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This romantic new film adaptation of Charles François Gounod's beloved opera stars one of classical music's most popular and successful duos, real-life couple Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu, as Shakespeare's tragically fated lovers Romeo and Juliet. A spectacular medieval castle and its surrounding countryside provide the setting for this timeless tale of warring families and star-crossed lovers, shot on location in the Czech Republic. Conductor Anton Guadagno leads the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra through the opera's best-loved arias and duets in this fresh interpretation of Gounod's masterwork.
A guide to the opera's characters and a story synopsis are available in the Multimedia Presentation: The Romeo & Juliet Companion. In Dialogue, watch excerpts of interviews with the stars, Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu, who discuss how they came to be involved in this film adaptation of Gounod's opera, the differences between performing on stage versus for film, and more. The couple first appeared on GREAT PERFORMANCES' THE ELIXIR OF LOVE in 1998, and most recently as featured performers in THE QUEEN'S JUBILEE GALA: LIVE FROM BUCKINGHAM PALACE. Also, find out which of the opera's love-duets and arias were selected for the film in our list of musical highlights.
Special funding for ROMEO & JULIET was provided by the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.
Top banner photos: The Zvíkov castle near Prague, the location for this new production; and the stars of the film, Roberto Alagna (Romeo) and Angela Gheorghiu (Juliet). |
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Juliet (Gheorghiu) on the grounds of her family's castle. |
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Romeo (Alagna), at Friar Lawrence's cell, as he is about to wed Juliet (Gheorghiu). |
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This program is not available on VHS or DVD. |
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