Roméo et Juliette is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. It was first performed at the Théâtre Lyrique, Paris on 27 April 1867. This opera is notable for the series of four duets for the main characters and the waltz song "Je veux vivre" for the soprano.
Adelina Patti and Mario in the title roles, act 2 in a London production of 1867
Jean de Reszke as Roméo (Paris, 1888)
Press illustration of act 3, scene 2, as staged in the original production
Charles-François Gounod, usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859); his Roméo et Juliette (1867) also remains in the international repertory. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his "Ave Maria" and "Funeral March of a Marionette".
Pauline Viardot
Fanny Hensel
Missions étrangères de Paris
The palace of Méphistophélès, Faust, 1859