They are the most famous lovers in the world: Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare's play of the same name have been a myth throughout world literature since its premiere in 1597. Of the numerous musical settings of the material, Charles Gounod's Roméo et Juliette is one of the most frequently performed. The premiere at the World Exhibition in 1867 was a triumphant success. Gounod particularly sensitively traces the emotional lives of the eponymous lovers, for whom he composed four love duets. At the same time, he also gives space to the social context of their forbidden love in the form of powerful choral tableaus and a large fight scene between the feuding families. In her production, director Mariame Clément focuses on the youth of the title characters and does not show them as an exaggerated ideal type of couple, but rather as young people of today who find each other against all odds.