Love and tragedy intertwine in Italian composer Vincenzo Bellini’s opera The Capulets and the Montagues as Victorian Opera presents a one-night-only performance of the rarely-programmed Bel Canto masterwork at Hamer Hall – Arts Centre Melbourne on Friday 14 September 2018.
As unmistakable melodies soar with rich lyricism and inevitable devastation unfolds on stage, The Capulets and the Montagues (I Capuleti e i Montecchi) concludes the company’s hugely popular Bellini concert series. The critically-acclaimed series has become an unmissable night for opera-lovers following spectacular performances of Norma (2014), I Puritani (2015), and La Sonnambula (2017).
The masterwork draws home two of Australia’s leading international opera singers: mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup and superstar soprano Jessica Pratt. The supremely talented pair join forces in the ultimate tale of doomed love as Romeo and Juliet respectively.
Fresh from her triumph at The Metropolitan Opera in New York, Jessica returns to Australia for her now annual collaboration with Victorian Opera. Her last performance, as Amina in Bellini’s La Sonnambula, exhilarated a packed-house and resulted in a 10-minute standing ovation. Limelight Magazine’s five-star review noted: “Jessica Pratt could bring the house down in her sleep.”
On her return, Jessica said: “I’m thrilled to be returning to Melbourne to perform in the stunningly beautiful I Capuleti e i Montecchi with Victorian Opera. It is an incredibly rich and heart-wrenching score, one of Bellini’s best and my favourite operatic version of Romeo and Juliet.”
Audience favourites Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Carlos E. Bárcenas, and David Parkin round-out the cast, performing alongside a 32-member Victorian Opera Chorus. Richard Mills conducts national treasure, The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra – whose rare-appearance in Melbourne is a bonus for local music-lovers.
Richard notes: “Bellini’s thrilling and uniquely poetic work will be performed by the iconic Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra together with our star-cast and the splendid Victorian Opera Chorus,” says Mills. “Audiences await a night of great artistry, great singing, and sublime music-making.”
Conductor: Richard Mills Featuring: Carlos E. Bárcenas, Caitlin Hulcup, David Parkin, Jessica Pratt, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Victorian Opera Chorus, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra
The Capulets and the Montagues
Hamer Hall – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Performance: Friday 14 September 2018 – 7.30pm
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
For more information, visit: www.victorianopera.com.au for details.
Image: Jessica Pratt stars in Victorian Opera’s The Capulets and the Montagues – photo by © Alessandro Moggi