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[edit]
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 on 12 March 1953, conducted by James Robertson.[2][3]
Roles[edit]
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[edit]
Sutermeister's version follows Shakespeare's plot. In the final scene, a celestial chorus celebrate the union in death of the two lovers.
Recordings[edit]
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[edit]
Sources[edit]
- 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.
- "Sadler's Wells". The Tatler: 17. 25 March 1953.