Opera returns to Seville after two decades
Romeo and Juliet by Charles Gounod is returning to Seville's stage after twenty years of absence with a new co-production by the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma and the Teatro de la Maestranza, directed by Lucas De Fusco and conducted by Sasha Yankevych.Setting and themes of the production
The opera explores the conflict between youth and adulthood, carefreeness and maturity, through generations constrained by social conventions, leading to tragedy. The production sets the action in Italy during the 1940s under fascism, with an allusion to the Republic of Salo, the last bastion of Mussolini of which Verona was part.Stage design and visual elements
The set design, described as dark and minimalist, includes a few vaguely sketched scenes with specific accessories: a ballroom in a cardboard palace for the meeting of the two lovers; a starry night with a metal balcony for the first declaration of love; an empty stage with a few sandbags as a prie-dieu for the wedding; a floating sheet in the air for the night of love and a metal trunk for the tomb.Costumes and lighting
The contemporary costumes, designed by Marta Crisolini Malatesta, are in shades of gray and black, with the exception of Juliette's flaming red dress and Romeo's sky-blue costume. The atmosphere is generally dark, faithful to the dramatic progression, enhanced by the beautiful contrasting lighting of Gigi Saccomandi.Video and choreography
The well-conceived video by Alessandro Papa provides a welcome addition to the meagerness of the set design. The choreography by Alessandra Panzavolta is particularly effective during Juliette's dream and the stage direction is without fault, particularly in the crowd movements (choir) or combat scenes.Dramaturgy and love duets
The dramaturgy focuses on the two lovers, with four love duets (the meeting, passion, the fulfillment of desire, the ultimate sacrifice), each corresponding to a new stage in the progression of the drama and passion. The production depends on charismatic singers, with examples not lacking in recent performances.Cast performances and diction issues
Nina Minasyan portrays a Juliette perfectly convincing in voice and gesture, though the entire cast, including Minasyan, suffers from a terrible diction, and there are no French-speaking singers. Pavol Breslik's Romeo suffers from weak projection, the rigidity of the line and forced high notes which penalize all the duets, particularly the "Nuit d'hyménée," which lacks sensuality, passion and rhythm.Supporting cast and choir
The rest of the cast is fairly homogeneous, including the well-singing Mercutio of Maxim Lisiin in the Ballad of Queen Mab, the lively and androgynous Anna-Doris Capitelli in the White dove, the charismatic Capulet of Zoltan Nagy, the authoritarian Duke of Valery Guilmanov, the guttural and too monotonous Friar Laurent of Riccardo Fassi, the vengeful Tybalt of Mario Bahg, the gentle and devoted Gertrude of Elena Maximova, along with the Benvolio of Pablo Puertolas, the Gregorio of Andrés Merino and the Paris of Julien Van Mellaerts, not forgetting the very fine choir of the Maestranza.Conductor and orchestral performance
In the pit, after an opening imbued with drama, the young Ukrainian conductor Sasha Yankevych leads the Royal Symphony Orchestra of Seville with all the nuances required by the progression of the dramaturgy, in perfect balance with the stage, completing the characterization of this production which one will qualify as honest.
