With the 100th season of the LA Philharmonic in its first few weeks, they are obviously making sure that each and every concert is special. This weekend’s presentation of Prokofiev’s full ballet score for Romeo & Juliet is no exception. Gustavo Dudamel will be conducting the LA Philharmonic in four performances and joining them is L.A. Dance Project, Benjamin Millepied’s company. Performances began on Thursday and continue through Sunday.
You won’t be seeing the full ballet. Instead, select sequences are performed live in front of the audience. Those moments are captured by a video crew who follow the dancers in and around the nooks and crannies of Walt Disney Concert Hall (both inside and outside) where the dancing continues as the LA Philharmonic keeps playing Prokofiev’s wonderful score.
Though it wasn’t the easiest of experiences for the composer (as laid out in this New York Times article by Joshua Barone from earlier this year), it has become one of his best known works. The Joffrey Ballet was in town earlier this year performing the complete ballet in a production directed by Krzysztof Pastor.
An additional note: Grand is closed directly in front of the Walt Disney Concert Hall for this year’s AIDS Walk. You’ll want to arrive a little earlier to navigate the inevitable additional traffic.
Photo by Benjamin Millepied