Charles Gounod – Roméo et Juliette

Juliet kisses the lifeless Romeo one last time, then stabs herself. With Shakespeare, the most famous lovers in the history of theater do not say a goodbye with many words. Charles Gounod, on the other hand, closes his opera “Roméo et Juliette” with a duet: the lovers sing their way to a shared death, which they perceive as redemption; finally, they ask God for forgiveness. It is the last of a total of four great duets in this drame lyrique, which is devoted entirely to the inner dramatic development of this tragic love affair.

Roméo et Juliette is Gounod’s most important opera. It was premiered during the Paris World’s Fair of 1867 and was a great success. Thanks to its attractive vocal parts, it still occupies a firm place in the French repertoire of the 19th century.

The new Zurich production will present a vocal and performing dream couple in soprano Julie Fuchs and tenor Benjamin Bernheim. Both started their careers at the Zurich Opera House and are now among the big names in the international opera scene. Both hail from France and have devoted themselves time and again to the French repertoire.

Charles Gounod
Roméo et Juliette
Drame lyrique in 5 acts

Roméo Montaigu__Benjamin Bernheim
Juliette Capulet__Julie Fuchs
Stéphano__Svetlina Stoyanova
Mercutio__Yuriy Hadzetskyy
Benvolio__Maximilian Lawrie
Le Comte Capulet__David Soar
Gertrude__Katia Ledoux
Tybalt__Omer Kobiljak
Le Comte Paris__Andrew Moore
Gregorio__Jungrae Noah Kim
Frère Laurent__Brent Michael Smith
Le Duc de Vérone__Valeriy Murga

Stage Director__Ted Huffman
Stage Designer__Andrew Lieberman
Costume Designer__Annemarie Woods
Light Designer__Franck Evin
Choreography__Pim Veulings

Musical direction__Roberto Forés Veses
Philharmonia Zürich