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© Zdeněk Sokol
Romeo and Juliet
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May 2024  | ||||||
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Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su |
Based on William Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, ever since its premiere, at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris on 27 April 1867, Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette has been a repertoire staple of all opera houses around the globe.
There are several reasons for its perennial appeal: the splendid solos and four enthralling duets of the two protagonists; Mercutio’s elegant “Ballad of Queen Mab”; the engrossing ensembles, including the lament over the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt; the colourful and highly emotional atmosphere. Owing to Bedřich Smetana, an ardent champion of Gounod’s music, Roméo et Juliette got to Prague merely two years after its world premiere, and its Czech staging at the New Town Theatre on 29 August 1869, with Smetana conducting, was the very first in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The current production at the State Opera is a modern and unconventional take on Gounod’s renowned piece by the Slovak director Sláva Daubnerová, who has created for the National Theatre adaptations of Janáček’s The Excursions of Mr. Brouček, Shostakovich’s Orango and Antiformalist Rayok, Shchedrin’s Lolita and Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos.
State Opera Chorus
State Opera Orchestra
National Theatre Opera Ballet
Program and cast
Conductor: Andriy Yurkevych
Juliette: Jana Sibera
Romeo: Petr Nekoranec
Lorenzo: Roman Vocel
Mercutio: Lukáš Bařák
Stéphano: Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir
Tybalt: Daniel Matoušek
Gertrude: Sylva Čmugrová
Capulet: Miloš Horák
Ruler of Verona: Ivo Hrachovec
Paris: Benjamín Hájek
Gregorio: Martin Matoušek
Benvolio: Jan Ondráček
Creative team
Stage director - Sláva Daubnerová
Sets - Juraj Kuchárek
Costumes - Martin Kotúček
Choreography - Stanislava Vlčeková
Light design - Daniel Tesař
Video - Lukáš Kodoň
Chorus master - Adolf Melichar
Dramaturgy - Jitka Slavíková
Approximate running time: 2 hours 55 minutes, 1 intermission (20 minutes)
Language: In French, surtitles in English, Czech
Prague State Opera
The State Opera today
The State Opera (formerly the State Opera Prague, between 1948 and 1992 the Smetana Theatre, and originally the New German Theatre) has been a part of the National Theatre since 2012. The Opera and Ballet ensembles give repertory performances at the State Opera.
History
The Prague State Opera resides in the building which on January 5, 1888 was opened as a Prague German stage with the performance of Wagner’s opera, The Mastersingers of Nürnberg. In the 19th century, Prague Germans performed in the Estate’s Theater in alternation with a Czech company. Desire for their own theater led to negotiations in 1883 for the construction of a new theater building for the German Theater Association. Over the next three years, a blueprint was drawn up and handed over to the Vienna atelier of Fellner and Hellmer. Also sharing in the design was the architect of the Vienna Municipal Theater, Karl Hasenauer, while Prague architect Alfons Wertmüller took part in the construction. Financing came from private collections. With its spacious auditorium and neo-Rococo decoration, this theater building is among the most beautiful in Europe.
Access:
By car
On Wilsonova street, from the left lane close to the State Opera building take the slip road to the Slovan above-ground garage. The parking fee is 40 CZK/h.
By tram
By daytime tram No. 11 to the stop “Muzeum”, through the underpass beneath Legerova street in the direction of the NationalMuseum, at the crossroads turn right along the NewBuilding of the NationalMuseum.
By daytime trams Nos. 3, 9, 14 and 24 or night trams Nos. 51, 52, 54, 55, 56 and 58 to the stop “Václavské náměstí”, then by foot uphill on the left side of the Wenceslas Square to the traffic lights across Wilsonova and Vinohradská streets. Then turn left along the NewBuilding of the NationalMuseum.
By metro
To the “Muzeum” station, lines A and C (green and red), and then by foot along the NewBuilding of the NationalMuseum.
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