Tatjana Gürbaca will be directing Bellini’s I Capuleti e i Montecchi. This bel canto opera relates the famous story of Romeo and Juliet, but has a different take on it than Shakespeare’s famous play. Rather than the romance between the young lovers, it focuses on the history of hatred and violence in which they become ensnared. “Playing with audiences’ expectations makes the story much richer.” “Although this is the first time that I’ve been given the opportunity to direct an opera by Bellini, I feel very close to the aesthetics of bel canto. In this genre, the voice becomes an expression of the character’s deepest feelings. And it is precisely the coloraturas (virtuoso embellishments in the vocal part, ed.) that tell us about the suffering that an oppressed character in great distress faces.” “We’re all familiar with the story of Romeo and Juliet from Shakespeare. However, Bellini’s opera is based on an earlier version: Luigi da Porto’s Historia novellamente ritrovata di due nobili amanti of 1524, in which the feud between the rival families, the Capuleti and the Montecchi, is the main focus. Honour, revenge and fate play a central role. What at first glance appears to be the greatest love story in the world is transformed by Bellini into an exciting, psychologically rich system of relationships between a small group of characters who are deeply influenced by their past.” Feelings of guilt “Capellio, the head of the Capuleti, has lost his son – and we know that Romeo, the leader of the Montecchi, was involved in this death. Romeo, who was in love with Juliet, had to flee the city and was only able to keep in touch by letter for many years. His family has become scattered. But Capellio’s family also seems to have reached an impasse now that the dynastic successor has died.” “It isn’t clear how much Juliet herself had to do with the death of her brother, but it’s obvious that she has not seen Romeo for Interview Director Tatjana Gürbaca on I Capuleti e i Montecchi many years. The romance of their youth has vanished, and when the couple meet again, they don’t really click anymore. Juliet’s great sadness, her death wish, is also caused by the feelings of guilt she has towards Romeo and her own family. And because her father is clinging to pain and revenge, this prevents the younger generation from finding their own way. So there are quite a few differences compared to Shakespeare’s famous version. But playing with such expectations makes the story much richer and no less tragic.” “I’m very much looking forward to rediscovering and retelling the story of these iconic characters and the crossgenerational conflict. It’s an honour to do this at such an important, world-class opera house, with fantastic soloists and a wonderful, enthusiastic chorus. I’m particularly looking forward to working with them again after our La traviata together.” A story of honour and reven 32 Opera
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