Roméo et Juliette

If there is one piece that shows the true nature of love it is Romeo and Juliet, in which the innocent awakening of the protagonists’ passion is tragically cut short by the hatred of the two feuding families of Verona, a sense of duty, a cruel fate and, finally, death as the only way to have eternal union. The famous Shakespearean tragedy, whose emotional density has elicited a fascination that many artists have tried to emulate, is translated by Charles Gounod into an opera of emotion-filled lyricism. After its huge success, the composer became “the musician of love”. For him, the romance between the two lovers is the core of the plot, seeking above all the emotional impact. Premièring in Paris in 1867, the heir to the grand opéra in the manner of Meyerbeer, mixing with great technical expertise the serious and light styles, displayed magnificent melodic creativity, full of tenderness and delicacy, and broke new ground in the declamatory language that would later be taken up by Massenet and Debussy.