Premiere: ROMEO AND JULIET | Charles Gounod

The Romanian National Opera Cluj-Napoca presents the premiere of Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod, an opera in five acts to a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, on Friday 2 October and Saturday 3 October 2026, from 6:30 pm. Musical direction is by David Crescenzi, while the staging and set design are by Arnaud Bernard, with Dragoș Moldovan as assistant set designer, Iulian Dumitraș as assistant director, Pavel Jancik as fencing master, Magdy Hawash as video designer and Elliott Ganga as lighting designer; the cast includes George Vîrban and Diana Alexe in the roles of Roméo and Juliette, alongside Corneliu Huțanu, Geani Brad, Ștefania Barz, Cezar Baltag, Cristian Hodrea, David Pogana, Ion Stancu, David Năoian and Cristina Tureanu.

Composed from 1865 onwards and given its world premiere in Paris in 1867, the work follows the love story between the young members of the rival Capulet and Montague families, built around the four great love duets and famous pieces such as "Je veux vivre", "Ah! lève-toi, soleil!" and "Mab, reine des mensonges". The performance is presented in French with Romanian surtitles, has two intervals, ends around 10:00 pm and is recommended for ages 7 and up.