LSO Live will celebrate its tenth anniversary in 2010 and the label's first release of the year features Prokofiev's spectacular score for the ballet Romeo & Juliet conducted by Valery Gergiev.

Gergiev is a tireless champion of Prokofiev's music. In 2004 he conducted a complete cycle of the composer's symphonies with the LSO in London.

The performances which were recorded by LSO Live and released by Philips collected a Gramophone Award.

Shortly afterward, Gergiev became Principal Conductor of the orchestra and spent much of 2008 and 2009 touring Prokofiev's symphonies with the LSO in Europe, Japan and the USA.

Review: This new 'Romeo and Juliet," recorded in concert, updates Gergiev's earlier Kirov recording on Philips, which was already my first choice.

There are two added dimensions: improved sound and extremely refined orchestral playing.

Good as the Kirov Orch. was on the first recording - they had the music in their bones - the London Sym. is a finer ensemble by a good margin. They sound fresher and more vibrant, too.

One can fairly say that Gergiev is the world's leading proponent of Prokofiev's entire output, including the operas.

He diverges from the robust, extroverted roughness of the Soviet era to remind us that the composer was also at home in Paris - there is delicacy and elegance in Gergiev's conducting here, sometimes to a fault.

Critics say they feel a loss in earthiness or in modernist, acerbic sharpness.

But this romantic ballet, which transforms Shakespeare's tragedy into a lyrical dream, finds Prokofiev without sharp edges except in the fight scenes and quarrels, so Gergiev's subtlety finds a suitable vehicle.

The larger question about this 2-CD set, with no dancers to watch, is whether Gergiev succeeds in making the entire score a concert piece.

Here I think is his biggest success. Familiar as this music is - and to most experienced ers it may almost be cliched and cloying - Gergiev introduces so much symphonic breadth, variety, and personal phrasing that every moment is compelling.

The main reason to prefer the earlier Gergiev account is that it is more robust and direct, if that fits better with your notion of this music.

I still treasure Mravinsky's unique take on the Suite #2, and there are blockbuster recordings of excerpts by the Berlin Phil. under both Abbado and Salonen, among many others, but here we find ourselves in a complete world with fascinating musical events around every corner.

What could be better?

Tracklisting

Disc: 1

1. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: No. 1. Introduction
2. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 2. Romeo
3. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 3. The street awakens
4. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 4. Morning dance
5. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 5. The quarrel
6. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 6. The fight
7. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 7. The Duke's command
8. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 8. Interlude
9. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 9. Preparations for the ball
10. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 10. Juliet the young girl
11. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 11. Arrival of the guests
12. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 12. Masks
13. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 13. Dance of the Knights
14. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 14. Juliet's variation
15. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 15. Mercutio
16. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 16. Madrigal
17. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 17. Tybalt recognises Romeo
18. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 18. Gavotte
19. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 19. Balcony scene
20. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 20. Romeo's variation
21. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 1. No. 21. Romeo and Juliet's love dance
22. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 22. Folk dance
23. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 23. Romeo and Mercutio
24. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 24. Dance of the five couples

Disc: 2

1. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 25. Dance with mandolins
2. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 26. The Nurse
3. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 27. The Nurse delivers Juliet's letter to Romeo
4. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 28. Romeo at Friar Laurence's
5. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 29. Juliet at Friar Laurence's
6. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 30. The people continue to make merry
7. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 31. Further public festivities
8. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 32. Meeting of Tybalt and Mercutio
9. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 33. Tybalt and Mercutio fight
10. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 34. Death of Mercutio
11. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 35. Romeo decides to avenge Mercutio's death
12. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 2. No. 36. Finale
13. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 37. Introduciton
14. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 38. Romeo and Juliet
15. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 40. The Nurse
16. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 41. Juliet refuses to marry Paris
17. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 42. Juliet alone
18. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 43. Interlude
19. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 44. At Friar Laurence's cell
20. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 45. Interlude
21. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 46. Juliet's bedroom
22. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 47. Juliet alone
23. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 48. Aubade
24. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 3. No. 50. At Juliet's bedside
25. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 4. Epilogue. No. 51. Juliet's funeral
26. Romeo and Juliet, ballet in 4 acts, Op. 64: Act 4. Epilogue. No. 52. Death of Juliet

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