Act I

Act II

Act III

In this production created for the Opera Ballet in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev opted for powerful dramatization. Splendour and violence, truculence and beauty mingle, rekindling the passion of Shakespeare’s drama.Scrupulously adhering to Prokofiev’s score, itself very close to the play, the choreographer produced a version of Romeo and Juliet in which “the young boy becomes a man” opposite a passionate Juliet who, barely out of childhood, also tragically enters womanhood. Their love cannot be openly declared, as their respective families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are locked into an ancestral feud...Inspired by the Italian Renaissance, the sumptuous sets and costumes by Ezio Frigerio and Mauro Pagano transport us to a painstakingly recreated Verona. The Étoiles, the Premiers Danseurs and the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet The Paris Opera OrchestraA coproduction Opéra national de Paris and La Belle Télé With the participation of France Télévisions, the support of the ORANGE Foundation, patron of the Paris Opera's audiovisual broadcasts and Chanel, patron of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as the Centre National du Cinéma et de l'image animée The Paris Opera thanks the donors of the Romeo and Juliet recording for their generous support.Director: Nathan Benisty © Opéra national de Paris – La Belle Télé – 2021Picture: © Agathe Poupeney / OnP

<ul><li>Romeo: A son of the House of Montague. Initially in love with Rosaline, he becomes enamoured with Juliet at the Capulets’ ball</li><li>Juliet: A daughter of the House of Capulet. She is betrothed to Paris but in love with Romeo</li><li>Tybalt: Juliet’s cousin. He is killed by Romeo to avenge the death of his friend Mercutio</li><li>Mercutio: A friend of Romeo. He is killed by Tybalt</li><li>Benvolio: A friend and cousin of Romeo</li><li>Rosaline: Romeo’s first love, albeit unrequited</li><li>Paris: A young Lord of Verona, in love with Juliet. He dies by Romeo’s hand in Juliet’s tomb</li><li>Lord Capulet: The head of the House of Capulet</li><li>Lady Capulet: The wife of Lord Capulet</li><li>The Nursemaid: Juliet’s confidante</li><li>Friar Laurence: A monk and Romeo’s confessor. He secretly marries the two lovers</li></ul>

Roméo et Juliette

Romeo and Juliet

In this production created for the Opera Ballet in 1984, Rudolf Nureyev opted for powerful dramatization. Splendour and violence, truculence and beauty mingle, rekindling the passion of Shakespeare’s drama. Scrupulously adhering to Prokofiev’s score,

Rudolf Nureyev

Born on board the Trans-Siberian Railway not far from Lake Baikal, Rudolf Nureyev (1938-1993) first learnt traditional folk dancing in Oufa (Bashkiria). He saw his first ballet at the Oufa Opera at the age of seven, however, he did not officially begin training as a dancer until he was fifteen. Two years later, he continued his studies at the Vaganova School in Leningrad during which time he was tutored by dance master Alexander Pushkin from 1955 to 1958. The following year he was accepted into the Corps de ballet of the Kirov Theatre where he soon became a soloist. During one of the troupe’s tours of Western Europe, Nureyev made his debut on the stage of the Palais Garnier on May 15, 1961 for a dress rehearsal of Sleeping Beauty. He would also cause a sensation by performing in the Act featuring the Kingdom of the Shades in La Bayadère three days after seeking political asylum from French customs and immigration officers at Le Bourget Airport on May 16, 1961 after the powers that be at the Kirov had decided to send him back to Moscow without allowing him to continue on the Ballet’s tour to London. As a result, Paris remained a city of great symbolic value for him. He ultimately became the director of the Paris Opera Ballet from 1983 to 1989 after having danced for numerous companies (including the Grand Ballet du Marquis de Cuevas and London’s Royal Ballet) and having created Tancrède (Vienna Opera, 1966) and Manfred (Paris Opera, 1979). The Paris Opera Ballet’s repertoire would be enriched by his reinterpretations of Marius Petipa’s choreographic masterpieces. These would include Don Quichotte (1981), Raymonda (1983), Swan Lake (1984), Romeo and Juliet (1984), The Nutcracker (1985), Cinderella (1986), Sleeping Beauty (1989) and La Bayadère (1992). The status accorded a male dancer, which in ballet had been greatly undermined since the 19th century, gained new importance in his works. Nureyev also created a number of contemporary ballets including The Tempest (1984), Bach Suite (1984) and Washington Square (1985). He also offered an extremely diverse contemporary repertoire (Frederick Ashton, Rudi van Dantzig, Roland Petit, Maurice Béjart, George Balanchine, Glen Tetley, Martha Graham, Murray Louis, Jerome Robbins, Bob Wilson, Paul Taylor, Hans van Manen, Lucinda Childs, Twyla Tharp, and William Forsythe). Finally, he began a new tradition at the Paris Opera by naming the new Etoiles on stage at the end of a performance in the presence of the audience. The stage of the Palais Garnier had great significance for him: he would salute his audience there for the last time at the end of a performance of La Bayadère on October 8, 1992. His funeral in January 1993 would also be honoured at the Palais Garnier. Rudolf Nureyev was a Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur (1988) and a Commandeur des Arts et Lettres (1992).

