''Romeo und Julie'' is a

singspiel A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk- ...

in three acts by composer

Georg Benda Georg Anton Benda (; 30 June 17226 November 1795) was a Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian composer, violinist and ''Kapellmeister'' of the Classical period (music), classical period. Biography Born into a Benda family, family of notable musicians in ...

. The

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

has a German

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter that is based upon Christian Felix Weiße's translation of Shakespeare's ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''. Gotter's libretto eliminates many of Shakespeare's characters and most of the original play's comedic elements. It does, however, adhere to unities of time and place. Gotter's text also makes Julie the strongest and most important character in the opera, which is further reflected in Benda's score. Gotter also gave his version of ''Romeo and Juliet'' a happy ending, in accordance with operatic tradition at that time.

Performance history

The opera was first performed on 25 September 1776 at the in the Friedenstein Palace,

Gotha Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...

.Benda – ''Romeo and Juliet'' – details
/ref> The UK première was given in 2007 by

Bampton Classical Opera Bampton Classical Opera is an opera company based in Bampton, Oxfordshire and founded in 1993. It specialises in the production of lesser known opera from the Classical period. Performances are always sung in English. ''Opera today'' called the ...

, in English.

Roles

Synopsis

Deep rivalry and animosity exists between the Montagues and the Capulets, two noble families of Verona. Romeo Montague sneaks into the Capulet's palace to attend their masked ball in disguise. He meets Julie Capulet and the two fall in love. They decide to get married in the hopes that it will bring the family feud to an end. Friar Laurence, the Capulet family chaplain, marries them in secret. Soon after the wedding a street brawl results in the murder of Romeo's friend

Mercutio Mercutio ( , ) is a fictional character in William Shakespeare's 1597 tragedy, ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is a close friend to Romeo and a blood relative to Prince Escalus and Count Paris. As such, Mercutio is one of the named characters in the ...

. Angry, Romeo attacks and kills his murderer,

Tybalt Tybalt () is a fictional character and the principal antagonist in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name ...

Capulet who is Julie's cousin. Romeo is banished to Mantua by the Duke of Verona.

Act 1

: Midnight in Julie's chambers at the Capulet palace Julie is impatiently awaiting for Romeo to meet her in her rooms. She is fearful that he may have already left for exile without seeing her. Julie's friend, Laura, waits with her trying to provide comfort. Julie worries about the motives of her aunt Camilla, whom she suspects is working against Romeo. Julie unkindly suggests that Laura may also be untrustworthy. Laura defends herself and Julie retracts. Romeo arrives soon after telling Julie he must leave for Mantua soon. Julie is unhappy at the situation and has premonitions of death. Romeo tells her to have hope, but Julie is inconsolable and says it would be better for them to commit suicide together than be apart. Romeo calms her and the arrival of dawn forces them to part.

Act 2

: Dawn in Julie's chambers at the Capulet palace Laura watches over Julie as she sleeps. Julie's father, Capulet, enters and he orders Laura to wake Julie up and then leave. He is suspicious that Julie's emotional behavior may not be over her cousin's death but Romeo's departure and is fearful that the two may be in love. Capulet informs his daughter that he has arranged her to marry Count Paris. Julie is dismayed and refuses to marry Paris outright. Enraged, Capulet threatens to disown her. Laura returns and warns her of a plot hatched by Camilla which could result in her incarceration and forced marriage. Friar Laurence arrives and suggests a solution to Julie's dilemma: a sleeping draught will make her appear dead and, once laid in the family vault, Romeo will be able to rescue her and take her away forever. Left alone, Julie has visions of the horrors of the tomb and of Tybalt's

vengeful ghost In mythology and folklore, a vengeful ghost or vengeful spirit is said to be the spirit of a dead person who returns from the afterlife to seek revenge for a cruel, unnatural or unjust death. In certain cultures where funeral and burial or crem ...

. Nevertheless, for Romeo's sake, she drinks Laurence's potion.

Act 3

: The Capulet Mausoleum The Capulet Family mourns over the body of Julie and she is laid in the mausoleum close to the corpse of Tybalt. Meanwhile, Romeo is greeted by his servant Francesco who has followed him on the road to Mantua to tell him of Julie's death. Romeo resolves to enter the tomb to bid a final farewell to his bride, and then to kill himself. As he is about to stab himself, Julie revives and they sing a rapturous duet of joy. They are overheard by Laurence, who warns them to stay hidden in the tomb. He persuades Capulet to swear that he would accept Romeo Montague as his son-in-law if only his daughter could be restored to life. Immediately the fiction is revealed to be truth. True to his word, Capulet embraces Romeo amidst general rejoicing.

Discography

*''Romeo und Julie'' with conductor Hermann Breuer and the Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach. Cast includes: Claudia Taha (Julie), Joachim Keuper (Romeo), Andreas Näck (Capulet), Marisca Mulder (Laura), (Francesco and Pater Lorenzo), and the Gotha Concert Choir. Released September 1, 1998.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Operas German-language operas 1776 operas Singspiele Operas by Georg Benda Operas based on Romeo and Juliet