Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)

Romeo and Juliet is a fantasy overture by the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky . It is based on the play of the same name by the playwright William Shakespeare . The piece is considered Tchaikovsky's first masterpiece and, unusually for the composer, does not have an opus number.

Emergence

Tchaikovsky's composer colleague Mili Balakirew met the French composer Hector Berlioz in 1867 , who had written his work Roméo et Juliette in 1839 . So it came about that Balakirew Tchaikovsky suggested a musical implementation of the theme and even sent him ideas for the introductory bars. Balakirev was not very enthusiastic about Tchaikovsky's result and led him to make some changes.

In March 1870, Nikolai Rubinstein conducted the world premiere of Romeo and Juliet in Moscow . The concert was disrupted by supporters of Rubinstein, who had recently lost a court case.

Tchaikovsky subjected the work to two revisions, one in the summer of 1870 and the other in 1880.

effect

Originally, Tchaikovsky's more modern orchestral fantasy Francesca da Rimini, premiered in 1877 , was more popular than Romeo and Juliet .

Discography

• Philharmonia Orchestra London, Riccardo Muti, EMI

Web links

• Romeo and Juliet Overture , Duet : Sheet Music and Audio Files in the International Music Score Library Project