{"product_id":"rozhdestvensky-prokofiev-romeo-and-juliet-1959-pasc424","title":"ROZHDESTVENSKY Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet (1959) - PASC424","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003ePROKOFIEV  \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet, Op. 64\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D772E90\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"bodysmallarial\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRecorded Moscow, 1959\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 2hr 22:39 \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eSymphonic Orchestra of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eGennady Rozhdestvensky, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econductor\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px\"\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775340\" style=\"padding-left: 120px\"\u003e\u003cspan data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D775470\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"bodybigblue\" data_liveedit_tagid=\"000000000D776290\"\u003e \u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fA miracle in sonic restoration578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eIn 1959, the Moscow Bolshoi Theater\nOrchestra and Gennady Rozhdestvensky made a Melodiya studio recording of\nthe complete score of Prokofiev’s ballet \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e.\nThis Pristine Audio release offers a new remastering of that recording.\nIt’s not surprising that the Bolshoi played a significant role in the\ncreation of one of the greatest Russian ballet scores. But that role, at\nleast initially, was far from constructive. After Prokofiev’s contract\nwith the Kirov Theater to create a \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eballet\nfell through, the composer reached an agreement with the Bolshoi to\nstage the premiere toward the close of 1935. But according to Prokofiev,\n“the Bolshoi Theater declared (the ballet) impossible to dance to and\nthe contract was broken.” Prokofiev’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eRomeo \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003epremiered\nat the Brno Opera in Czechoslovakia in December of 1938. The first\nRussian performance finally took place at the Kirov in January of 1940,\nchoreographed by Leonid Lavrovsky, with the legendary ballerina Galina\nUlanova as Juliet. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"B\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eThe Bolshoi staged its first performance of Prokofiev’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nin December of 1946. Ulanova again was Juliet, a role she reprised on\nfilm with the Bolshoi in 1955, with Rozhdestvensky conducting. In 1956,\nUlanova and the Bolshoi stunned London audiences with performances of\nProkofiev’s Shakespeare ballet. By the time of the 1959 Melodiya studio\nrecording, the musicians had lived with this magnificent score for more\nthan a decade, performing it in the context of fully-staged productions\nthat demanded precise coordination between orchestra pit and stage. I\nmention this background not only because it relates to the historic\nvalue of this recording. I also think the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra and\nRozhdestvensky’s familiarity with the score in the context of theatrical\nperformances shines throughout the Melodiya recording. To be sure,\nProkofiev’s \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e\nis a great symphonic score, magnificently orchestrated, with brilliant\nmanipulation of various musical leitmotifs. As such it is a wonderful\nshowcase for a virtuoso conductor and orchestra, as Lorin Maazel and the\nCleveland Orchestra demonstrated in their brilliant early 1970s\nLondon\/Decca recording. But the 1959 Melodiya recording, as much as any\nof the complete score I’ve heard, radiates the atmosphere of the\ntheater, capturing the narrative sweep of Prokofiev’s music, and\nShakespeare’s immortal tale. It’s also clear that Rozhdestvensky and the\nBolshoi Theater Orchestra musicians have this score in their blood, and\nadore Prokofiev’s music. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"Br\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003eBut while the Melodiya recording is a\npriceless historic document, it has to date been hampered by poor sound.\nDespite being recorded in 1959, it is monophonic, with dim,\nconstricted, harsh sonics. A comparison of the Melodiya CD issue with\nthe new Pristine Audio release demonstrates that Andrew Rose has\nachieved a miracle in sonic restoration. The sound on the Pristine Audio\nrelease is warm and with admirable detail. Pristine Audio’s Ambient\nStereo process gives the monophonic soundstage a sense of depth and\nspaciousness that make it fully competitive with recordings of that\nperiod. In the past, compromised sonics may well have been sufficient\ncause to avoid the Melodiya \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMESi\"\u003eRomeo and Juliet\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"TIMES\"\u003e. Andrew Rose and Pristine Audio have removed that barrier, once and for all. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"TIMESb\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eKen Meltzer\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003eThis article originally appeared in Issue 38:4 (Mar\/Apr 2015) of Fanfare Magazine.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC424.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: x-large;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eRozhdestvensky's magnificent world première complete Romeo and Juliet in beautiful, XR-remastered sound\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"center\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: medium;\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Rozhdestvensky\nand the Bolshoi Theater Orchestra musicians have this score in their\nblood, and adore Prokofiev’s music\" - Fanfare\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eRozhdestvensky's complete 6-LP-sided 1959 Moscow première recording\nof the complete Romeo and Juliet ballet followed a number of outings of\nthe work in its cut-down suites as it started to become more widely\nknown. Reading through the various mentions it has received since then\nin reviews it seems to have retained a high musical reputation (\"The\nmost characterful of them all\" - Gramophone, 2013), despite some\ntechnical shortcomings. Certainly Melodiya pressings were never the\nbest!\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut rather unusually for an orchestral recording this late in the\n1950s it was made in mono, and had a rather restricted and harsh edge to\nthe sound. This I've managed to tame considerably, alongside a more\ngeneral opening out of the sonic palette, something that's particularly\nenjoyable with the extra space on the soundstage offered by the Ambient\nStereo issue of this recording. I've also been able to add a sense of\ndepth and fullness that was lacking in the Melodiya issues.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFinally I've fixed a curious anomaly found at around the point where\nMercutio dies - a short section of reversed music that appears on all\nMelodiya issues from the LPs onwards that I've managed to source. This\nis the second instance of this I've discovered in Melodiya recordings of\nthe era, which seems more than coincidental - though one can only guess\nas to the reasons for it. In this instance a short section of the music\nwas actually missing once the reversed section had been corrected - a\nbeat has had to be inserted from another recording to cover this gap,\nthough it shouldn't be noticed by any but the most perceptive listeners.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eAndrew Rose\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePROKOFIEV  \u003c\/b\u003eRomeo and Juliet, Op. 64\u003cbr\u003eRecorded Moscow, 1959\u003cbr\u003eIssued as Melodiya 3LP-set: D.05342-47\u003cbr\u003eProducer and XR Remastering: Andrew Rose\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on photographs of Rozhdestvensky and the Casa di Giulietta, Verona\u003cbr\u003eTotal duration: 2hr 22:39 \u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eSymphonic Orchestra of the State Academic Bolshoi Theater\u003cbr\u003eGennady Rozhdestvensky\u003c\/b\u003e, conductor\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC424.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC424.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Ambient Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064788938842,"sku":"rsg1789305043642","price":23.02,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ambient Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064788971610,"sku":"jne1789305043643","price":15.32,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064789004378,"sku":"rqg1789305043644","price":18.64,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Ambient Stereo MP3","offer_id":44064789037146,"sku":"nug1789305043645","price":15.46,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/3807\/0874\/files\/rozhdestvensky-prokofiev-romeo-and-juliet-1959---pasc424_1.jpg?v=1789305073","url":"https:\/\/vestorawear.shop\/products\/rozhdestvensky-prokofiev-romeo-and-juliet-1959-pasc424","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}