Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet complete ballet Dmitri Kitajenko / The Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra

One of the most impressive recorded performances of anything I have heard in a lifetime of collecting. I have loved this score since I first heard it as an an undergraduate, but no previous familiarity prepared me for the impact of what Kitajenko and the Danish National Radio Orchestra have accomplished here. For the first time in my experience the 55 set pieces emerge as a coherent piece of symphonic narration, pulling a listener magnetically into the unfolding story as if it were somehow new to us.If this isn't one of the Twentieth Century's greatest ballets, a worthy successor to the Tchaikovsky masterworks and able to hold its own with the watershed Stravinsky works, I am at a loss to suggest an alternative. And insofar as performance quality, as I've suggested, this recording sets new standards, one which has enriched my life by hearing it.

Well, I must say I was expecting a lot more.The Danish Radio Orchestra paly the score beautifully, and it is beautifully recorded by Chandos. But Kitajenko conducts it like the ballet it is, meaning that it he adhere to pretty moderate tempi rather the build the power and drama of a more "symphonic" reading. Perhaps this is an interpretation that's easy to dance to, but for repeated listening, I prefer readings that galvanize the listener, such as the classic account by Maazel  Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet  or, for some real fireworks, the excerpts from suites 1 and 2 by Yoel Levi and Cleveland  Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet (Excerpts) BTW - for a sensational account of the piano transcription of the suites, check out Frederic Chiu's pyrotechnics  Prokofiev: Piano Music: Romeo & Juliet / Cinderella  which prove that you don't need an entire symphony orchestra to reveal the fiery colors and explosive passion in this score.Unfortunately, passion is not what you'll find in this balletic performance.

いやはや、さすがはキタエンコ。プロコフィエフのエキスパートである。ロメジュリは沢山の全曲盤を聴いて来た耳であるが、これがナンバーワンだと言い切れる。重厚なバレエ音楽に北欧的な清冽さを流し込んで、格調高いラブストーリーを構築している。スコアの隅々までよくメロディーが歌い、全体的にゆったりとしたテンポだが、メリハリ感の付いた指揮ぶりで迫力はもちろん、極めて強い叙情性を押し出して最後まで一気に聴き通させてしまう。デンマークのオケがいい。美しいアンサンブル、ソロパートの上手さ。どこをとっても超一流だ。深い音のする録音も素晴らしい。なんて気持ちのいいCDだろうか。マゼール、アシュケナージ、プレヴィン、小澤・・・などなどメジャー録音からも頭一つ抜けたキタエンコの超名演・名録音である。