Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet

One of the best known ballets of the twentieth century is Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, based on Shakespeare’s tragedy and composed in 1935. The composer framed the story of the lovers of Verona with a strongly dramatic design, distinctive melodic writing and incisive rhythmic accents, creating a wide expressive range between the work’s intimate scenes and its vigorous ensemble episodes. Owing to changes in theatre management and artistic reservations about the original version, the work underwent several revisions before taking its final shape at its 1940 premiere at the Mariinsky (then Kirov) Theatre. A notable feature of the score is its expanded instrumentation: Prokofiev adds tenor saxophone, cornet, viola d’amore and mandolins to the orchestra, giving the music a special, colourful and at times distinctly Italian character.

The artistic concept of the production has been entrusted to the Spanish choreographer, dancer and teacher Asun Noales, founder of the contemporary dance group OtraDanza and the international festival Abril en Danza and a founder member of the Academia de las Artes Escénicas de España (Spanish Academy of Performing Arts). The music is performed by ADDA Simfònica Alicante, under its artistic director and chief conductor Josep Vicent. In recent years, the orchestra and Vicent have been regular guests at the summer festival, performing with the theatre company La Fura dels Baus, among others, and have successfully integrated their repertoire into a variety of concert and stage projects