By the early 1930’s, a wave of modernism—helmed by the great composer Igor Stravinsky—had taken hold of the Western musical world. His rival Sergei Prokofiev, who was living in Paris at the time as both a composer and pianist, found himself at odds with this movement, and found himself at an artistic crossroads. The discouraged Prokofiev felt compelled to return to Russia where his work was more widely accepted. Indeed, after fifteen years abroad, coming back home was a breath of fresh air for the composer. He composed many of his most significant works during this time - among them Lt. Kije, his Second Violin Concerto, and the ballet Romeo and Juliet. Prokofiev described his new aesthetic as a pursuit of “new simplicity,” rejecting the Parisian desire for ‘intellectual’ music, in favor of a style driven by lyricism. Like Leonard Bernstein decades later, Prokofiev found a way through his music to address the dualities between complexity and authenticity that haunted him.

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Success in Russia was nevertheless far from immediate. When first given the score to Romeo and Juliet, the Bolshoi Ballet initially refused to stage it, claiming the syncopated rhythms and episodic structure made it “undanceable,” and complaining that the music was often too soft to hear from the stage. Disheartened by these setbacks, Prokofiev published a set of orchestral suites which met instant acclaim. In the end, the ballet finally made its premiere in 1938 in Brno, Czechoslovakia, securing Romeo and Juliet as a cornerstone of the ballet repertoire.

The audience will perhaps note that the order in which I programmed the movements does not follow the structure of Shakespeare’s play. Well, you would be absolutely correct - though unorthodox, I hope audiences will find a compelling musical arc in Prokofiev’s score.