Vincenzo Bellini’s first great operatic success I Capuleti e i Montecchi is based on an Italian version of Romeo and Juliet in which the feuding clans seek reconciliation through the wedding of Giulietta and Tebaldo. Giulietta’s lover, Romeo, begs her to elope with him, but fate has other plans for the couple. Topped with the ‘agile coloratura runs and lyrical grace’ (New York Times) of soprano Jessica Pratt, this acclaimed production takes place in the historical and beautifully atmospheric Teatro La Fenice, the same venue in which I Capuleti e i Montecchi had its triumphant premiere in 1830. REVIEWS: Ruben Amoretti makes for fierce Capellop and Luca Dall’Amico’s solid bass lends gravitas to Lorenzo. Omer Meir Wellber conducts a sympathetic account of the score, well played by La Fenice’s orchestra. --Gramophone Naxos has recently been reaching back into archives from the not too distant past for some of its home video releases of opera. The latest one is this recording of a performance of Bellini’s sixth opera taken from a staging in Venice in 2015. The staging by Arnaud Bernard in most respects observes a traditional interpretation of Felice Romani’s libretto...Bernard achieves some really striking friezes, as seen in the closing tableau for Act Two and a wonderful visual effect for Giulietta’s funeral procession.Capellio, Giulietta’s father is given an imposing performance by Rubén Amoretti. His bass is strong and solid with an appropriately sepulchral aspect to his tone. His contribution is my choice for the most fearsome Cappellio available.Vocally [Sonia Ganassi's] mezzo has a fine sheen to it, especially in the upper register where her tone could be described as glowing...[she] gives a fine performance of Romeo. Jessica Pratt’s Giulietta is notable for her polished acting. Her every gesture is in tune with the heroine’s increasingly desperate situation. Her concentration on her character doesn’t lag for an instant, as witnessed her performance of the long opening recitative before “Oh! Quante volte”, in which she presents a singularly riveting, three-dimensional portrait. Platt’s voice is in splendid shape on this occasion, her singing is poised and the tone is always brightly expressive. There is little of the uneven vocal production which sometimes affects her singing. Both stars’ voices meld quite beautifully in their duets and leave nothing to be desired [in] some of Bellini’s most ravishing music.The chorus and orchestra are in excellent form and respond beautifully to the energetic baton of Omer Meir Wellber. He offers plenty of rhythmic drive but rarely did I sense that the music was rushed, as is so often the case in recent performance practice of early 19th century operas. The production has some incredibly beautiful costumes from the late Renaissance period and the High-definition camera work does real justice to that aspect of the production. --MusicWeb International (Mike Parr)
