enough "Romeo and Juliet"'s out there?

[acroyear]

So far, I've seen "music inspired by"'s from Prokofiev, Gounod, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, Delius, and of course, Bernstein (West Side Story - hey, it's close enough...), plus the film soundtracks by Rota and Hooper, and an incidental score credited to American composer David Diamond.

so what gives?  i realize it's a great story (great enough for Shakespeare to have written it twice (Midsummer Night's Dream)), but why the musical fascination throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries?

sheesh...

Comments

[wilhelmina-d.livejournal.com]

I don't get how Midsummer's is the same story as R+J, unless you're just counting various love polygons. Can you please elaborate? I am much curious.

As to the multiple versions - I think it's just a story whose pathos and beauty grabbed the imagination of the Romantics and went onward from there.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

just the Pyramus and Thisby inner segment, not the whole story.

[wilhelmina-d.livejournal.com]

Ah, makes sense. :)

[dawntreader]

wow! i don't remember Juliet's balloons popping at the end of Romeo and Juliet! *snicker*

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

no, just her idealism.

[dawntreader]

so THAT'S what elvisolb's balloons represent. that's like, deep, man. whoaaaa.