Composed in 1935-1936 upon Prokofiev's return to the USSR, the ballet Romeo and Juliet is one of the Russian composer's best inspirations.
The Orchestral Suites condense the most famous episodes of the ballet. Prokofiev gives his best in these powerfully evocative pages with a lush orchestra that plays admirably with contrasts and opposing tensions.

Just over twenty years after Prokofiev, Leonard Bernstein and his librettist Stephen Sondheim tackle the same subject, transposing the story to the contemporary period. 
The symphonic dances from West Side Story for large orchestra were composed in the same year as the film of his legendary musical of the same name.
Between the jazzy and latin rhythms and the passionate melodies evoking the impossible loves of this modern Romeo and Juliet, this suite of dances will take you to the heart of a New York neighbourhood in the 1950s and will not leave you indifferent.
A colourful journey between energy and emotion!

Educational file available on request
jeunesse@osr.ch