Prokofiev's great ballet score has been very lucky on records. Both Previn's EMI set (at present awaiting reissue) and the Decca Maazel recording, made in Cleveland are very distinguished and make a powerful impression on the listener. Ozawa's Boston DG recording, if slightly less charismatic than either, has a special balletic feeling, yet does not lack drama, and the bargain version from Zuraitis on Classics for Pleasure, is boldly histrionic, and very Russian, if let down a little by the somewhat blatant style of the Bolshoi Theatre brass.
This new Russian recording, could not be more different. It was made in the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad and has the fullness and amplitude characteristic of the finest western recordings, not surprising, as the recording team was from Philips. The orchestral playing, too, is superb by any international standard and has none of the sharp edges or raucousness we used to associate with Soviet fortissimos. Indeed, if there were a criticism of the playing it would be to suggest it is at times almost over-cultivated. The Introduction has a striking grace and flexibility, a sophistication of light and shade that some listeners might not expect. The action of the opening street scene and the sequence of events which follows is delineated with much delicacy of effect, crisp clear rhythms, great energy when called for, in the ''Morning dance'', for instance (track 4) and the most stylish instrumental response from all departments of the orchestra. The ''Interlude'' (track 7), after the exuberance of the first fight sequence establishes the power and richness of the brass sonority, and later the clever brass effects in the ''Dance with mandolins'' (track 23) are captivating. ''The Young Juliet'' (track 9) is depicted with great charm and gentle scherzando delicacy. ''The arrival of Mercutio'' (track 14) brings a more plangent touch of colouring but the elegance and lyrical beauty returns in the ''Madrigal'' (track 15). Perhaps it is all a shade mellow (Maazel showed how pungent Prokofiev's scoring could sound) and the mood of the ''Balcony scene'' (track 18) is pure romanticism, relaxed and without sexual ardour: the strings float ethereally, there is a beautifully played violin solo, and at the climax one is not quite carried away.
The temperature picks up in Act 2 and there is great bustle at the ''Public merrymaking'' (disc 2, track 3), while obviously the ''Dual scene'' and ''Death of Mercutio'' (tracks 6-7) brings red-blooded drama, although the effect could be more abrasive. The opening of Act 3 is very powerful, yet when Romeo bids Juliet farewell, the sense of loss and yearning is not as striking as in some performances. The portrait of ''Juliet alone'' (track 13) again produces a magically ethereal atmosphere and the short series of dances before the narrative climax including the ''Aubade'' and the ''Dance of the girls with lilies'' offers some of the most delightfully felicitous playing in the whole set.
The great climax of ''Juliet's funeral'' (track 20) generates richly intense string playing and resoundingly powerful brass. But there is no sense of utter despair. So this is a performance to enjoy for the lyric feeling of Prokofiev's score and for the marvellous orchestral playing, but the starkness of the tragedy is more heartrendingly conveyed elsewhere.
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