Romeo und Julie

Romeo und Julie is a singspiel in three acts by composer Georg Benda. The opera has a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter that is based upon Christian Felix Weiße's translation of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The opera was first performed on September 25, 1776 at the Hoftheater in the Schloss Friedenstein, Gotha, Germany. Gotter's libretto eliminates many of Shakespeare's characters and most of the original plays comedic e... more

Romeo und Julie is a singspiel in three acts by composer Georg Benda. The opera has a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Gotter that is based upon Christian Felix Weiße's translation of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The opera was first performed on September 25, 1776 at the Hoftheater in the Schloss Friedenstein, Gotha, Germany. Gotter's libretto eliminates many of Shakespeare's characters and most of the original plays comedic elements. It does, however, adhere to unities of time and place. Gotter's text, also makes Julie the strongest and most important character in the opera, which is further reflected in Benda's score. Perhaps the most notable change Gotter made was the addition of a lieto fine at the end. In accordance with operatic tradition at that time, Gotter gave his version of Romeo and Juliet a happy ending. Setting: Verona Deep rivalry and animosity exists between noble families: the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo Montague sneaks into the Capulet's... less