Juliet kisses Romeo lifeless for the last time and then stabs herself. In Shakespeare's play, there is no eloquent farewell to the most famous lovers in the history of theatre. Instead, the deeply religious French composer Charles Gounod concludes his opera Roméo et Juliette with a duet: in a lyrical flourish full of ecstasy, the lovers sing until their mutual death, which they perceive as redemption; at the end, they ask God for forgiveness. It is the last of the four great duets of this drama-lyric, entirely devoted to the inner dramatic development of this tragic love story. Roméo et Juliette is Gounod's most important opera after his successful Faust. It was premiered during the Paris Universal Exhibition of 1867 and was a great success with more than 100 performances.

Thanks to its attractive vocal parts, it still holds a firm place in the French repertoire of the 19th century. In this new Zurich production, we hope to present a vocal and dramatic dream couple in soprano Julie Fuchs and tenor Benjamin Bernheim: Both began their careers at the Zurich Opera and today are big names on the international opera scene. Both come from France and have devoted themselves time and again to the French repertoire. Benjamin Bernheim has already proved his worth in his highly successful first solo album with Roméo's aria ‘Ah! Lève-toi, soleil’, Benjamin Bernheim has already shown how well he suits the role of the rapturous young lover. Julie Fuchs, whose performances are characterised by vocal virtuosity, musical intelligence and a wonderful stage presence, has already appeared in Zurich in many different roles. With her debut in the role of Juliette, she now shows her French side and opens the evening with one of the most famous arias from Gounod's opera, the waltz ‘Je veux vivre’.

American director Ted Huffman returns to the Zurich Opera for the stage interpretation of this opera, where he has already staged a love tragedy with Puccini's Madama Butterfly.

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