# Which Prokofiev do I pick?



## Chibi Ubu

My favorites are both the Cinderella Ballet & the Romeo and Juliet Ballet by Sergei Prokofiev. I just can't make a choice between the two. 

I love the music of both, but I have never watched either one. I have never watched any ballet for that matter & I have no appreciation the art of dance. This ballet neophyte needs to be educated

Can anyone give me guidance?


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## jegreenwood

Chibi Ubu said:


> My favorites are both the Cinderella Ballet & the Romeo and Juliet Ballet by Sergei Prokofiev. I just can't make a choice between the two.
> 
> I love the music of both, but I have never watched either one. I have never watched any ballet for that matter & I have no appreciation the art of dance. This ballet neophyte needs to be educated
> 
> Can anyone give me guidance?


I've seen both live - R&J a few times, Cinderella only once. I prefer R&J, and I definitely feel that it is better represented on video. I have two versions - both from the Royal Ballet. The Nureyev/Fonteyn version is from the 60's and is in black and white, but it is famous. I just picked up a second as part of a Royal Ballet Blu-Ray box set of 21st century performances. I've been proceeding through the box in order and haven't reached it yet.

I will say that whatever you get, choose a Blu-Ray. There is so much to look at in ballet.


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## Chibi Ubu

jegreenwood said:


> I've seen both live - R&J a few times, Cinderella only once. I prefer R&J, and I definitely feel that it is better represented on video. I have two versions - both from the Royal Ballet. The Nureyev/Fonteyn version is from the 60's and is in black and white, but it is famous. I just picked up a second as part of a Royal Ballet Blu-Ray box set of 21st century performances. I've been proceeding through the box in order and haven't reached it yet.
> 
> I will say that whatever you get, choose a Blu-Ray. There is so much to look at in ballet.


Thanks for the tip! I'll check it out


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## Rogerx

Advice is already given by jegreenwood , wouldn't it be lovely seeing it in real , I mean theatre. I personally learned watching ballet like that. Any way, happy exploring.


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## jegreenwood

Rogerx said:


> Advice is already given by jegreenwood , wouldn't it be lovely seeing it in real , I mean theatre. I personally learned watching ballet like that. Any way, happy exploring.


It's strange - Cinderella rarely makes an appearance in NYC. It is not in the City Ballet repertoire, and is not often performed by American Ballet Theater. I actually saw it when I visited Melbourne in 2019.


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## Rogerx

jegreenwood said:


> It's strange - Cinderella rarely makes an appearance in NYC. It is not in the City Ballet repertoire, and is not often performed by American Ballet Theater. I actually saw it when I visited Melbourne in 2019.


You are lucky, we have hardly Ballet , sometimes in Belgium/ Antwerp. One luck I have a satellite disc so I can pic up a lot. 
No recording Shurale , so later on the day entertainment .


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## Xenophiliu

By the slimmest of margins, I prefer Cinderella, but both are terrific scores from Prokofiev.

I was pretty satisfied with the blu-ray / DVD of the Birmingham Royal Ballet with Elisha Willis as Cinderella.


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## ando

Why can't you watch both?


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## jegreenwood

Xenophiliu said:


> By the slimmest of margins, I prefer Cinderella, but both are terrific scores from Prokofiev.
> 
> I was pretty satisfied with the blu-ray / DVD of the Birmingham Royal Ballet with Elisha Willis as Cinderella.


I watched the first act on Vimeo. Also the first act of the Paris Opera Ballet on YouTube.


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## Chibi Ubu

Rogerx said:


> You are lucky, we have hardly Ballet , sometimes in Belgium/ Antwerp. One luck I have a satellite disc so I can pic up a lot.
> No recording Shurale , so later on the day entertainment .


What satellite channels do you find ballet on?


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## Rogerx

Chibi Ubu said:


> What satellite channels do you find ballet on?


Mezzo channel and Brava Stingray always. If the weather is good we can pick up the Metropolitan opera broadcasts.


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## Xenophiliu

jegreenwood said:


> I watched the first act on Vimeo. Also the first act of the Paris Opera Ballet on YouTube.


How were they for you?


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## jegreenwood

Xenophiliu said:


> How were they for you?


Didn't care for the Nureyev's concept for the Paris Opera Ballet version (Hollywood in the 1930's). I liked the Birmingham version. Gave one as a gift to my grandnieces. But I didn't buy one myself. Right now I'm happy going through the 15 discs in the Royal Ballet box.


