Roméo et Juliette

When the curtain in the Théâtre Feydeau rose on Steibelt’s Roméo et Juliette, on 9 October 1793, Shakespeare’s play had already inspired operas by Benda (1776) and Dalayrac (1792). In the 19th century, the lovers from Verona were to sing again in works by Vaccai (1825), Bellini (1830) and Gounod (1867), to mention only those three. Still performed over thirty years after its premiere, and translated into several languages, Steibelt’s opera was incredibly successful, as can be seen by Chateaubriand’s Mémoires d’outre-tombe: “Madame Récamier was at her piano; the bell for the angelus tolled: the chimes of the bell ‘that seemed to mourn the dying day, il giorno pianger che si muore”, mingled with the final strains of the invocation to the night from Steibelt’s Roméo et Juliette.” However, the work had been rejected by the Académie Royale de Musique, compelling the composer to convert the recitatives into spoken dialogue for the Théâtre Feydeau. An opéra comique at its premiere, Roméo et Juliette regained its recitatives for a performance in St Petersburg in 1817. The librettist, Alexandre-Joseph-Pierre de Ségur, had brought Shakespeare’s tragedy into line with contemporary tastes and the conventions of opéra comique, making the third act end happily with the marriage of Juliet and Romeo. However, this respect for convention went hand in hand with some singular innovations. Accordingly, the heroine decides to commit suicide (unaware that the “poison” is a harmless drink), an unusual situation giving rise to a striking accompanied recitative. The orchestra, with a large brass section including two trombones, displayed a modernity which Berlioz was later to turn to good advantage.