A Village Romeo and Juliet
Opera
A Village Romeo and Juliet is an opera by Frederick Delius, the fourth of his six operas. The composer, with his wife Jelka, wrote the English-language libretto based on the novellla Romeo und Julia auf dem Dorfe by Swiss author Gottfried Keller from his collection Seldwyla Folks (Die Leute von Seldwyla). Keller was inspired by a newspaper notice about the suicide of a young couple; he then set the story in a Swiss village torn by a feud between two neighbouring families, similar to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
Synopsis
Two young lovers, Sali and Vreneli, whose families are locked in a bitter feud over a piece of land in rural Switzerland, die by drowning themselves.
- Interlude – Prelude to Scene 3
- Scene 1: I. Prelude
- Scene 1: II. A shame it is
- Scene 1: III. How strange the wind sounds
- Scene 1: IV. 'Twixt us, methinks, will lie the bidding
- Scene 2: I. Prelude
- Scene 2: II. Vreli! … Sali!
- Scene 3: I. I knew we'd meet again
- Scene 3: II. O Sali, I'm afraid!
- Scene 3: III. Shameless hussy!
- Scene 4: I. Prelude
- Scene 4: II. Ah, the night is approaching
- Scene 4: III. Dearest, I'll leave you no more
- Scene 4: IV. The Dream of Sali and Vreli
- Scene 4: V. Ah, it was a dream!
- Scene 5: I. Prelude
- Scene 5: II. O Sali, see
- Scene 5: III. Well, well, gracious me
- Scene 5: IV. The walk to the Paradise Garden
- Scene 6: I. Dance along
- Scene 6: II. So you want to know
- Scene 6: III. 'Tis almost night
- Scene 6: IV. Come and live with us
- Scene 6: V. Halleo! Halleo!
- Scene 6: VI. See, the moonbeams
Synopsis from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recommended recordings
- Royal Philharmonic Orchestra · Thomas Beecham YouTubeSpotify (subscription)
- Orchestra of Welsh National Opera · Charles Mackerras YouTubeSpotify (subscription)