Commentary
“Romeo and Juliet” is one of the most famous stories of all time. Originating from the ancient Greek tale of Pyramus and Thisbe, the melodrama of the star-crossed lovers has been adapted to stage and screen countless times in different genres. It’s been the basis for numerous operas in many languages. The most famous of these operas is a French one, “Roméo et Juliette” by Charles Gounod.
“Roméo et Juliette” was originally performed at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, France on April 27, 1867. It was five acts long with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, which held quite true to the plot and even some of the dialogue of Shakespeare’s five-act play, though translated to French. The opera was a great success, and it entered the repertoire of the Opéra-Comique in 1873, where it was performed hundreds of times during the next fourteen years. Eventually, it made its way to the city’s bigger opera company, the Paris Opéra, where it premiered on November 28, 1888 with famous Italian soprano Adelina Patti as Juliet and renowned Polish tenor Jean de Reszke as Romeo. The Paris Opéra demanded the inclusion of a ballet sequence in every production, so Gounod added a wedding ballet and a large ensemble to make it a grand opera….