Name: I Capuleti e i Montecchi
Start: 2015-06-21T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2015-07-12T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Opernhaus

Organization

Festspiele Zürich

Singer

Bass

Alexei Botnarciuc

Capellio

Soprano

Olga Kulchynska

Juliet

Mezzo-soprano

Joyce DiDonato

Romeo

Tenor

Benjamin Bernheim

Tebaldo

Roberto Lorenzi

Lorenzo

Conductor

Fabio Luisi

Stage director

Christof Loy

Costume designer

Christian Schmidt

Set designer

Lighting designer

Franck Evin

Chorus master

Jürg Hämmerli

Choreographer

Thomas Wilhelm

Dramaturge

Kathrin Brunner

Opernhaus Zürich

Others

Chor der Oper Zürich

Orchestra

Philharmonia Zürich

Italian

I Capuleti e i Montecchi -  (The Capulets and the Montagues)

Zurich

Switzerland

I Capuleti e i Montecchi by Bellini at the Opernhaus Zürich

Opernhaus

The story of Shakespeare’s star crossed lovers has been adapted and retold by composers, librettists, playwrights, and choreographers for centuries. Since the Renaissance, everyone seems to have put their own spin on the story. Vincenzo Bellini’s frequently overlooked gem “I Capuleti e i Montecchi,” is unique in that it is not simply a retelling of Shakespeare’s story set to music. Rather, the opera tells the account of the last 24 hours in Romeo and Juliet’s lives. Desperation and melancholy draw to a tragic cataclysm as the young lovers choose to end their lives. This production, directed by Christof Loy and conducted by Fabio Luisi, originates in Zurich, and was wonderfully received by both audiences and critics. Joyce DiDonato dazzles in the role of Romeo alongside Ukrainian soprano Olga Kulchynska, who plays Giulietta.

The frequent variations in the choir line-up give this performance of the Romeo and Juliet opera real dynamic edge. Joyce DiDonato sings Romeo as a breeches role, while the young soprano Olga Kulchynska is equally impressive: her Giulietta is positively radiant, and wonderfully free of kitsch.

I Capuleti e i Montecchi
'Tragedia lirica' in two acts Vincenzo Bellini (1801 - 1835)
Libretto by Felice Romani
First performance in Venice, Teatro La Fenice, 11 March 1830

Photos