Roméo et Juliette, C. Gounod | Opera

Description

Between Acts I and II of *Roméo et Juliette*, our protagonist loses her braids. The carefree teenager who appears before the audience longing to live in a dream transforms into a woman following her first nocturnal encounter with her forbidden lover. Juliet trades her light vocal quality for the voice of a soprano with more dramatic hues—a significant vocal and theatrical challenge that adds depth to this *opéra comique* (which at times borders on *grand opéra*). It is a "beautiful progression," as Charles Gounod described it, unfolding across a prologue, five acts, and four love duets.
The Teatro dell'Opera di Roma’s new production, directed by Luca De Fusco, arrives at the Teatro de la Maestranza. It offers a vision centered on the eternal conflict between youth and adults, the difficult dialogue between generations, and the weight of social conventions. In this interplay of opposites, the day—represented by the radiant Juliet—contrasts with the moon-silvered night associated with Romeo. This work—the composer's only immediate, resounding success and a pillar of the operatic repertoire—returns as a magnificent spectacle brimming with poetry, action, and tragedy, all infused with the unmistakable essence of French melody.

OPERA IN A PROLOGUE AND FIVE ACTS BY CHARLES GOUNOD
LITTLE BOOK BY JULES BARBIER AND MICHAEL CARRÉ, ABOUT THE TRAGEDY OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
PREMIERE ON APRIL 27, 1867 AT THE THÉÂTRE LYRIQUE IN PARIS
LAST PERFORMANCE AT THE LA MAESTRANZA THEATER IN 2006
Musical direction: Dmitry Matvienko
Stage direction: Luca De Fusco
Set and costume design: Marta Crisolini Malatesta
Lighting Design: Gigi Saccomandi
Video: Alessandro Papa
Choreographic movements: Alessandra Panzavolta
Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville
Maestranza Theater Choir
Production of the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome
© Fabrizio Sansoni-Teatro dell'Opera of Rome
Romeo: Pavol Breslik
Juliette: Nina Minasyan
Frère Laurent: Riccardo Fassi
Mercutio: Maxim Lisiin
Stephano: Anna-Doris Capitelli
Gertrude: Elena Maximova
Capulet: Zoltán Nagy
Tybalt: Mario Bahg
Benvolio: Pablo Puértolas
Gregorio: Andrés Merino
Paris: Julien Van Mellaerts
The Duc de Vérone: Valery Guilmanov