ROMEO ET JULIETTE (Gounod) Paris 2023 Elsa Dreisig, Benjamin Bernheim, Lea Desandre, Laurent Naouri
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ROMEO ET JULIETTE by Charles Gounod
Bastille, Opera de Paris, France
June 26, 2023
CAST
Juliette: Elsa Dreisig
Roméo: Benjamin Bernheim
Stephano: Lea Desandre
Gertrude: Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo
Tybalt: Maciej Kwaśnikowski
Benvolio: Thomas Ricart
Mercutioé: Huw Montague Rendall
Pâris: Sergio Villegas Galvain
Gregorio: Yiorgo Ioannou
Capulet: Laurent Naouri
Frère Laurent: Jean Teitgen
Le Duc de Vérone: Jérôme Boutillier
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Conductor: Carlo Rizzi
Orchestre de l’Opera national de Paris
Choeurs de l’Opera national de Paris
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Stage Director: Thomas Jolly
Set design: Bruno de Lavenère
Costume design: Sylvette Dequest
Lighting design: Antoine Travert
Choreography: Josépha Madoki
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Roméo et Juliette (French pronunciation: [ʁɔmeo e ʒyljɛt], Romeo and Juliet) is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique (Théâtre-Lyrique Impérial du Châtelet), Paris on 27 April 1867. This opera is notable for the series of four duets for the main characters and the waltz song “Je veux vivre” for the soprano.
Synopsis
The libretto follows the story of Shakespeare’s play.
Act 1
Overture prologue:
A short chorus sets the scene of the rival families in Verona.
A masked ball in the Capulets’ palace
Tybalt talks to Pâris about Juliette, who appears with her father. Roméo, Mercutio, Benvolio and their friends enter, disguised, and Mercutio sings a ballad about Queen Mab, after which Juliette sings a joyful waltz song. The first meeting between Roméo and Juliette takes place, and they fall in love. But Tybalt re-appears and suspects that the hastily re-masked Roméo is his rival. While Tybalt wants immediate revenge, Capulet orders that the ball continue.
Act 2
The Capulets’ garden
After Roméo’s page Stephano has helped his master gain access, he reveals the two young lovers exchanging their vows of love.
Act 3
Scene 1: Laurent’s cell
Roméo and Juliette, accompanied by Gertrude, go to the cell, and the wedding takes place. Laurent hopes that reconciliation between the houses of the Montagus and the Capulets may thus take place.
Scene 2: a street near Capulet’s palace
Stephano sings to attract the occupants into the street. Gregoire and Stephano skirmish as men from each family appear. The duel is first between Tybalt and Mercutio, who falls dead, and then between Roméo, determined to avenge his comrade, and Tybalt. Tybalt is killed by Roméo, who is banished by the Duke.
Act 4
Juliet’s room at dawn
Roméo and Juliette are together and, after a long duet, Roméo departs for exile. Juliette’s father comes to remind her of Tybalt’s dying wish for Juliette to marry Count Pâris. The friar gives Juliette a draught which will cause her to sleep, so as to appear as if dead and, after being laid in the family tomb, it is planned that Roméo will awaken her and take her away. [A ballet scene in the grand hall of the palace was inserted at this point.
Act 5
Juliet’s tomb
Roméo breaks into the tomb after having taken poison because he believes that Juliette is dead. When she awakes from the friar’s potion, the lovers’ last duet is heard before the poison takes effect on Roméo. As her bridegroom weakens Juliette stabs herself, to be united with her lover in death.
Quoted from Wikipedia