• Charles Gounod
  • Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet) (1867)

  • G Schirmer Inc (World)

G. Schirmer controls the rights in the English translation by Theodore Baker for this work but does not supply orchestral materials.

    • Libretto by Barbier and Carré after Shakespeare. English translation by Theodore Baker.
    • English

    Programme Note

    Synopsis:
    A classic retelling of the Shakespeare tragedy. Juliet, daughter of Capulet, has been promised to Paris, but she falls in love with Romeo, whose family has been in a long-standing feud with her own. The priest Frère Laurent promises to help the lovers, hoping that the union would end the bitter war between the families. But the mistrust deepens and as the feud becomes bloody, Frère Laurent suggests that Juliet drink a potion that will make her appear dead in front of her family. His hope is that this will allow her to escape with Romeo. But Romeo fails to receive her letter detailing these plans and when he finds her, he believes she is dead and drinks poison himself. When Juliet awakes and discovers what her lover has done, she stabs herself.