Never was a greater love story than that of Romeo and Juliet, which has inspired stories from Bernstein, Laurents and Sondheim's 1959 musical West Side Story to the popular Disney movie High School Musical. The tale of lovers defying their rival clans is a potent and thrilling idea, which I find best expressed through music. There have been roughly 27 operas based upon the story, as well as a ballet by Prokofiev and symphonic poem by Berlioz, but none hold a candle to Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 1869 composition, in the format of a concert overture (a standalone overture with no link to a larger work, such as an opera). Tchaikovsky, through use of colorful orchestration and wonderful lyricism, places sparring Capulets and Montagues at each others' throats, while Romeo sings his devotion to Juliet.
Take for example the famous "Love theme". The strings and reedy cor anglais create a wonderful blend of love and infatuation which is not only of Romeo and Juliet, but of many young couples when they first begin seeing each other. The romance builds, until the flutes and clarinets carry the phrase once again, a climax of love and affection, though underscored by dark horn harmonies, which underscore the misfortune the couple will suffer.
Now, consider a later theme from the work. Here, the basses and low brass battle the woodwinds, as Juliet cries out against her family to make peace with their rivals. A parallel occurs when Romeo, blaring as a trumpet, strikes Tybalt and continues the feuding of the families, which escalates into a brief peace, and the renewal of love between Romeo and Juliet. This continues, until the peaceful veil of death overtakes both the star-crossed lovers, as they descend into an eternity in each other's arms.
The inspiration from this peace is worth noting as well. Tchaikovsky wrote the fantasy overture after suffering great heartbreak. He was rejected by the only woman he every loved, who went on to marry a famous Spanish baritone, and after this fling, he began to accept his growing homosexual urges. His new, and unrequited love for a student of his at the Moscow Conservatory only added to the emotional trauma which inspired the dramatic, programatic Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture.
No comments:
Post a Comment