Quoted from the Washington Times.

The Bard springs across D.C. stage By Jayne Blanchard January 20, 2007

The all-time favorite, "Romeo and Juliet," has inspired multiple versions in dance and music, most notably Sergey Prokofiev's 1935 score, arguably the most choreographed and popular ballet commission of the 20th century. It's a massive, tuneful, often-played score, so dramatically focused that it dictates a whole series of directions to choreographers -- both inspiring and constricting them. They include Juliet's entrance, her first encounter with Romeo, Mercutio's death, Tybalt's death and the lovers' last embrace. Just this week comes an announcement underlining the score's staying power: Mark Morris will choreograph yet another version of "Romeo and Juliet." Prokofiev's original score, which was extensively tinkered with by Soviet officials in the 1930s, has been unearthed in Moscow and will be heard -- and seen -- in the composer's original version for the first time. Mr. Morris, famous for his musicality, will premiere the work at Bard College in New York state in 2008. An international consortium of co-commissioners will then have the exclusive license to present the ballet around the world.

I think this will give us all something to look forward to.

Steven

This message was edited by Steven on 1-21-07 @ 12:24 AM

Michael Morse mmorse@ca.inter.net

andrew

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/arts/dance/01maca.html?th&emc=th

Seems they're going for a happy ending, as 'Prokofiev had initially intended'. I think they're exaggerating things a bit. Prokofiev wasn't able to imagine dancing to a death ending, so he wrote a happy ending, but then it was proven to him that it's possible. I wonder if Prokofiev still went against a death ending AFTER seeing it. Of course, the other tinkerings (thickened orchestrations and the Romeo variation) can be cut out.

On the other hand, a happy ending does rescue the original ending from the half-hour of slow, slow music, but happy endings easily degenerate into the unintentionally comical. I'm sure the ballet wouldn't be as popular had a happy ending been preserved. Tragedy is always more appealing (like Shostakovich's music).

This message was edited by John on 2-10-08 @ 4:57 AM

I think this is all news. All the biographies, I think, intimate that the music for the happy ending was not actually composed. I have just checked Wikipedia for the the date of the first performance of R&J in Brno, Czechkoslovakia and see that their entry is right up to date, in fact, it must have been written by somebody connected to the foundation. Anyway, it seems that the 1938 Brno performance was with the original happy ending.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet_%28Prokofiev%29

I am in two minds about the happy ending but if we get 15 minutes more Prokofiev then I am a happy man. I hope it will be immediately recorded.

Steven