When it comes to l’œuvre anglaise (the English work) of Shakespeare, Roméo et Juliette, some can be truly astonished to find out that the French stood in the front lines of les compositeurs de musique(music composers) who offered personalized adaptations, which very often earned immense success within the French borders and, at times, even beyond. On top of these adaptations lie Hector Berlioz‘s and Charles Gounod‘s works, with the latter being most famous for its valse (waltz) known as “Je veux vivre” (“I want to live.”)

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The “Roméo et Juliette” of Berlioz (Finale)

Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette“: Juliette, tessiture (range) Soprano, singing “Je veux vivre” (“I want to live”)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDWHNfzW9x8

Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette“: Roméo, tessiture (range) Ténor, singing “Ah! Lève-toi, soleil!“

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Plus près de nous(closer to us) is the “musical” adaptation of the auteur-compositeur-interprète(singer-songwriter) Gérard Presgurvic.

* “Roméo et Juliette: de la haine à l’amour” (From hate to love) — Gérard Presgurvic:

Aimer, c’est ce qu’il y a de plus beau

To love, that is what is the most beautiful

Aimer, c’est monter si haut

To love, it is to ascend so high

Et toucher les ailes des oiseaux

And to touch the wings of birds

Aimer, c’est ce qu’il y a de plus beau

To love, that is what is the most beautiful

Aimer, c’est voler le temps

To love is stealing time

Aimer, c’est rester vivant

To love is to remain alive

Et brûler au cœur d’un volcan

And to burn in the heart of a volcano

Aimer, c’est ce qu’il y a de plus grand

To love, that is what is the biggest

Aimer, c’est plus fort que tout

To love is stronger than everything

Donner le meilleur de nous

To give the best of us (If it were nous-mêmes, then it would be “ourselves”)

Aimer et sentir son cœur

To love and to feel one’s heart

Aimer pour avoir moins peur

To love in order to be less afraid

Aimer, c’est ce qu’il y a d’plus beau

To love, that’s what is the most beautiful

Aimer, c’est monter si haut

To love is ascending so high

Et toucher les ailes des oiseaux

And to touch the wings of the birds

Aimer, c’est ce qu’y a d’plus beau

To love, that’s what is the most beautiful

Aimer, c’est voler le temps

To love, it is stealing time

Aimer, c’est rester vivant

To love is to remain alive

Et brûler au cœur d’un volcan

And to burn in the heart of a volcano

Aimer, c’est c’qu’il y a de plus grand

To love, that’s what is the biggest

Aimer, c’est brûler ses nuits

To love is burning one’s nights

Aimer c’est payer le prix

To love is to pay the price

Et donner un sens à sa vie

And to give a sense to one’s life

Aimer c’est brûler ses nuits

To love is to burn one’s nights

 

Aimer, c’est ce qu’il y a de plus beau

To love, that what’s the most beautiful

Aimer, c’est monter si haut

To love, it is to ascend so high

Et toucher les ailes des oiseaux

And to touch the wings of the birds

Aimer, c’est ce qu’y a de plus beau

To love, that’s what is the most beautiful

Aimer…

To love…