Romeo and Juliet first performed by Mark Morris Dance Group?
Mark Morris created choreography for the world premiere of the reconstructed original ending on the 4th of July 2008. The Mark Morris Dance Group presented the work at Bard College in New York state following a year-long tour.