Music & Dance Preview: ROMEO AND JULIET (LA Phil and L.A. Dance Project at Disney Hall)

A WHOLE NEW DANCE PROJECT WITH LA PHIL

Romeo and Juliet is probably Prokofiev’s best dramatic work (I say “probably” because “hearing” the duck being eaten by the wolf in Peter and the Wolf nearly traumatized my childhood). Arguably, it’s his best orchestral work. Positively, it’s his most lyrical, emotional, and deeply moving work. Yet rarely do we get the chance to hear it played live in its entirety unless it comes with a full ballet production. When that happens, we tend to concentrate on the dancers, not the music. And while the popular suite version is most often heard in concert halls, that only has 20 musical numbers, versus the 52 in the full score. Even though this 1935 ballet isn’t through-composed in the manner of Stravinsky, it always gains in stature when heard in all of its glory live. Yet rarely do we get the chance to hear it played that way unless it comes with a full ballet company. What if we could watch the dancers but also watch the orchestra?

A collaboration between LA Phil and L.A. Dance Project is about to show you how. Under the baton of Gustavo Dudamel, the Philharmonic will be on stage at Disney Hall this weekend only for four performances (Oct. 18-21, 2018) playing the whole score of Romeo and Juliet while the pioneering and ardent Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied brings the tragic love story to life by making the live event part dance experience and part cinematic exploration of Walt Disney Concert Hall.

With Millepied behind the camera, audiences will watch the star-crossed lovers as they seamlessly transition from stage to screen, with the action projected live as the story plays out in unexpected locations throughout the building. Millepied explains his intentions in the video below.