1996 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

1999 : Joins the Corps de ballet.

2001 : Promoted to “Coryphée”.

2002 : Promoted to “Sujet”. She receives the Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.

2005 : Promoted to “Première danseuse”. She is awarded the Prix Leonide Massine (Positano, Italy) and the Prix AROP de la Danse.

On June 18th 2012, she is made an "Étoile" following a performance of La Fille mal gardée (Frederick Ashton) in which she performed the role of Lise.As part of the Paris Opera Ballet’s official tours, she has performed in Australia (Sydney/ 2013), Denmark (Copenhagen, 2015), the United States (New York/ 2017), Japan (Tokyo/ 2017), the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, 2019).Myriam Ould-Braham was named Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters.

Ould Braham Myriam

2001 : Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2004 : Joins the Corps de ballet.
2006 : Promoted to “Coryphée”.
He receives the Prix du Cercle Carpeaux as well as the AROP Dance Prize..
2007 : Promoted to “Sujet”.
2008 : Promoted to “Premier danseur”. On April 16th 2009, he is made an « Étoile » following a performance of Onegin (John Cranko) in which he performed the role of Lensky. As part of the Company’s official tours, Mathias Heymann has performed in Japan (Tokyo 2007, 2010). Mathias Heymann was named Chevalier de l’ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

Heymann Mathias

1994 Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.
1997 Joins the Corps de ballet.
2001&nbsp; He becomes a “Coryphée”.
He performs the&nbsp;The Afternoon of a Faun (Nijinsky).&nbsp;

2003&nbsp; He is made a “Sujet”. Prix AROP de la Danse.&nbsp;

2008&nbsp; He is made a “Premier danseur”.&nbsp;On June 2nd 2010, Stéphane Bullion is made an « Étoile » following a performance of La Bayadère (Rudolf Nureyev).He makes his official farewell to the stage of the Paris Opera on Saturday 4 June 2022, in Mats Ek’s pas de deux Another Place.

Bullion Stéphane

2010 Médaille d’Or et bourse du Concours international Civitanova Danza Per Domani. Entre à l’École de Danse de la Scala de Milan.2012 Entre à l’École de Danse de l’Opéra national de Paris.2015 Est engagé dans le Corps de Ballet de l’Opéra national de Paris.2017 Promu « Coryphée ».2018 Promu « Sujet ». Médaille de Bronze (catégorie Sénior) du XXVIIIème Concours international de danse de Varna (Bulgarie) Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.2020 Promu « Premier danseur ».

MURA_Francesco-100

1999: Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.2004: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.2009: Promoted to "Coryphée".2010: AROP Dance Prize.2011 : Promoted to "Sujet".2019: Promoted to "Premier danseur".2023: Marc Moreau is named "Danseur Étoile" on March 2nd 2023, following the performance of Ballet impérial (George Balanchine) in which he performed the principal soloist.

