Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet (complete ballet recorded in 2007)

Star-cross'd lovers meet again on the stage of the Royal Ballet in this revival of the classic Kenneth MacMillan version of the Prokofiev ballet. Carlos Acosta performs the role of Romeo, with Tamara Rojo dancing the part of Juliet; the lavish sets and costume designs of Nicholas Georgiadis add to the splendor of the production.

Cuban Superstar Carlos Acosta dances Romeo in Kenneth Macmillan's timeless version of the Shakespeare/Prokofiev Classic Ballet 'Romeo & Juliet.' In this perennial favourite, Carlos Acosta dances alongside his regular partner, the Spanish ballerina, Tamara Rojo - a celebrated stage partnership which currently has no equal. The drama of the doomed lovers is set against the ravishing sets and costumes designs of Nicholas Georgiadis.

"As… the star-crossed lovers… the inspirational Carlos Acosta and the facially so expressive Tamara Rojo… galvanising conducted by Gruzin… all flaming testosterone thanks not only to Acosta and his Mercutio, José Martín, but also to the brutal Tybalt of Thiago Soares. Like all the character dancers here, he fills the role with life and energy. The final duel practically flies off the stage, the corps' reaction seems genuine and Elizabeth MacGorian's Lady Capulet makes the mother's-grieving curtain truly hair-raising for once. ...at the Royal Ballet a classic is raised to an unsurpassable level." BBC Music

"…excellent sound and picture quality. Nicholas Geogiadis's designs, dating from 1965. are still gorgeously redolent of Renaissance Verona, and the big scenes of street life and the Capulet ball are magnificent spectacles. One of today's dream partnerships, Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta, prove more than a match for their distinguished predecessors. ...Rojo rises to the fierce dramatic challenges of the last act with electrifying intensity. ...and Prokofiev's score is vigorously conducted by Boris Gruzin." Gramophone DVD of the Month Feb 2010