In the pantheon of complete recordings of
Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet,
André Previn's recording with the
London Symphony Orchestra is one of the earliest and one of the best. At the time,
Previn was at the first peak of his career as a conductor. After years as a composer for Hollywood and as a jazz piano player,
Previn had made the leap to conducting classical music in the mid-'60s. When this recording was made in 1973,
Previn's technique was polished and his confidence was unshakable.
Previn's
Prokofiev was less of a modernist enfant terrible and more of a Russian in the grand tradition, and that approach works supremely well in
Prokofiev's greatest ballet. Under
Previn, Romeo and Juliet is less hard-edged and angular, more warm-hearted and loving. With the superb playing of the
LSO,
Previn shapes a performances of lush lines, brilliant colors, and sensual harmonies. While there are other performances in the pantheon that bring out the work's rhythmic aggression -- Maazel's and the
Cleveland -- or the works' dramatic passion --
Gergiev and the Kirov -- this is the performance that best brings out the work's passionate love. EMI's digital remastering of the stereo original is amazingly present and astoundingly immediate.