How many composers have been inspired by the two lovers from Verona depicted by Shakespeare? From Vincenzo Bellini and Hector Berlioz to Leonard Bernstein, the list is long. If Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, first performed during the Universal Exhibition of 1867, enjoyed immediate popularity it is doubtless because this is the version that translates the tumultuous lives of the celebrated lovers with the greatest finesse.Four love duets, a fiery waltz and luminous, lyrical music: the entire score seems to tremble with desire and freshness. Who better than Thomas Jolly, one of the most inventive directors of his generation, reputed for his audacious re‑readings of Shakespeare, to celebrate this hymn to youth? Following his Eliogabalo by Cavalli in 2016, he signs his second collaboration with the Paris Opera. The Paris Opera Orchestra and ChorusA co-production by Opéra National de Paris and Act 4 Productions With the participation of France Télévisions With the support of the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, the Orange Foundation, Sponsor of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts, and the POP Circle © Ex Nihilo – Opéra national de Paris - 2025

Roméo: A young nobleman from the Montaigu family Juliette: Capulet’s daughter Stéphano: Roméo’s page Gertrude: Juliette’s nurse Capulet: Juliette’s father, the head of a leading Veronese family Friar Laurent Mercutio: Friend of Roméo Tybalt: Juliette’s cousin Pâris: Juliette’s fiancé

Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod in rehearsal (season 22/23)

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Roméo et Juliette 22-23 © Vincent Pontet-OnP (3)

Romeo and Juliet

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Roméo et Juliette

How many composers have been inspired by the two lovers from Verona depicted by Shakespeare? From Vincenzo Bellini and Hector Berlioz to Leonard Bernstein, the list is long. If Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, first performed during the Universal 

Charles Gounod

In 1838, Gaetano Donizetti moved to Paris after a career already rich in works such as Lucia di Lammermoor, when he received a commission from the Opéra-Comique. La Fille du régiment, his first work written directly in French, premiered there two years later and gave the composer the opportunity to explore a broad range of musical styles, from the boisterous overture to bravura arias such as “Ah! mes amis” and poignant, languorous romances. Foreshadowing Offenbach, this military opera about a vivandière, Marie, adopted at birth by a French regiment, doubles as a sentimental fable and a comic confrontation between two opposing worlds, that of the military encampment and that of the aristocracy. Laurent Pelly takes on this pinnacle of bel canto with his characteristic verve. Setting the work during the 1914 war rather than the Napoleonic Wars and adapting the dialogue, the director modernises the piece without sacrificing a single ounce of its brio.

Marie: young vivandière Tonio: young Tyrolean Sulpice: sergeant The Marchioness of Berkenfield Hortensius: marquise's steward The Duchess of Crakentorp

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La Fille du régiment - 19

La Fille du régiment

La Fille du régiment - 20

In 1838, Gaetano Donizetti moved to Paris after a career already rich in works such as Lucia di Lammermoor, when he received a commission from the Opéra-Comique.La Fille du régiment, his first work written directly in French, premiered there two year

Gaetano Donizetti

Before the extraordinary Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after his Shakespearean marathons, after Starmania, director Thomas Jolly took on the Paris Opera and the masterpiece of composer Charles Gounod, Roméo et Juliette.The behind-the-scenes of this creation, filmed over the course of a year, reveal the full complexity of the Paris Opera—both a dream factory and a colossal ship.But above all, this film is an immersion into the psyche of Thomas Jolly, into his vision of the work and of theater, with his flashes of insight as well as his impatience, his humor, and his sensitivity. A co-production by Ex Nihilo and Opéra National de Paris, with the participation of France Télévisions Directed by: Priscilla Pizzato © Ex Nihilo – Opéra national de Paris - 2025

Dans les coulisses de Roméo et juliette

Opéra de Paris : Roméo, Juliette, Thomas et les autres

Before the extraordinary Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after his Shakespearean marathons, after Starmania, director Thomas Jolly took on the Paris Opera and the masterpiece of composer Charles Gounod, Roméo et Juliette. The behind

Priscilla Pizzato

Paris Opera: Romeo, Juliette, Thomas, and the others

Where does Mélisande come from and what did she endure before losing her way in the forest of Allemonde? The drama unfolds in a mysterious world of dark caves and sleeping waters: Pelléas, Golaud’s half-brother, and Mélisande fall in love, arousing the jealousy of Golaud, who has married the young girl. In 1892, Claude Debussy, very much taken with Maurice Maeterlinck’s play, found it to be the ideal libretto for the musical form he had in mind: a lyric drama in which the characters would sing “like natural people”. Ten years later, this ground-breaking opera was premiered to great scandal. Wajdi Mouawad explores this fascinating work in his second production for the Paris Opera.

Arkel: Old king of Allemonde (an imaginary country) Golaud: Arkel’s grandson, a widower who has married Mélisande Pelléas: Golaud’s half-brother Mélisande: Young woman of mysterious origins, Golaud’s wife Geneviève: Mother of Golaud and Pelléas Little Yniold: Golaud’s son by a former marriage

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Where does Mélisande come from and what did she endure before losing her way in the forest of Allemonde? The drama unfolds in a mysterious world of dark caves and sleeping waters: Pelléas, Golaud’s half-brother, and Mélisande fall in love, arousing t