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## MAS

Nureyev and Fonteyn now and forever a match made in heaven.


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## Neo Romanza

Why do you have to pick in the first place? Why can't you just enjoy both _Cinderella_ and _Romeo & Juliet_ equally? Personally, I like _Cinderella_ much more than _Romeo & Juliet_, but, truth be told, they're both too long and the material doesn't actually lend itself to that kind of duration. _The Stone Flower_ is even longer and I have a difficult time appreciating it. My favorite Prokofiev ballets are _Chout_, _On the Dnieper_, _Le pas d'acier_ and _The Prodigal Son_. I would add _Scythian Suite_, but this isn't a ballet, but it was originally and was titled _Ala i Lolli_.


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## Rogerx

^^^^^^^^^^^
I do think we all meant that, bust sometimes people want to be helped/ pushed if you like in a special direction. Just my Hunley opinion.


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## Marsilius

Over the past few years I have reviewed a number of productions on Blu-ray or DVD for the MusicWeb International website. In case you find it of interest, here are the links:

1.	John Cranko's choreography
Elisa Badenes / David Moore / Stuttgart Ballet, 2017: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2019/Mar/Prokofiev_Romeo_801104.htm

2.	Kenneth Macmillan's choreography
(a) Lauren Cuthbertson / Federico Bonelli / Royal Ballet, 2012: Yasmine Naghdi / Matthew Ball / Royal Ballet, 2020: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/June13/Prokofiev_Romeo_OA1100D.htm
(b) Misty Copeland / Roberto Bolle / La Scala, 2017: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2018/Jun/Prokofiev_Romeo_743604.htm
(c) Francesca Hayward / William Bracewell / Royal Ballet, 2019 (feature film): http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2020/Dec/Beyond-words-prokofiev-OA1294D.htm
(d) Yasmine Naghdi / Matthew Ball / Royal Ballet, 2020: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2021/Jul/Prokofiev-Romeo-OABD7273D.htm

3.	Rudolf Nureyev's choreography
Monique Loudières / Manuel Legris / Paris Opera Ballet, 1995: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Aug13/Nureyev_dancer_2564646990.htm

4.	Helgi Tomasson's choreography
Maria Kochetkova / Davit Karapetyan / San Francisco Ballet, 2015: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2017/May/Prokofiev_Romeo_739104.htm

Do get Blu-ray discs if you can play them - the gain in quality is often immense. My own favourite - although the score is reduced in length to suit a feature film - is the spectacular-looking Francesca Hayward / William Bracewell disc, although I have very soft spots for Misty Copeland / Roberto Bolle and Maria Kochetkova / Davit Karapetyan too.


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## amfortas

jegreenwood said:


> The Nureyev/Fonteyn version is from the 60's and is in black and white, but it is famous.


I'm gonna say color.



MAS said:


>


And yes, sometimes gods walk the earth.


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## jegreenwood

amfortas said:


> I'm gonna say color.
> 
> And yes, sometimes gods walk the earth.


Oops. Memory reboot needed.


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## 89Koechel

jegreenwood - You mentioned Nureyev (and Ms. Fonteyn, of course) in R & J - thanks, and it must be a GREAT collaboration. Just wondered - have you ever seen a video of Nureyev, in Stravinsky's "Petrouchka", from the 1970s? It has Nureyev (as Petrouchka, of course), Noella Pontois, and the remarkable - Charles Jude - as the Moor ... and the conducting/pacing of Manuel Rosenthal is VERY-fine. THIS ballet, of the modern types, is one that lends-itself, so to speak, to a great performance, in the right ... FEET ... if not hands - eh?


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## jegreenwood

89Koechel said:


> jegreenwood - You mentioned Nureyev (and Ms. Fonteyn, of course) in R & J - thanks, and it must be a GREAT collaboration. Just wondered - have you ever seen a video of Nureyev, in Stravinsky's "Petrouchka", from the 1970s? It has Nureyev (as Petrouchka, of course), Noella Pontois, and the remarkable - Charles Jude - as the Moor ... and the conducting/pacing of Manuel Rosenthal is VERY-fine. THIS ballet, of the modern types, is one that lends-itself, so to speak, to a great performance, in the right ... FEET ... if not hands - eh?


I had not seen that. There appears to be a version on YouTube. I did see Nureyev live in 1976 with the National Ballet of Canada. Unfortunately, I was not a ballet fan back then, so I barely remember it.


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