Roméo et Juliette

About

State Opera Chorus
State Opera Orchestra
National Theatre Opera Ballet

Based on William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, ever since its premiere, at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris on 27 April 1867, Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette has been a repertoire staple of all opera houses around the globe.

There are several reasons for its perennial appeal: the splendid solos and four enthralling duets of the two protagonists; Mercutio’s elegant “Ballad of Queen Mab”; the engrossing ensembles, including the lament over the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt; the colourful and highly emotional atmosphere. Owing to Bedřich Smetana, an ardent champion of Gounod’s music, Roméo et Juliette got to Prague merely two years after its world premiere, and its Czech staging at the New Town Theatre on 29 August 1869, with Smetana conducting, was the very first in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The current production at the State Opera is a modern and unconventional take on Gounod’s renowned piece by the Slovak  director Sláva Daubnerová, who has created for the National Theatre adaptations of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček, Shostakovich’s Orango and Antiformalist Rayok, Shchedrin’s Lolita and  Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.

Suitable for audience from 12 years.