The Baltimore Opera Company brings its centennial season to a romantic conclusion tomorrow with Charles Gounod's lyrical "Romeo et Juliette," based on Shakespeare's immortal tale of star-crossed lovers from rival families.
"Romeo et Juliette" is one of only two of Gounod's nine operas that remain in the standard repertory. The other is his famous setting of Goethe's "Faust," far and away his most often-performed stage piece.
Yet in "Romeo et Juliette," Gounod managed to fit almost everything anyone could ask for in an opera. There are feuding families, disguises, illicit romance, a ballet, swordplay, poison and, of course, a sleeping potion.
In the title roles, Mexican tenor Fernando de la Mora will make his BOC debut as Romeo. Tomorrow, the role of Juliette will be sung by Korean soprano Sujung Kim, who will also sing the role May 17.
May 14, 16 and 18 Juliette will be sung by soprano Ruth Ann Swenson, who stepped in at the last moment to replace Leontina Vaduva after the latter withdrew for health reasons.
Gounod's libretto closely follows Shakespeare's treatment of the story.
In the first act, Romeo and Juliette meet at the Capulets' masked ball. In Act II, the couple pledge their love in the famous balcony scene outside Juliette's window.
In Act III, Pere Laurent (Shakespeare's Friar Lawrence) marries the lovers in a secret ceremony. But later Romeo's best friend, Mercutio, is killed in a fight with Juliette's cousin Tybalt. Enraged by his friend's death, Romeo then kills Tybalt.
In the final acts, Romeo is banished from Verona, while Juliette's family arranges for her to marry the wealthy Count Paris. In desperation, she seeks advice from Pere Laurent, who gives her a potion that will simulate death and promises to reunite her with her lover when she awakes.
But when Romeo returns, he mistakes the sleeping Juliette for dead and takes poison. Only then does she awaken and, realizing what Romeo has done, stab herself in order to rejoin him in death.
In the smaller roles, baritone Daniel Mobbs plays the unlucky Mercutio, and bass Kurt Link sings Pere Laurent. Alain Gabriel appears as the hot-headed Tybalt, Sandra Walker sings Gertrude and Nicole Biondo is Stephano.
The orchestra will be led by conductor Guido Ajmone-Marsan, Bernard Uzan directs and the ballet scene was choreographed by Kimberly Mackin.
'Romeo et Juliette'
When: May 10, 14, 16, 17 and 18
Where: The Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave.
Who: Fernando de la Mora sings Romeo; Sujung Kim and Ruth Ann Swenson sing Juliette
Pub Date: 5/09/97
