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The Croatian pianist Maksim Mrvica is back once again to amaze longtime and new fans alike with his intense movement and dance, not just with his fingers, but his upper body… and maybe even lower body. There are audio and visual elements that make the video complex yet powerful and attractive. What happens when Romeo and Juliet, conceived by Sergei Prokofiev as a stage ballet, is reinterpreted for the string instrument by Maksim Mrvica? After all, Maksim has crafted a name for himself by stunningly bringing classical music and modernising it by incorporating genres beyond the classical music realm for especially the younger ears to attain a wider reach and more importantly, leave them mesmerised and enchanted.

The audio version was available in 2024, while the official music video was released on 8 October 2025, garnering 113,000 views, to date.

Initially thought out by playwright and poet William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet tells the story of love between two people – from two families who are bitter and violent about each other.

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet at a party hosted by Lord Capulet and where Juliet was meant to only keep an eye on Count Paris. However, Romeo and Juliet have their eyes set for each other and it’s love at first sight. The two meet quietly and even have a marriage in secret. However, Romeo is later banished from Verona, following the death of Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, who died as Romeo wanted to take revenge for the killing of Romeo’s good friend, Mercutio – after Romeo refused to agree to a challenge by Tybalt. With this in mind, a risky plan is hatched whereby Juliet appears dead. Unfortunately, the plan backfires when miscommunication ruins it. Romeo assumes Juliet is gone for good, seeing her body at the Capulet tomb. With this in mind, Romeo drinks poison he bought from the apothecary and packed with him on his journey to Verona. Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead, and longs for the same outcome, so she follows suit by attempting to drink poison from Romeo’s lips. When this fails, Juliet kills herself. Learning of these deaths, the two families put an end to their feud.

The intensity and depth of the music video match how dramatic the love story truly is – complicated by fights by those influential during the era. The alternating black and white shades with coloured images, as seen in the music video can signify moments of light and darkness, as portrayed in the play, which formed the basis of one of the most-loved ballet adaptations.

In one portion of the six-minute-long video, The Dance of the Knights can be heard, as composed for the Romeo and Juliet ballet. Aptly titled Prokofiev Fantasy, it’s both a homage to Sergei Prokofiev for his work, compositions and acknowledgement as a renowned pianist in the 20th century – other than a testament of what Maksim Mrvica is – exceptionally artistic, charismatic, and unstoppable.

In the music video, you can see what seems like Romeo and Juliet, floating around, creating a surreal experience for the viewer, making it stand out from other music videos.

Again, this is only one part of the video.

The opening Toccata, which has been played time and time again by Mrvica when he was younger, helps set the tone for the entire video. The fast-moving piece, which uses light touches, creates suspense and amplifies the drama of what’s to come – which I think is an outstanding move and smart decision.

Coda from Piano Concerto No. 3 makes up the final part of the music video, a medley of hits composed by the late Sergei Prokofiev, who subverted the structure of music and typical music theory by using unusual time signatures, syncopated patterns and harmonies, which are dissonant.

From Maksim’s official Facebook page and other social media accounts, he acknowledged that this music video and even the music itself is complex – it challenged him beyond his own limits. Nevertheless, the music video is now out – and he couldn’t have done it without his longtime arranger John Lenehan.

Of course, with the style, structure, charm and creativity that Maksim Mrvica employs and has, there’s no doubt, he’ll attract both new and existing fans to flock to his YouTube channel and other streaming platforms, where his music can be found.

Prokofiev Fantasy is Maksim’s second single from his album, Segmenti.

His last in-person appearance in Malaysia (and other countries) in February 2025 coincided with his related Segmenti World Tour. To date, Maksim has captivated those watching his live show(s) from Malaysia for a total of three times.