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Wednesday, April 30,2008
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Repertory Rarity
Classical Review
Vincenzo
Bellini’s opera I Capuleti e i Montecchi
(The Capulets and the Montagues) is the kind of repertory rarity that lifetime
opera fans might never encounter. And for good reason. It is not one of the
best Bellini scores, nor is it a shining example of Italian opera of its era.
So why did Florentine Opera, which only produces three operas each season, feel
the need to produce it?
The
Florentine production, which played for three performances last weekend, was
titled Romeo and Juliet. However, the
opera is not particularly based on Shakespeare, but rather on Italian novella
sources. The story of the opera has significant differences from Shakespeare.
It also lacks the young, romantic sweep of the play.
It
was no surprise to see what seemed like a half empty house on Friday night.
This opera was a questionable choice for Florentine management in the same
season as Strauss’ Salome, which,
despite being the masterpiece that Capuleti
is not, also drew poor attendance.
Soprano
Georgia Jarman’s performance as Guiletta (Juliet) almost made this dull opera
worth hearing and seeing. She has a Beverly Sills-like quality to her phrasing,
expressive and sympathetic. Her best singing was in the second act when
attempting to persuade her father not to force her into an unhappy marriage.
Marianna
Kulikova, a mezzo-soprano in the “pants role” of Romeo, sang with
inconsistency, the highest notes of her voice white and shallow, her lowest
notes effortful. As Tebaldo, tenor Scott Piper’s voice has an attractive
timbre, but he sings without uniformity of tone; his highest notes did not
sound at all connected to his principal range. Kurt Link was reliable as
Lorenzo. As the Capuleti patriarch, bass Jamie Offenbach, though vocally
adequate, was a hollow actor, with a gesture of spread arms repeated dozens of
times.
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