Romeo & Juliet & Romeo & Juliet

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893): Romeo and Juliet, overture-fantasy in B minor for orchestra, after Shakespeare’s tragedy, 1^st version (1869). London Symphony Orchestra; Geoffrey Simon, conductor.

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Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet, definitive version (1880). London Symphony Orchestra; Valerij Gergiev, conductor.

This piece has no opus number: the reason is that Tchaikovsky honestly did not want to claim full authorship, since main themes and some elements of the structure were suggested to him by Mily Balakirev.