鈥淗ow silver-sweet sound lovers' tongues by night, Like softest music to attending ears!鈥� Shakespeare鈥檚 tragic lovers have inspired composers for centuries, but there鈥檚 still no interpretation of their tale that quite surpasses Prokofiev鈥檚 great Soviet ballet-score: Romeo and Juliet retold in music that鈥檚 as sharp as a rapier and as tender as a kiss.

It鈥檚 perfect for Dima Slobodeniuk, an artist whose flair for drama is matched only by his deep personal affinity with Russian music. First, though, experience the epic passion and blazing grandeur of Lili Boulanger鈥檚 Psalm 130 鈥� the single mightiest achievement by the composer whose untimely death in 1918 robbed the 20th century of one of its most brilliant musical minds. A gripping complement to Prokofiev鈥檚 star-crossed passion.

Photography credit: Marco Borggreve