Since 2017, El Sistema presents every year, together with the Inocente Carreño Itinerant Conservatory, an opera project. The one for the 2020-2021 season would be I Capuleti e i Montecchi, by the Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini. However, when rehearsals were about to begin, the confinement due to covid-19 arrived.
“This project was born in the pandemic. Every year we begin to present an opera project and this was supposed to be the one for 2021,” details Ronnie Morales, director of Orchestral and Choral Management at El Sistema.
At that time, after several months of confinement, it was decided to start preparations for the project virtually. An account was created Instagram through which teachers Marco Gandini, stage director, and Massimiliano Bullo, vocal coach, began reading the libretto and music, as well as delving into the historical context of the work. All virtually and open to the public.
Thus, week after week, the profile was filled with videos in which Gandini and Bullo addressed important aspects of the work and offered pronunciation tips. The process lasted approximately five months until, eventually, it was possible to return to face-to-face rehearsals.
Now, after months of preparation, the opera I Capuleti ei Montecchi will be presented this weekend at the Simón Bolívar Hall of the National Center for Social Action for Music. There will be three functions (from Friday to Sunday) in which the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Andrés David Ascanio; the Simón Bolívar National Choir, directed by Lourdes Sánchez; and a talented group of young soloists trained in El Sistema will delight the audience with their powerful voices.
For the opera I Capuleti ei Montecchi, 14 lyrical singers will perform Bellini’s compositions to narrate the tragic love story between Romeo and Juliet. The piece is divided into two acts, each consisting of three scenes, in which the voices of the soloists range from the lowest to the highest attainable sound.
Bellini’s opera tells the story of Romeo and Juliet’s families from another perspective, separate from the story of William Shakespeare. It is based on original historical sources from Matteo Bandello’s novel. In the lyrical piece the Capulets and the Montagues are rival political factions. Capellio is Giulietta’s father and the leader of the Capulets. Giulietta is engaged to Tebaldo; however, she has already fallen in love with Romeo, the leader of the Montagues. This is a secret for everyone except for Lorenzo, her confidante. To further complicate matters, Romeo inadvertently killed Capellio’s son (Giulietta’s brother) in a battle.
«I Capuleti e i Montecchi, by Bellini, is a beautiful opera that takes up the story of Romeo and Juliet. We know this drama thanks to legends, cinema and theater, it is a love story that does not give up and that it seems that it cannot be achieved, similar to West Side Story. It has beautiful atmospheres that Bellini, with his unique style, knew how to use to convey love and feelings. He knows how to use those small but beautiful details and spread them throughout the opera, he also employs beautiful melodies for the big moments”, explains Gandini.
Although the choir that accompanies the soloists is mostly male, there is a scene in the second act in which men and women join their voices. “It is a beautiful section involving the clear voices in this opera. It is a very short but very expressive piece and it is also where the pain of death is shown, ”says Lourdes Sánchez.
One aspect that draws attention to the montage is that the figure of Romeo is played by women. This is because the opera was written so that the role of Romeo would be performed by a contralto or mezzo-soprano, since in the story Romeo and Juliet are teenagers, she is 14 years old and he is 16. «Bellini wanted to represent the voice of the young with a woman, because if he did it with the voice of a tenor or a baritone, that would make it not be in keeping with the character”, explains Andrés David Ascanio.
The first opera presented by El Sistema was Carmen, by G. Bizet. It was followed by WA Mozart’s Idomeneo and G. Rossini’s Mosè in Egitto. «Maestro José Antonio Abreu visualized all these wonders that we have built, showing the world that everything can be achieved by working as a team and in collaboration. For us it has been an honor to participate in the development of opera in Venezuela and we are excited about this premiere”, reflects the director of the Simón Bolívar National Youth Choir.
Capuleti i Montecchi
National Center for Social Action for Music
From June 24 to June 26
Hours: Friday and Saturday 4:00 pm; Sunday 3:00 p.m.
Tickets: 5 and 10 dollars through Goliiive
