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]
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]
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 |
Sutermeister's version follows Shakespeare's plot. In the final scene, a celestial chorus celebrate the union in death of the two lovers.
Sutermeister: Romeo und Julia – Bavarian Radio Chorus, Tölzer Knabenchor, Munich Radio Orchestra