Romeo and Juliet fantasy overture was the first work that Tchaikovsky created based on a plot by William Shakespeare in the autumn of 1869. The impetus came from the composer Mily Balakirev and Pyotr Ilyich gladly accepted the idea because he loved the tragedy of the English bard. In their extensive correspondence we can trace how Balakirev persistently gave advises on the character and development of musical themes, even on the tonal level. The two have been discussing in detail the dramaturgy and structure of the work. As a token of gratitude, Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to his friend.

The first performance was in Moscow under the direction of Nikolai Rubinstein on March 16^th , 1870 without much success. The composer recalled: “We had dinner after the concert. No one said anything about the overture all night, and I longed for gratitude and kindness. ”. He decided to rework the work, rewrote and re-orchestrated a large part of it, paying attention to Balakirev’s criticism. The premiere was on February 17^th , 1872 in St. Petersburg under the direction of Eduard Napravnik. Eight years later, in 1880, the composer made a third version, which gave “Romeo and Juliet” its final appearance, as it is known today. Its title has already become fantasy overture. It was performed on May 1^st , 1886 in Tbilisi, Georgia (then part of the Russian Empire) under the direction of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. But before that – in 1884 – it was awarded the prize for best orchestral work, established by the St. Petersburg patron Belyayev.

In the “Romeo and Juliet” overture Tchaikovsky does not reproduce in music the plot of Shakespeare’s tragedy. It is only the source of the main idea and the split of the dramatic conflict. The impossible love, doomed by the hatred of the two warring clans, Montagues and Capulets, is born with the great theme in the symphony of the Russian master: man and his passionate impulse to happiness in struggle and defeat with the insoluble contradictions of life, with destiny. Tchaikovsky built the dramaturgy of composition in contrast and interaction of three musical spheres – the harsh choral theme of the introduction (symbolizing the world in which the characters live), the energetic fierce “theme of enmity” and the complex of “themes of love”. Their development, counterpoint intertwining and figurative transformation lead to the denouement in the code – the death of two pure souls in love.

Extremely critical of his works, until the end of his life Tchaikovsky remained deeply attached to this work, it remaining among his favorites. Some researchers have linked the creation of the overture to personal misfortunes surrounding the composer’s unhappy love affair with singer Desiree Artot. Later, though, in a letter to Countess Nadezhda von Meck, he admitted: “Don’t you find that this great archi-genial drama is always able to attract the musician? ” So he offered his brother Modest to compose an opera libretto based on Romeo and Juliet: “I will write it in spite of all your objections, which are insignificant before the enthusiasm with which I became passionate about this plot. This will be my hardest work. There is nothing more suitable for my musical character. “. But Tchaikovsky never wrote that opera.