Musicology Annotation << Back The Symphonic Fantasy «Romeo and Juliet» by Johan Svendsen: A Poem of Love or a Drama of Fate? Guzel A. Jarullina The symphonic fantasy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ by Johan Svendsen, the Norwegian composer, is considered in this article. In 2010 the 170th anniversary of his birth was celebrated, in 2011 the 100th anniversary of his death was marked. His symphonic fantasy ‘Romeo and Juliet’ did not become well-known, but it presents an interest not only as a model of the style of the greatest Scandinavian musician of the 19th century, but as a symphonic interpretation of the great Shakespeare’s tragedy. Composed at the same time as the Tchaikovsky’s overture of the same name Svendsen’s fantasy discovers astonishing conception community of compositions – ‘contemporaries’ which is stipulated for realizing the motif of fate, the most important plot motif of literary origin. Key words: Shakespeare in music, Norwegian music, Svendsen, Tchaikovsky, symphonic music, symphonic fantasy, interpretation, Romeo and Juliet’. E-mail: guzel_music@mail.ru. Pp. 19-24