The story of Romeo and Juliet is one of the best-known cultural tropes reproduced in theatre, musical, and film. Composers discovered the power of the Verona lovers’ tragedy already in the 19th century. One of them was the prominent French composer Charles Gounod, who wrote sacred music, oratorios, songs, and fared well on the operatic scene. Romeo and Juliet is his most popular work for the stage, alongside Faust. The opera won acclaim immediately after its premiere at the1867 Paris Exposition, quickly gaining renown in Europe as well as the United States.

Romeo and Juliet

Teatr Wielki - Polish National Opera

The story of Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well-known myths in contemporary culture, appearing in dramatic theater, musicals, and film, among other works. As early as the 19th century, composers discovered the power inherent in the tragedy of the Verona lovers. One of them was Charles Gounod, one of the most popular French composers of his time, writing religious music, oratorios, and songs, and also working in the operatic arena. Romeo and Juliet , alongside Faust , is his most popular stage work. The composition gained notoriety at its Paris premiere, which took place during the 1867 World's Fair, quickly gaining fame not only in Europe but also in the United States.

Simon Boccanegra was written in the 1850s, a period when Giuseppe Verdi, inspired by his growing fame, was challenging operatic tradition. It is a dark work, dominated by low voices, with a baritone as the protagonist, and no supporting female roles. The world premiere in 1857 was not well-received; towards the end of his life, Arrigo Boito and the composer made far-reaching changes to the work, and only this 1881 version achieved success on opera stages.

Simon Boccanegra

Nearly two hundred people on stage, live horses, a grand set, and lavish costumes – Mark Weiss's Nabucco is a total spectacle, a true synthesis of the arts. "Opera isn't made like that anymore" – all the more reason to see it. It's a historical production in the strict sense – as a staple of the National Opera, in the repertoire since 1992, but also because the director consciously crafted his project as if Verdi's contemporaries had done it, emphasizing monumentality and additional, almost circus-like attractions. Musically, this early Verdi work is atypical, somewhere between an opera and an oratorio, because the real protagonist is the chorus. Its constant presence is crowned by " Va pensiero," the most famous choral aria in history, audible and overwhelming here, all the more so because it's sung against the backdrop of the lowered Iron Curtain (the Wailing Wall is projected onto it), which amplifies and echoes the sounds. The director himself intended his work as a pastiche of 19th-century opera, which justifies the clash of "high and low" – Nebuchadnezzar's horse-drawn aria, as tradition would have it, often sends shivers not only through the audience but also through the animal itself, which, so to speak, releases its tension, and the desert scenery is enriched with yet another prop, from a distance resembling small hamada stones.

Nabucco

The legendary story of the lovers of Verona has inspired many composers of classical music. Works that employ the motif of Romeo and Juliet can be found in the oeuvre of Hector Berlioz and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. In the 20th century Sergei Prokofiev composed a ballet based on the Shakespearian play, while Leonard Bernstein drew on it to write the musical West Side Story. In the 19th century the trope of feuding families fascinated Vincenzo Bellini. His opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi, however, did not prove as popular as yet another operatic take on teh story: Charles Gounod’s Romeo i Juliet.

Romeo And Juliet Concert Version

Simon Boccanegra was written in the 1850s, at a time when Giuseppe Verdi, his confidence boosted by his growing fame, decided to challenge the operatic tradition. It is a gloomy opera dominated by low voices, a baritone in the lead male role, and devoid of supporting female characters. Its 1857 world premiere was not well received: nearing the end of his life, Arrigo Boito introduced far-reaching changes to the work together with the composer and it was the altered version completed in 1881 that finally triumphed on the world’s opera stages.

What circumstances could push a mother to commit infanticide? The story of Medea has fascinated artists for centuries, including opera creators. The libretto of Luigi Cherubini's work, performed in Paris in 1797, condenses a story known from mythology. The beginnings of the relationship between Jason and Medea, the golden fleece and the Argonauts are only mentioned in it. We are thrown into the middle of a love conflict: Dircé, filled with anxiety, is preparing to marry Jason, who has abandoned his former lover for her. The celebration is interrupted by Medea trying to get her husband and children back. The rejected woman, deprived of all hope, plans revenge - she offers Dircé a crown and a dress soaked in poison, and she herself murders her sons.

Rafał Siwek

Events

Upcoming events

Feb 14 - Mar 30, 2027

Simon Boccanegra · Polish National Opera

Past events

Oct 2 - Nov 8, 2026

Romeo and Juliet · Polish National Opera

13 - 23 Jun, 2026

Romeo and Juliet · Polish National Opera

Future and recently performed repertoire

Brother Laurence in Roméo et Juliette by Gounod

Polish National Opera

Jacopo Fiesco in Simon Boccanegra by Verdi

Polish National Opera

Zaccaria in Nabucco by Verdi

Polish National Opera

Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet by Gounod

Polish National Opera

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