The violent feud between the Montagues and Capulets is evoked by the swaggering Dance of the Knights, but Prokofiev’s score brims with bittersweet lyricism in its depiction of the young lovers, proving him Russian ballet’s heir to Tchaikovsky. First performed in 1938, Romeo and Juliet has become the supreme full-length ballet of the 20th century. Its many facets are captured in this classic recording by the London Symphony Orchestra under André Previn.
