About Anna Netrebko

• Biography

About Elina Garanca

• Biography

Editorial Reviews

Bellini's "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" bears little resemblance to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for a good reason; it's based not on the play but on a sixteenth century Italian story that Shakespeare also used source material. Librettist Felice Romani pared the story down to five characters and simplified the plot so that it is like Shakespeare's only in broadest outline. This recording, taken from a live 2008 Vienna performance, delivers fully on the promise of the era of bel canto: beautiful singing. Anna Netrebko is a radiant Juliet. She soars over the orchestra and other singers with agility and grace, and her tone is unfailingly focused, fresh, and pure. She also brings a touching and convincing vulnerability to the role. Bellini wrote Romeo as a trouser role for mezzo-soprano (even though the practice had largely been abandoned at that point) because, having worked with the singers at La Fenice, where the work would have its premiere, he knew there was no tenor in the company who could adequately fill a leading romantic role, and legendary mezzo Giuditta Grisi was conveniently available. It requires something of a leap to accept this convention in bel canto repertoire, but Elína Garanca is vocally ideal for this music. She sings with exceptional depth and tonal richness, and her legato is wonderfully creamy. Bass Tiziano Bracci, tenor Joseph Calleja, and baritone Robert Gleadow make strong impressions in their relatively brief roles, particularly Calleja as Tebaldo, even though his duets with his rival Romeo, because of the voicing, tend to sound like love duets. Bellini provides the singers with music of extraordinary grace, but the plot doesn't activate his strongest dramatic instincts, and the opera as a whole succeeds far better as an opportunity for showcasing beautiful singing than as a coherent theatrical experience. Fabio Luisi leads Wiener Symphoniker and Wiener Singakademie in an expressive and well-paced performance. The sound is remarkably clean, expansive, and well-balanced for a live performance, with virtually no stage or audience noise. Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide

Customer Reviews

• Listener Rating: