Prokofiev’s music
for Romeo and Juliet, incredibly
described as ‘undanceable’ when the
Bolshoi first encountered it, has been
recorded in a number of different incarnations
over the years. Prokofiev made three
suites himself, ordered according to
musical rather than plot considerations.
Conductors have typically organised
the numbers into a dramatically comprehensible
sequence and Michael Tilson Thomas is
no exception, his suite being in four
well-balanced sections.
The first introduces
Romeo and depicts the initial fight
in the street. We immediately hear evidence
of the quality of the sonic engineering;
all the instruments are lively and clear
in a truly thrilling acoustic. Romeo’s
streetwise bassoon struts and poses
in contrast to the strings in his dreamier
mood. The quarrel springs naturally
from the street sounds and the fight
is clashingly lively. Tilson Thomas’s
work is particularly impressive in the
fast numbers throughout the CD.
The second section,
introduced by the humorous Nurse, is
all about the Capulets. Juliet’s music
is girlish and wistful by turns, Tilson
Thomas deftly pointing up the contrasts.
After a suitably pompous Arrival of
the Guests, the Knights move into action,
all the more menacingly for being allowed
to dance at a less ponderous tempo than
some conductors employ. I can imagine
these formidable gentlemen clearing
the floor pretty rapidly. As whenever
the lower brass get involved, the sheer
power of the sound is very impressive.
I have always found
Mercutio the most interesting character
in the play and his music fairly crackles
in this performance. The Balcony Scene
is sensitively played but sometimes
too self-consciously so; the result
is slightly stiff and does not flow
quite as it should, although the gentle
end to the piece is lovely. The performance
returns to top form in the sequence
of dances which, by virtue of Tilson
Thomas’s number scheme, gives a natural
break from the drama at just the right
time. Prokofiev’s music for the duels
beats most film fight music into a cocked
hat and Tilson Thomas does it full justice.
The Death of Tybalt produces the most
spine-tingling music in the whole ballet;
the sound engineering allows the bass
drum and the terrifying brass their
full impact and the balance is spot-on.
The gentle poignancy
of the final numbers culminating in
Juliet’s death is equally well handled.
The various love themes are recapitulated,
distorted and collapse into a final
weariness, a natural ending to the drama.
One really feels at this point that
Tilson Thomas’s choice and sequence
of numbers makes a truly theatrical
sequence.
Even if you already
have a version of this twentieth century
masterpiece, I can safely say that the
performance and sonics of this version
are wholly recommendable. Shakespeare
as well as Prokofiev is done full justice
here.
Roger Blackburn
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra/Michael Tilson
Thomas 
