Romeo und Julia is an opera in two acts by Heinrich Sutermeister. The composer wrote the libretto, after Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Erik Levi explains that the opera: "presents a synthesis of Romantic and impressionist elements. It marks a ... return to the conception of opera as a sequence of closed forms, incorporating ... stylistic features related to madrigal, oratorio and pantomime."[1]
Performance history
It was first performed on 13 April 1940, at the Semperoper, Dresden, under the musical direction of Karl Böhm, who also commissioned the work, with Maria Cebotari as Julia, and was a considerable success.[1] It was also performed at Sadler's Wells in London in the mid-50s.[2]
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 13 April 1940 (Conductor: Karl Böhm) |
|---|---|---|
| Julia, daughter of the Capulets | soprano | Maria Cebotari |
| Romeo, son of Montague | tenor | |
| Balthasar, Romeo's servant | baritone | |
| Nurse | soprano | Inger Karén |
| Capuleti (Capulet) | bass | Kurt Böhme |
| Countess Capuleti (Lady Capulet) | contralto | Helena Rott |
| Father Lorenzo (Friar Laurence) | bass | Sven Nilsson |
| Escalus, Prince of Verona | baritone | |
| Servant | tenor | |
| Montague, Romeo's father | spoken | |
| Count Paris | ballerina |
Synopsis
Sutermeister's version follows Shakespeare's plot. In the final scene, a celestial chorus celebrate the union in death of the two lovers.
Recordings
Sutermeister: Romeo und Julia – Bavarian Radio Chorus, Tölzer Knabenchor, Munich Radio Orchestra
- Conductor: Heinz Wallberg
- Principal singers: Ferry Gruber, Raimund Grumbach, Nikolaus Hillebrand, Urszula Koszut, Hildegard Laurich, Theodor Nicolai, Adolf Dallapozza, Paul Hansen, Alexander Malta, Gudrun Wewezow, Joern W. Wilsing, Heinrich Weber, Anton Rosner
- Recording date: 1980?
- Label: Musiques Suisses – 6263 (2 CDs)
References
Sources
- Casaglia, Gherardo (2005)."Romeo und Julia, 13 April 1940". L'Almanacco di Gherardo Casaglia (in Italian).
- Levi, Erik (2002) [print 1992]. "Romeo und Julia". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.O007781. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- "Opera: Stage and Film". The Musical Times. 94 (1323): 227–228. 1953. doi:10.2307/933399. eISSN 2397-5318. ISSN 0027-4666. JSTOR 933399.