I Capuleti e i Montecchi, Vincenzo Bellini’s setting of the Romeo and Juliet story, was a direct success in Venice in 1830 ending a run of dangerous luck for the Sicilian composer. It was however one in every of a number of profitable Italian variations of the tragic love story – two of which by Zingarelli and Vaccai have been nonetheless being carried out on the time Bellini’s model premiered – therefore the totally different title for Bellini’s take. None of those operas have been based mostly on Shakespeare’s play, however a tragedy by Luigi Scevola derived from the Luigi da Porto and Matteo Bandello novellas.

The Zingarelli and Vaccai Giulietta e Romeo operas share DNA with Bellini’s model. Zingarelli was Bellini’s composition professor on the Naples Conservatory. Felice Romani wrote the libretto for the Vaccai Giulietta e Romeo and revised, condensed and recycled it for Bellini, who was composing in a rush. The ultimate act of Vaccai’s opera was typically substituted for Bellini’s – notably by Maria Malibran – a apply which infuriated Bellini. Bellini’s opera was a direct success and toured the world (Wagner carried out it in Riga in 1835) however by the 20th century, it had disappeared from operatic levels.

The primary efficiency within the 20^th century allegedly was a RAI live performance in 1957-58 carried out by Lorin Maazel with Fiorenza Cossotto and Antonietta Pastori (launched on CD on the Myto label). A 12 months later it got here to New York by way of Allen Sven Oxenburg and the American Opera Society with Giulietta Simionato and Laurel Hurley. Simionato returned to the AOS for a repeat in 1964 with parterre fave Mary Costa as Giulietta. The Metropolitan Opera has by no means carried out it regardless of the presence of Anna Netrebko and Joyce DiDonato (and sporadically Elina Garanca) on their roster (there have been rumors of a projected manufacturing 20 years in the past or extra). I believe Netrebko moved on to different repertory and the Met by no means had a dedication to revive bel canto, so it glided by the wayside.

I noticed Capuleti on the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1985 with Cecilia Gasdia and Tatiana Troyanos in a stunning manufacturing. I understand now with shock that that was practically 40 years in the past… In 2001, New York Metropolis Opera premiered a brand new manufacturing with Sarah Connolly and Mary Dunleavy who did justice to the beauties of the rating. Opera Orchestra of New York carried out it in live performance thrice. I used to be too younger for Tatiana Troyanos and Ashley Putnam in 1979 however vividly bear in mind a debuting Jennifer Larmore with an incandescent Mariella Devia in 1994. Then in 1999, Vesselina Kasarova and Annick Massis carried out it for OONY at Carnegie Corridor.

OONY founder Eve Queler (age 93) was in attendance final night time at Teatro Nuovo’s semi-staged live performance presentation of I Capuleti e i Montecchi and was greeted with fondness by many opera and voice fanatics within the viewers who relished her displays in years previous. The Glimmerglass Competition offered it in 2008 throughout a “Shakespeare” themed season (Capuleti is a number of issues however it ain’t Shakespeare) with Sandra Piques Eddy/Emily Righter and the beautiful Sarah Coburn. Will Crutchfield led the opera himself at Bel Canto at Caramoor again in July 2012 with Kate Aldrich and Eglise Gutiérrez neither of whom have been of their greatest kind. (Historical past lecture over, kiddies, you already know I can’t assist myself given the house…)

Teatro Nuovo capabilities in a different way from Bel Canto at Caramoor, specializing in younger singers on the very starting of their careers with an emphasis on coaching them within the foundations of bel canto. So there aren’t any stars, however a number of model, erudition and good musicianship. Vital editions of the scores are consulted in addition to modern vocal treatises. The orchestra for his or her live shows makes use of historic devices and is at viewers stage with a Primo Violino e Capo d’Orchestra as conductor and a Maestro al Cembalo on the fortepiano accompanying recitatives (generally doubled by cello). Final night time Jakob Lehmann was the Primo Violino with Mo. Crutchfield presiding on the fortepiano.

With the recollections of Troyanos, Gasdia, Larmore, Devia and Kasarova replaying in my thoughts, it was onerous to simply accept these very delicate, superbly ready however lower than vocally stellar younger artists on this very voice pushed opera. However they made up in dedication, model, and knowledgeable phrasing for what they lacked in vocal glamor – the entire was better than the sum of the components.

The most effective efficiency throughout got here from rising younger mezzo-soprano Stephanie Doche as Romeo – and he or she began out unpromisingly. (She was a substitute for the initially introduced Simone McIntosh) There’s a resinous lean timbre reasonably harking back to Kate Lindsey’s however her tone sounded unusually bottled up with some hole tones within the backside and higher registers. By the second act, Doche’s voice appeared warmed up and extra confidently deployed and he or she even managed a trill within the remaining demise scene. Doche was intensely engaged with the textual content and phrased with dramatic intention, bel canto model and chic musicianship. The Rochester, New York native appears to be a expertise to look at.

