Director Tatjana Gürbaca on I Capuleti e i Montecchi
A story of honour and revenge
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.”
A different perspective on Romeo and Juliet
“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.”
Death of the dynastic successor
“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.”
Tatjana Gürbaca
I’m looking forward to rediscovering the world of these iconic characters
Feelings of guilt
“Het is de vraag hoeveel Julia zelf te maken had met de dood van haar broer, maar het is duidelijk dat ze Romeo al jaren niet heeft gezien. De romantiek van hun jeugd is verdwenen, en wanneer ze elkaar voor het eerst weer ontmoeten, vinden ze elkaar niet echt. Julia’s grote verdriet, haar doodswens, wordt mede veroorzaakt door schuldgevoelens tegenover Romeo en haar eigen familie. En doordat haar vader zich laat leiden door pijn en wraakgevoelens, verhindert hij de jongere generatie om haar eigen weg te vinden. Er zijn dus nogal wat verschillen met Shakespeares beroemde versie, maar het spelen met deze verwachtingen maakt het verhaal veel rijker en niet minder tragisch.”
Retelling the story
“I’m very much looking forward to rediscovering and retelling the story of these iconic characters and the cross-generational 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.”
Text: Jasmijn van Wijnen