Marc-Moreau-james-bort-nb (c) James Bort OnP

Studies dance at the Kishibe Ballet Studio (Tokyo) and the Australian Ballet School.
2009: Lausanne Prize.

2013: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.

2014: Promoted to "Coryphée". Silver medal at the Varna Competition. Prix du Cercle Carpeaux.

2015: Promoted to "Sujet".

2016: Promoted to "Première danseuse". Prix Benois de la Danse. 2023: Hannah O'Neill is named "Danseuse Étoile" on March 2nd 2023, following the performance of Ballet impérial (George Balanchine) in which she performed the first principal soloist.

Hannah-O'Neill-james-bort-nb (c) James Bort OnP

1999: Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.
2005: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.
2007: Promoted to "Coryphée".
2011: Promoted to "Sujet".

STOKES_Daniel-26

1998: Enters the Paris Opera Ballet School.

2005: Joins the Paris Opera Corps de Ballet.

2008: Promoted to "Coryphée".

2016: Promoted to "Sujet".

GORSE_Fanny-45

Born in 1958 in Tallinn, Estonia, Vello Pähn began his studies at the Tallinn Conservatory. He started to work as a conductor in 1981 at the Estonia Theater in Tallinn where he conducted operas of Mozart, Weber, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and Prokofiev, but also works of the symphonic repertoire. He then studied at the Leningrad/St. Petersburg Conservatory under Maris Janson to perfect his technique and returned to the Estonia Theater as a permanent conductor. He is also the Tallinn Ballet's conductor and conducts performances and concerts in Europe, Russia, USA and Japan.



Since 1988, he has been a regular guest at the Paris Opera, invited first by Rudolf Nureyev, then by Brigitte Lefèvre, to conduct Ballet performances and tours (Raymonda, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Romeo and Juliet – Prokofiev and Berlioz versions – Coppelia, Sylvia, Giselle, Ivan the Terrible, but also various ballet performances dedicated to Stravinsky, Béjart and to the Russian Ballets, as well as the Balanchine / Nureyev / Forsythe and Balanchine / Brown / Bausch programmes). He is in demand as an opera and ballet conductor in houses such as La Scala in Milan, Vienna Staatsoper, or in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Hamburg, Berlin, Dresden, Stuttgart and Leipzig.

Vinicio Cheli studied set and light designing at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Between 1974 and 1989 he worked at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino festival and the Piccolo Teatro of Milan where he became the lighting assistant for Giorgio Strehler before assuming responsibility for entire productions.Since 1989 he has worked on opera productions including operas of Mozart, Verdi, Wagner, Rossini, Strauss, as well as Les Contes d’Hoffmann, From the House of the Dead, Fidelio, Norma, Carmen, Erwartung, Turandot, Lucrezia Borgia, Lucia di Lammermoor, Pelléas et Mélisande, Manon, Madama Butterfly, Le Roi de Lahore, L’elisir d’amore, Faust, Mireille, Medea, L’Heure espagnole, L’Enfant et les sortilèges and Cavalleria rusticana. He has also worked on plays and ballets including La Bayadère, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He collaborated with such directors as Nikolaus Lehnhoff, Pier Luigi Pizzi, Luca Ronconi, Werner Herzog, Hugo de Ana, Klaus Michael Grüber, Franco Zeffirelli, Luc Bondy, Andrei Konchalovsky and Giancarlo del Monaco at venues including the Rossini Opera Festival, the Salzburg Festival, the Festival Baroque in Versailles, the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, La Fenice, the Opéra Bastille, the National Theatre of Prague, the Opéra de Monte Carlo, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Opéra Garnier, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the Arena di Verona, the New National Theatre in Tokyo, the Teatro Real, the Metropolitan Opera, the Teatro Verdi, the Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse, the Chorégies d’Orange and the Royal Opera House of Muscat. He has lectured in theatre lighting at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan and at the Professional School of La Scala.

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