INSIGHT: LLINOS OWEN The Royal Ballet Sinfonia’s Bassoonist tells us why Romeo and Juliet is her favourite
Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is my
I tend to well up in Act I when the
absolute favourite ballet to play –
flutes quietly play one of Juliet’s
it’s an absolute joy to come to work
themes as she innocently dances in
and play this wonderful music. The
her bedroom. As an audience, we know
first time I got to play some of it was
the tragedy that will be unfolding
performing the Balcony Scene at one
when we hear this theme again in
of our Music and Dance concerts at
Act III, reorchestrated and painfully
Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. I always
reharmonised to reflect the pathos.
enjoy the Music and Dance concerts,
In fact, there’s often a box of tissues
since the orchestra perform on stage
making its way around the orchestra
so we actually get to see the dancing
during this ballet, not least at the
for a change (only in our bars’ rest
ending. As Amos Miller our Principal
obviously)! Watching the breathtaking
Trombone so rightly described the
dancing, the beautiful acting combined
final notes – this ballet ends with ‘the
with the exquisite music, immediately
saddest C major chord in history’.
transported me back to being a teenager falling in love for the first time, and having that wonderful feeling of ‘it’s possible that no one has ever been this in love before!’ There’s not a note wasted in this work of genius by Prokofiev, and it’s great to be back to a full-strength orchestra in the pit; I’ve missed the joy and richness of two bassoons and a contrabassoon! As well as being my favourite ballet score, this is also the first ballet that I got a ‘full house’ for, having played the contra part, as well as 1st and 2nd bassoon parts. The contrabassoon part is one of the best in the repertoire – providing depth and colour as well as solos with the tuba and bass clarinet, such as the ‘Poison Theme’. It’s such an emotionally charged score, and so well balanced with moments of lightness and humour.
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“There’s not a note wasted in this work of genius by Prokofiev”
