English Touring Opera review: Excellent production of The Capulets and Montagues by Bellini creates new start in Yorkshire
English Touring Opera has a proud history up and down the country but this week marks its first show created and performed in its new home town of Sheffield, writes Mavis Kirkham.
This production of The Capulets and Montagues by Bellini moved the Romeo and Juliet story from the warring families of Renaissance Italy to the mafia gangs in 1950s New York. With a good set this worked well on the whole, showing Juliet’s isolation in a world of powerful men. The ending worked less well: Juliet did not die on stage but when led off clutching Romeo’s gun she had few options.
The music is wonderful and it is difficult to believe that Bellini wrote it in a great hurry. The interweaving of voices and instruments is really beautiful and the orchestra and singers rose ably to its challenges. Jessica Cale was outstanding as Juliet and well balanced with Samantha Price’s lovely mezzo soprano as Romeo. The instrumental playing was excellent especially the horn, clarinet and harp solos.
The small but versatile male chorus sang and acted to the high standard we have come to expect of ETO, even playing Montagues and Capulets in lightening succession in Act 1. Their choral ensembles were really good. The fight scenes used slow motion which succeeded in conveying the brutality of gang wars and enabled us to focus on the music.
An excellent production of a bel canto masterpiece which is not often staged. It is a shame ETO are only performing one opera here in Sheffield this spring when previously we have enjoyed two. Now they are based in Sheffield we look forward to their closer engagement with this city so as to expand the audience for opera here.