“O Romeo, Romeo…”
The LCSO presents a concert highlighted by selections from Romeo and Juliet! Join us as the orchestra performs Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev's beautiful musical portrayal of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers! The orchestra will also perform Symphonic Dances from Bernstein's West Side Story!
Tchaikovsky – Romeo and Juliet Fantasy – Overture - 20'
Romeo and Juliet is an orchestral work composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is styled an Overture-Fantasy, and is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. Like other composers such as Berlioz and Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky was deeply inspired by Shakespeare and wrote works based on The Tempest and Hamlet as well. Unlike Tchaikovsky's other major compositions, Romeo and Juliet does not have an opus number.
Berlioz – Love Scene from Romeo and Juliet - 13'10"
Roméo et Juliette is a "symphonie dramatique", a large scale choral symphony by French composer Hector Berlioz, which was first performed on 24 November 1839. The libretto was written by Émile Deschamps and the completed work was assigned the catalogue numbers Op. 17 and H.79. It is based on Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet; it is regarded as one of Berlioz's finest works, and it is among the most original in form. The score is Berlioz's most comprehensive and detailed programmatic piece.
Prokofiev – Excerpts from Romeo and Juliet - 15'
Romeo and Juliet (Op. 64) is a ballet by Sergei Prokofiev based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It is one of the most enduringly popular ballets. Music from the ballet was extracted by Prokofiev as three suites for orchestra and as a piano work.
Bernstein – Symphonic Dances from West Side Story - 10'
Bernstein later prepared a suite of orchestral music from the show, titled Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. Although the suite is most frequently performed in its entirety, it is occasionally abbreviated.
The full sequence is:
- Prologue (Allegro Moderato)
- "Somewhere" (Adagio)
- Scherzo (Vivace e Leggiero)
- Mambo (Meno Presto)
- Cha-Cha (Andantino Con Grazia)
- Meeting Scene (Meno Mosso)
- "Cool", Fugue (Allegretto)
- Rumble (Molto Allegro)
- Finale (Adagio)