Programs · Episode

BELLINI: The Capulets and the Montagues

Program: At the Opera
Aired: Saturday, October 2, 2021 @ 6:00 pm
Hosted by Lisa Simeone

Bellini's take on the Romeo and Juliet story is unusual in that it's not primarily based on Shakespeare's tragedy, instead deriving from an Italian novella.  It was a runaway hit at its premiere, causing Bellini to dub the drama "Zaira's revenge." Much of its music was recycled from his opera Zaira, which had failed less than a year earlier. The two recordings featured on AT THE OPERA were both made during live performances.  One features mezzo-soprano Agnes Baltsa and soprano Edita Gruberova, as Romeo and Juliet.  In the other, we’ll hear Elīna Garanča and Anna Netrebko.

MORE ABOUT THE OPERA:

While it might seem surprising, Vincenzo Bellini's The Capulets and the Montagues is a true rarity: a successful opera based on the celebrated tale of Romeo and Juliet.

At first glance, you would think the story would be a natural for the opera house. There's the pair of passionate young lovers, kept apart by the pointless bickering of their families; the kindly friend who comes up with an ingenious scheme for the lovers to be together; a simple mistake that leads to tragedy, heartbreak and death.

Whether it's found in the classic tragedy by Shakespeare or in the ancient legend that inspired it, the story would seem to have everything it needs to perk a composer's interest. And, true to form, it has led to lots of great concert music, including the famous Romeo and Juliet Fantasy-Overture by Tchaikovsky, a ballet score by Prokofiev that's a staple in the orchestral repertory and a blockbuster "Dramatic Symphony" by Berlioz.

When it comes to opera, things have turned out differently — though not through lack of effort. Dozens of composers have tried their hand at Romeo and Juliet operas, over a span of more than two hundred years, but almost none have made the grade. Ever heard of the 1776 opera by Georg Benda, or the 1862 version by Leopold Damrosch? How about the 1916 Romeo and Juliet by John Barkworth? Probably not — and there are plenty of other R & J obscurities where those came from.

All told, there are really only two Romeo and Juliet operas that still hold the stage today. One is the 1867 score by Charles Gounod, and the other is the drama featured here, Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi — The Capulets and the Montagues.

Bellini wrote his opera in 1830, and while it took him only six weeks to finish it, that's not quite as impressive as it might sound. Much of its music had already been composed for an earlier opera called Zaira. That one didn't fare too well — it was actually hissed at its premiere. So Bellini promptly recycled the score to create The Capulets and the Montagues. When the new opera was an instant hit, the composer took to calling it "Zaira's Revenge."

With his version of Romeo, Bellini created one of opera's last great "trouser roles" — and one of its best.  In the two recordings featured on AT THE OPERA, the character is portrayed by mezzo-sopranos, and both recordings were made at live performances.  From London's Royal Opera House, in 1985, Agnes Baltsa is Romeo with soprano Edita Gruberova as Juliet.  In a 2008 performance from Vienna, we'll hear Elīna Garanča with soprano Anna Netrebko.

FEATURED RECORDINGS:

Riccardo Muti, conductor
Royal Opera House Orchestra and Chorus
CAST: Agnes Baltsa (Romeo); Edita Gruberova (Juliet); Gwynne Howell (Capulet); Dano Raffanti (Tebaldo); John Tomlinson (Lorenzo)
(Warner 40637)

Fabio Luisi, conductor
Vienna Symphony; Vienna Konzerthaus Choir
CAST:  Elīna Garanča (Romeo); Anna Netrebko (Juliet); Tiziano Bracci (Capulet); Joseph Calleja (Tebaldo); Robert Gleadow (Lorenzo)
(DG 4778031)

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