Opera Tickets Italy

This season, Sergei Prokofiev's iconic ballet Romeo and Juliet makes a welcome return to the city in which it is set, Verona. Based on William Shakespeare's famous play, Prokofiev's ballet has enthralled audiences all over the world. This production at the city's mighty Arena di Verona offers a splendid opportunity to enjoy all of its majestic beauty and tragic storytelling in a truly remarkable setting. What's more, the ballet is combined with a little train tour, or trenino, of the city's most notable sites.

Prokofiev had been living in exile but was tempted to return after the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad – today, the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg – commissioned him to write a ballet. The great Russian composer considered several epic love stories for this commission, eventually settling on Romeo and Juliet. He worked with the playwright and critic, Adrian Piotrovsky, and the Kirov Theatre's artistic director, Sergei Radlov, to adapt the story of star-crossed lovers for him. Prokofiev wrote a piano score with impressive speed, setting out his musical ideas for the adaptation. Nevertheless, the composer needed to overcome a number of obstacles before the final orchestration was completed, not least because of criticisms from the Soviet authorities due to their administrative as well as ideological concerns. Consequently, the ballet's planned-for premiere in Russia was postponed several times.

As a result of his ballet score gathering dust at the Kirov, Prokofiev decided to take his work to the Mahen Theatre in Brno, Czechoslovakia instead. Subsequently, Romeo and Juliet received its first performance on 30 December 1938 in what is now the Czech Republic's second city. Even with the storyline changes that had been introduced, the ballet was a considerable success. It went on to be produced at the Kirov Theatre in January 1940, following enforced changes deemed appropriate to help bring the ballet's story much more in line with the Shakespearean original. Leonid Lavrovsky was charged with revising the ballet's choreography for its Soviet debut and it is his version a lot of subsequent versions would either follow or be based on.

The plot focuses on two young lovers drawn from rival clans in Verona. They face mounting problems to keep their love alive and secret from those around them. Prokofiev's music highlights the emotions of all the main characters as the drama unfolds. Of particular note is the Dance of the Knights, with its foreboding atmosphere, which accompanies the masked ball attended by members of both rival families, setting the tone for the tragedy yet to come.

The event's included little train tour allows audiences to explore the city from Piazza Brà, close to the arena. The trenino tour takes about 25 minutes and covers highlights such as Castelvecchio and the Basilica di Santa Anastasia. It can be taken on the same day as the performance or one day either side of it. As such, Romeo and Juliet at the ancient Arena di Verona provides a spectacular way to experience this much-loved ballet at a truly fitting venue.