Roméo et Juliette

Who doesn’t know the heart-breaking story of the young couple from Mantua? Two people from feuding families who love each other so much that, after flouting tradition and their rigid family structures, they have the courage to pay for this outrage with death. Romeo and Juliet want to do more than just break the rules – they wish to love and to live freely. The version of William Shakespeare’s play, published in 1597, has been adapted many times for theatre, ballet, film, musicals and opera, including „Roméo et Juliette“ by Charles Gounod.

One of the foremost composers and organists of the 19th century, the Frenchman wrote numerous sacred works, in particular for the organ, as well as a large number of operas, of which Faust (based on Goethe’s play) and „Roméo et Juliette“ are still hugely popular today. The premiere of the latter took place in Paris in 1867 at the time of the World Exhibition, which certainly helped cement the work’s fame; with its enchanting melodies and moving choral passages, the opera was soon being performed throughout the world. The first performance in Germany, at Dresden’s Royal Court Theatre, came only six months after the premiere. To this day, this much-loved classic opera is a firm fixture in the repertoires of opera houses around the world.