Gala Concert
CHARLES GOUNOD Overture from Roméo et Juliette
CHARLES GOUNOD Duet-Madrigal “Ange adorable“ from Roméo et Juliette
CHARLES GOUNOD Air-Cavatine “L'amour, l'amour!“ from Roméo et Juliette
PYOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY Romeo and Juliet, Overture-Fantasy for orchestra after Shakespeare (1869/70, rev. 1880)
VINCENZO BELLINI Sinfonia from I Capuleti e i Montecchi
RICCARDO ZANDONAI Aria of Romeo “Giulietta! son io!“ from Giulietta e Romeo
NINO ROTA “What Is a Youth“ from the soundtrack of Franco Zeffirelli's film Romeo and Juliet (1968)
SERGEY PROKOFIEV Suites from the ballet Romeo and Juliet, Op. 64
Montagues and Capulets, Op. 64 b No.1
Juliette as a Young Girl, Op. 64 b No. 2
Masks, Op. 64 a No. 5
Friar Laurence, Op. 64 b No. 3
Death of Tybalt, Op. 64 a No. 7
CHARLES GOUNOD Duet “Va, je t'ai pardonné“ from Roméo et Juliette
End of concert approx 18:10.
Print programme (PDF)
Vincenzo Bellini was enthusiastic about the tale of a pair of lovers from two rival families in Verona even before Shakespeare’s dramatization gained popularity in Italy. Felice Romani wrote the libretto for him, basing it on various sources, including the novella entitled La sfortunata morte di due infelicissimi amanti by Matteo Bandello, a Dominican monk born in Castelnuovo Scrivia in about 1485. While Shakespeare, who had also based his play on this novella, chose the names of the lovers for his title, Bellini’s tragedia lirica bears the names of the warring families. While there are various differences between Romani’s libretto and the plot familiar to us, the most important alteration can be traced to the oldest surviving Italian operatic version of the story – that of Nicola Antonio Zingarelli: Juliet wakes up in the graveyard just in time to sing a duet with Romeo, after which the pair dies together.
Charles Gounod composed his five-act opera Roméo et Juliette just under forty years after Bellini. Gounod’s creation has since become an indispensable work in the operatic repertoire, primarily thanks to its four moving love duets, as well as Juliette’s aria, “Je veux vivre.”
The concert, featuring a selection of the most beautiful arias and duets from these two operas, will begin with Tchaikovsky’s orchestral fantasy, which besides Prokofiev’s ballet is the most notable Russian contribution to the theme of Romeo and Juliet.