Charles Gounod’s operas were enormously popular during the second half of the Nineteenth Century. FAUST, his most famous work, was a staple for all opera companies well into the Twentieth Century but is less frequently performed today. His ROMEO ET JULIETTE is the only other Gounod opera to remain in the in the general repertoire, and LA Opera is welcoming back a familiar production with two new leads.
Gounod’s librettists used Shakespeare as their template but focused mainly on the lovers, relegating secondary characters to little more than walk-ons. The result is a fuzzy Cliff Notes version of Shakespeare’s drama anchored by four wonderful duets for the pair, two brilliant arias for Juliette, and a plaintive aria for Romeo. But the personalities and family vendettas that fuel their tragic ending remain mostly unexplored.
The main reason to produce ROMEO ET JULIETTE is to showcase two young and attractive singers who can bring passion to the lovely, but dramatically inert score. LA Opera has presented this production of the opera twice before with starry duos featured both times. It is, therefore, a pleasure to report that the current singers are more than up to the task.
Amina Edris (Juliette) and Duke Kim (Romeo) are more convincingly believable as the teenage lovers than their predecessors. Their voices are also more stylistically appropriate for the roles as Gounod envisioned them. Juliette is the character who truly matures throughout the course the opera, and Edris carefully charts the character’s growth from impatient daughter to passionate girl and, finally, to determined young woman. She brings accuracy and confidence to her early coloratura flights and sings the later scenes with enviable emotional expressiveness. Kim brings admirable clarity to the role as well as a secure and plangent top. Together, they display an undeniable chemistry and create a truly moving pair of star-crossed lovers.
The supporting cast makes its moments count. Craig Colclough, who has memorably sung leading roles with the company, is a dignified and properly sonorous Lord Capulet. Justin Austin’s Mercutio, is playful and fluent in his “Queen Mab” aria, while Wei Wu’s generous bass fuels the compassionate Frere Laurent. As Stephano, a character added to the opera to satisfy the Paris audience’s love for a pants role, Laura Krumm is sprightly and warbles prettily. Yuntong Han spits out Tybalt’s temper tantrums with a large and steely voice that makes one eager to hear him in a larger role.
The previous productions were directed by Ian Judge, but the directorial reins for this production have been taken up by Kitty McNamee who keeps the action moving, though it seems that the few comic moments the opera does allow have mostly vanished. John Gunter’s colossal moving towers and scaffolding are impressive and can stand in for any background, though they are obviously a challenge for the crew to move during set changes. Tim Goodchild’s opulent and colorful costumes (updated to the era when the opera premiered) bring a vivid life and cohesion to the visual vocabulary of the production.
Conductor Domingo Hindoyan proves to be a spectacular find in his LA Opera debut. He leads the orchestra in a wonderfully detailed reading of the score, reveling in Gounod’s lush romanticism without ever descending into mawkishness. This is as strong and compelling a production as you are likely to see of this opera.
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion November 2 – 23, 2024 laopera.org
