Two musical dramas ‘Macbeth’ and ‘The Decameron’ by Swedish artistic group Romeo & Julia Kören will be staged at Guangzhou Opera House on June 18th and 19th respectively, forming part of the 2019 Guangzhou Art Festival. The Romeo & Julia Kören ensemble was formed in 1991 and performs a mix of singing, dance and theatre. It has toured more than 35 countries including China, the United States, Russia and Germany.

Romeo & Julia Kören Musical Drama: Macbeth

Time: 7:30 pm, Tuesday, June 18th, 2019

Venue: Opera Hall, Guangzhou Opera House

Price: RMB 80, 180, 280, 380, 480

Running Time: 70 minutes (without intermission)

*Performed in English, sung in French with Chinese subtitles

‘Macbeth’ is a musical drama that initially evolved from working with Janequin’s epic piece La Guerre and some of 15th century composer Josquin Desprez’ profane and sacral songs. The scenic images that hence spring forth suggest a grim story: a story recognized and already written—William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (1606). So the story is told once again, using fragments of Shakespeare’s original text and the suggestive music of Janequin and Desprez.

Romeo & Julia Kören Musical Drama: The Decameron

Time: 7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 19th, 2019

Venue: Opera Hall, Guangzhou Opera House

Price: RMB 80, 180, 280, 380, 480

Running Time: 90 minutes (without intermission)

*Performed in English, sung in Italian with Chinese subtitles

Romeo & Julia Kören’s performance ‘The Decameron’, which premiered at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 2009, holds a series of dramatized novels from the renaissance writer Giovanni Boccaccio’s famous works of the same name. The novels are interspersed with songs by the Italian 16th century composer Orazio Vecchi and the combination forms a musical drama performance of sensual love and full-bodied comedy.

In ‘The Decameron’ a selection of Boccaccio’s novels are freely dramatized and adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Benoît Malmberg and the ensemble. The show is adaptable and easily changed based on the conditions of the venue and the occasion of the performance. The stories and the music in ‘The Decameron’ can be varied and therefore also the size of the ensemble from six to twelve singers accompanied by theorbo, renaissance lute and percussion.