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Details
St John The Baptist Church
Church St
Peterborough
Cambridgeshire
PE1 1XB
England
Programme
Charles Gounod – Roméo et Juliette
Performers
Kate Wishart – Accompanist
Lyndsey Evans – soprano
Karen Davies – soprano
Peterborough Opera
Other concerts in this Series (+)
Programme Note
Peterborough Opera is pleased to present a concert performance of Charles Gounod’s opera Romeo and Juliet, accompanied by piano.
The opera in five acts is based on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, but Gounod takes some liberties with the original for the sake of enhancing the musical possibilities.
Shakespeare’s prologue is sung by the full company who set the stage for the drama of two warring families in Verona.
In this production, the leading Montagues, Romeo, Mercutio and Stephano are trouser roles, and sung by women.
Gounod is faithful to the characters of the protagonists, with Mercutio and Stephano full of fun, and keen to provoke the hated Capulets. Gertrude, Juliet’s nurse is also a lively character and is teased by the young men from both families. Capulet is a fun loving father, without the tyrannical side which is shown in Shakespeare’s play.
The chorus has an important role in the opera, singing dramatic and powerful music to mourn the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt, and to welcome the proposed marriage of Paris to Juliet.
