Romeo und Julia

In the organizer's words:

Few stories have been as moving over the centuries as that of Romeo and Juliet. Their struggle to fulfill their desires has been indelibly etched in cultural memory and continues to move people of every generation.

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, descendants of two feuding families, fall head over heels in love and seal their love with a secret wedding. But it is not only the young bride's planned marriage to a count that threatens their love. Romeo's friend Mercutio is killed in a fight - an act that Romeo, blinded by rage, also bloodily avenges. Only an escape could lead the two of them out of their fateful entanglements. But history takes its merciless course.

William Shakespeare's tragedy has inspired countless artists to create their own works and adaptations - including Sergei Prokofiev. The Russian composer created a gripping ballet score that represents an important highlight in his oeuvre. Premiered in Brno in 1938, the composition became one of the greatest classics of ballet music.

In 2018, the renowned Italian choreographer and director Luciano Cannito brought his legendary version of Shakespeare's classic, which has already enthralled audiences at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, to the stage of the Chemnitz Opera. He presents a ballet that is more topical than ever due to its timelessness: the prejudiced encounter with the other characterizes our present and threatens to break down community. Cannito was ballet director at the Teatro Massimo in Palermo, the largest theater in Italy and the third largest in Europe, and led companies in Naples, Bari and Rome. He has choreographed and directed over 60 ballets, which have been performed on renowned stages and at numerous festivals in Europe, Asia and the USA.