GOUNOD Roméo et Juliette

British Youth Opera

Juliette Anna Leese
Roméo Michael McBride

Frère Laurent Lukasz Jakobczyk
Mercutio Jacques Imbrailo
Stéphano Nicola Stonehouse
Capulet Marc Labonnette
Tybalt Richard Rowe
Gertrude Elizabeth Key
The Duke Dawid Kimberg
Paris Nicolas Lester


Southbank Sinfonia/ Peter Robinson
Director: Olivia Fuchs
Set Designer: Jamie Vartan
Lighting Designer: Donatella Barbieri
Choreographer: Mandy Demetriou
Fight Director: Alison de Burgh

There are problems with this once popular opera. Some 200 or more Shakespearean operas * are known (a score or so of them Romeo & Juliets) and if the others were reassessed, Gounod's might not hold its precarious place in the 'canon'. A useful training experience for its singers, BYO made a brave attempt to put Roméo et Juliette across, despite so limited a budget as to preclude any evocative staging. It is an opera very much of its period and I question whether modernising it to c.1960s helps. The plastic curtain divide (action sometimes in front of it, sometimes behind) impairs the effect of the dancing and group scenes and the small platform balcony above is not as romantic a setting as one is used to. More might have been done with the costumes and lighting? The fights were well staged.

The music is (to my taste) heavy-footed, with too much repetition and some longueurs; only the Waltz Song seems likely to hold its place in the popular arias repertoire (Fanny Heldy's record of it - reissued by Malibran - was a favourite of mine 70 years ago; early childhood impressions stick!). The first half, with three Acts before the one interval, was too long. The mainly advanced student cast acquitted themselves generally well, and the Juliette and Roméo made a personable young couple, their consuming ardour very believable. The BYO's large chorus was marshalled by Olivia Fuchs as well as could be expected, and with occasional imaginative touches, e.g. when Juliette collapsed seemingly dead at her enforced second 'marriage'.

I wondered whether Peter Robinson, who drew splendidly sonorous tones from Simon Over's Southbank Sinfonia (an ensemble of exceptional conservatoire students conceived to bridge the year after graduation) might not have done more to vary the vocal projection of the singers, who were inclined to sing out forte too much of the time; the Peacock is a moderate sized theatre with good acoustics, and a deep orchestra pit ensures that there is no danger of drowning the singers.

The problems of Roméo et Juliette are well summarised in the double negatives at the start of Gramophone's (unsigned) review of the Gheorghiu/Alagna EMI CD Gramophone 6/1998:
- - Assuming for a moment (as perhaps one should not) that the reader does not have to be persuaded that the work itself deserves a place in the collection - - to those who may be still unconvinced that the opera itself is worth attention, may I just add my own experience, which is that it endears itself steadily (almost stealthily) over the years.'

Perhaps I should consider the same charmed pair's film version Arthaus DVD 100 706:
- - heavily cut but the scenery is glorious and the singing sumptuous - - the countryside, the river, the castle and the weather are all so beautiful that it would be a sin to stay indoors - - The love duets can rarely have been better sung, and Gounod’s music is gratefully heard, what remains of it; and the Royal Castle of Zvikov must be put on the visiting-list for next time in the Czech Republic. (John Steane 2003)

Further performances of Roméo et Juliette, in tandem with Cosi fan Tutte, until 11 September
Booking at mailto:ticket.office@sadlerswells.com.