| I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Dublin |
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I Capuleti e i Montecchiby Vincenzo BelliniOpera Ireland Dublin: Gaiety Theatre 4-6 March 2010 http://www.operaireland.ie Bellini’s recounting of the story of star-crossed lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet claims not Shakespeare as its heritage, but the Italian Renaissance stories upon which Shakespeare himself based his version. It is certainly a radically different piece of storytelling. It begins and ends with war: not merely a longstanding feud, but a military assault by the massed armies of the Montagues upon the Capulets, and with Romeo, the Montague commander, seeking audience in disguise to sue for peace. In reality, he is trying to see Juliet, with whom he has already fallen in love and who also loves him. The contours of the story that follow are familiar enough, and it ends much the same way, but among many extraordinary and complex ideas presented in the libretto is Juliet’s pronouncement that honour, duty, and the law may be more powerful than love. This is a romantic tragedy, yes, but one with a surprisingly political heart. As the star-crossed lovers die in more or less the traditional manner, the last words are sung by nominal comrades Doctor Lorenzo and Count Capulet, each accusing the other of murdering the lovers; both of them right. Bellini is historically remarked as one of the leading Bel Canto composers, but also noteworthy according to most sources for the level of time and attention he paid to actually trying to synchronise the emotions of the music with the verbal expression. Bel Canto as a form relies on repetition and formulae, and a great deal of Operas from the period were basically retreading and recycling not just forms and structures, but actual musical compositions. This is the case with I Capuleti e i Montecchi, which is heavily derived from Bellini’s own previous work. And yet perhaps his choice of subject and his interest in melding form and content meant that the alchemy he performed with this piece is all the more significant. I Capuleti e i Montecchi is deeply moving, intricate, and very beautiful to listen to. It challenges and rewards, stimulates and entertains, and with each turn in the plot it seems he has a musical movement with which to answer the questions raised through the emotions of his characters. For something classifiable within the Bel Canto oeuvre, it is wonderfully moving. Opera Ireland’s 2010 production is in the form of a concert performance, a rather thinly-disguised signal flare marking the demise of art culture in recessionary times. Though the principals perform with admirable and absolutely necessary thespian dimensions, they do largely sing from sheet music, and are backed by a chorus clutching their books and following direction carefully. Though this may be a disincentive for some, none of this harms the music, certainly not with Maestro Manilo Benzi surefootedly conducting the RTE Concert Orchestra through Bellini’s marvellous score. The production also opts to retain Bellini’s original casting of a female as Romeo, which brings a rousingly robust physical performance from Irish Mezzo-Soprano Fiona Murphy as she frowns and struts with a projected masculine air. Slovenian Soprano Bernarda Borbo is less confident as Juilet, particularly in the lower registers, but Portuguese Tenor Bruno Ribeiro is a strapping and powerful Tebaldo (here not Juliet’s cousin, but her intended husband, commander of the Capulet forces after their former commander, Juliet’s brother, has been killed in action by Romeo). The principals are completed by Italian Baritone Marcello Lippi as Lorenzo and French Bass Eric Martin-Bonnet as Count Capulet, and both are fine, strong singers who give focused, sombre performances. It is understandable that this is the briefer of the two runs from the Spring Opera season, paired with Gounod’s more crowd-pleasing Romeo et Juliette, and though that production is thoroughly charming and entertaining, I Capuleti e i Montecchi is by far the more rich and rewarding work. Better a concert performance than none at all. Harvey O'Brien
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