Romeo and Juliet Program

O P E R A N O T E S | L Y R I C O P E R A O F C H I C A G O

February 22 - March 19, 2016

on the young romantic couple: Juliet sings about the supreme and

infinite joy of dying with her lover, Romeo.

Lyric’s 21st-century production of

Roméo et Juliette

is directed by

Bartlett Sher, the immensely distinguished theater and opera director.

Sher’s

Roméo et Juliette

features elegant, elaborate 18th-century costumes,

which underscores the contrast between the young Romeo and Juliet´s

innocence and naïveté and the rich, complex world in which they come

to maturity. The stylized movement we witness and the contrasting colors

of the costumes of the two Verona families strengthen our understanding

and awareness of the sensuality and sentiment of the lead characters and

the political tension overwhelming the two warring families. In addition,

the production’s minimalist set further helps to focus our attention

on the movements of the personages on stage. Sher’s most important

achievement in this production is that he helps us comprehend the

lovers in the broader context of the community and appreciate Gounod’s

modified ending of the Shakespeare play.

Throughout the opera, Romeo and Juliet’s poignant love story

plays out against the backdrop of intrigue and conflict consuming the

Montague and Capulet families. The drama we experience in this exciting

operatic version of the familiar story highlights the conflict between the

political, the romantic, and ultimately even the spiritual in a lavish and

sensuous production that links the themes of romance and power-driven

familial enmity and joins them with Gounod’s 19th-century sentiments

about religious and mystical love.

Susan Halpern has been writing program notes and liner notes nationally

and internationally for chamber music, symphonic concerts, operas, and vocal

recitals for the past two decades. Originally trained as a professional flutist, she

earned a B. A. in music and a doctorate in English literature and has taught

at the City College of New York, Pace University, and Marymount College.

Photos from Bartlett Sher’s

2008 Salzburg Festival production with,

clockwise from the top,

Nino Machaidze (Juliet); Rolando Villazon

(Romeo) and Juan Francisco Gatell (Tybalt);

and In Sung Sim (Lord Capulet).

ALL PHOTOS: CLÄRCHEN BAUS-MATTAR AND

MATTHIAS BAUS / SALZBURG FESTIVAL