Sweet Sorrow – Music inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

On 30 November Resonance Ensemble conducted by Tony Ryan will present a concert of musical works inspired by Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Many composers have found inspiration in this timeless love story and its tragic consequences.

Tchaikovsky’s Fantasy Overture Romeo and Juliet is possibly the best-known musical masterpiece derived from Shakespeare’s great tragedy. With its dramatic fight music and heart-melting love theme, the overture’s colourful orchestration and lyrical melodic richness make it one of Tchaikovsky’s best-loved orchestral works and an obvious first choice for this programme.

Described by many as the greatest ballet score ever written, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet is one of the composer’s most powerful and moving compositions. The suites that Prokofiev extracted from the score make superb concert pieces and the seven movements of Suite No. 2 in this concert contain some of Prokofiev’s most original and inventive music.

West Side Story remains one of Broadway’s most successful shows. Its modern take on Romeo and Juliet demonstrates Shakespeare’s universal relevance across generations and centuries. Resonance Ensemble will include an orchestral selection of four favourite extracts from Bernstein’s masterly score, which later had a profound influence on the youthful energy of the street fight scenes in Zefferelli’s famous 1968 film of Shakespeare’s play. Resonance Ensemble’s programme includes Nino Rota’s poignant love theme A Time for Us, from the movie, which became a popular hit at the time.

Perhaps every love story brings Shakespeare’s ill-fated lovers to mind. Also included in this concert, Christchurch composer Pieta Hextall’s Wedding Mixtape was written at the time of her brother’s wedding to celebrate a real-life love story. Saxophonist Lana Law brings her virtuoso skills as soloist to this piece.

Charles Gounod’s Romeo and Juliet is the most well-known and inspired of several operas derived from Romeo and Juliet. From Gounod’s masterpiece, soprano Emily-Jane Stockman joins Resonance Ensemble to sing Je Vieux Vivre where Juliet tells her parents that she doesn’t want to listen to their plans for her to marry – she wants to live and be free.

Timeless and soul-stirring themes of love and humanity bring Resonance Ensemble’s 2025 Season to a close with music that will melt your heart – what better way to end the musical year?