Coloratura soprano Alina Tamborini has appeared with Teatro Nuovo earlier than in lesser roles like Berta in Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Isoletta in La Straniera. She appeared candy however a little bit inexperienced in these components. As Giulietta she left a blended impression with some severe caveats. The phrasing was beautiful so long as the voice remained regular. She was adorning the road ambitiously however with some sense of fashion. There was emotional engagement and he or she was coached to sing off the textual content with particular that means. She was intense in her expression of grief and despair.

The voice itself is excessive positioned however shallowly supported – there’s a fluttery vibrato that pushes excessive notes sharp and disrupts legato singing. Center tones can fail to phonate absolutely. She does, due to the quick vibrato, have a very simple trill which she makes use of lavishly. However the lack of agency breath help and the quivery, overbright timbre didn’t let one settle into the vocal traces which sounded jittery and uneasy. Crutchfield included the brief dramatic arioso passage –– “Morir dovessi ancora” –– equal to Juliet’s “potion” speech in Shakespeare, that Bellini added to Giulietta’s Act II duet with Lorenzo within the 1831 La Scala manufacturing – a restoration he additionally made at Caramoor. It offers Giulietta extra spirit and fewer passive droopiness which appears to be her default mode.

Amanda Woodbury, who appeared with Teatro Nuovo as Amenaide of their Tancredi in 2018 would have been a more sensible choice although she has been dipping her toe into extra dramatic coloratura roles. The truth is, both of the 2018 Tancredis – Tamara Mumford and Aleks Romano – would have excelled as Romeo. However Mumford has been much less lively this season and Romano, sadly, has left performing to work within the enterprise sector (like Laura Vlasek Nolen earlier than her, one other effective mezzo). I discovered Romano a significant expertise.

The remainder of the forged was merely useful at greatest. Robert Kleinertz, our tenor Tebaldo, has primarily sung opera on the Boston Conservatory the place he should be a scholar. He’s a piece in progress with a voice that may ring out brightly or bleat like a sheep. This younger man appeared stiff each bodily and vocally – he wants extra time within the oven earlier than he’s served as a major course.

Kyle Oliver as Lorenzo gave the impression of a light-weight baritone Masetto needing extra gravitas whereas Michael Leyte-Vidal as Capellio has good, wealthy vocal materials that lacked rhythmic form, element, and focus in his supply. Neither position is essential sufficient to significantly derail the proceedings which focuses squarely on the younger lovers pushing everybody else to the aspect.

The semi-staging was intentionally easy with merely a chair or bier for Giulietta to lie upon. Costumes have been fashionable live performance black fits for the boys and night robes for the women, slacks for Romeo. Rear projections on an upstage scrim revealed evocative watercolors of primo ottocento set designs after Alessandro Sanquirico with English titles projected on the prime. Stage director (and erstwhile buffo baritone) Marco Nisticò wasn’t bold with the (decreased) refrain who primarily lined up in rows on both aspect of the principals however supplied good personenregie for the intimate scenes with the lovers. It confirmed you the way little you actually need to stage an opera when the singers are dedicated and the music is dramatic and shifting – I felt I obtained the entire story from the interactions of the singers, the atmospheric projected backgrounds and the music itself which engages immediately with the guts.

The orchestral taking part in was usually superb except for some pitchy-poo with the valveless horns. The solo clarinet solo within the second act, by Maryse Legault, drew applause. The strings have a much less sensible timbre and the woodwinds are mellower giving a darker shade to the orchestral sonority. Lehmann favored ahead shifting, vigorous tempos taking time to luxuriate in lyrical passages.

A pre-performance live performance showcased the Teatro Nuovo younger artists (who double because the opera refrain) singing arias and scenes from the Vaccai and Zingarelli operas with a duet by Stephen Foster “Wilt Thou Be Gone, Love?” from Shakepeare’s textual content accompanied by Timothy Cheung on the piano, Romeo mourning over Juliet’s tomb appears to have been the scene the place composers – a number of of whose Romeo and Juliet diversifications have been not too long ago featured on parterre’s Chris’s Cache podcast — have been notably impressed.

Franco Fagioli sings the Zingarelli (composed by the unique Romeo, Girolamo Crescentini):

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Right here is Vaccai with Marilyn Horne doing the “Malibran” model:

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Georges Thill within the Gounod opera:

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From the Zandonai opera with Miguel Fleta:

Jan de Gaetani sings the Foster duet with Leslie Guinn, baritone:

On condition that New York Metropolis hasn’t heard Bellini’s lovely opera in over twenty years, it was excessive time for it to come back again, although Capuleti is now no stranger to the world’s levels. The opera itself was the star which isn’t a foul factor however bel canto wants simply that – “lovely singing.” We want stars in our bel canto heaven. They’re on the market and, hopefully, Crutchfield will discover them and make them glow at their brightest. They’ve the means.