Italian director to bring classic Gounod opera to the stage
The National Centre for the Performing Arts has invited Italian director Stefano Poda to bring the five-act opera,
Romeo and Juliet, an opera masterpiece by Charles-Francois Gounod back to the stage from July 18 to 22, to mark the 200th birth anniversary of the French composer.
The opera, with a libretto adapted by Jules Barbier and Michele Carra in 1867 from William Shakespeare’s play of the same title, made its debut in Paris in the same year.
“There are more than 40 opera productions in the world based on Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. But Gounod’s music vividly depicts the two protagonists’ tragic romance.
“For me, I want to bring a fresh angle to the classic opera,” says Poda, who, besides directing, also does set design, costume design, lighting and choreography.
“There will be no nod to a period in the new version of the opera and the audience will see set and costume designs, which mix elements ranging from the 1960s to the contemporary world.”
Poda, who is known for being one-man band in the opera world, adapted Gounod’s opera, Faust, for the Teatro Regio of Torino, Italy, in 2015 — a coproduction of Israeli Opera of Tel Aviv and the Opera of Lausanne.
His other opera productions include Giacomo Puccini’s
Turandot in 2018 and Thais by French composer Jules Massenet in 2008.
The Beijing shows, however, are the first time that Poda has worked with the NCPA.
The show is set against a stark white stage except for the scenes in the garden, church and ballroom, which offer more visual variety through the use of multiple rings and frames.
For his costume design, Poda brings in varied and eccentric dresses featuring red and black, adding that “each costume speaks for the role’s personality and destiny”.
In the final scene of the opera, where the two lovers die, Poda borrows the yin and yang theory from traditional Chinese culture, which symbolizes the ultimate and eternal love between Romeo and Juliet.
For the Beijing shows, French opera conductor Patrick Fournillier will return to the NCPA to perform with the China NCPA Orchestra and the China NCPA Chorus.
In February, the conductor worked with the NCPA on its opera production Thais by French composer Massenet, in which baritone Placido Domingo played the lead role.
In the opera, tenors Francesco Demuro and Yu Yongzhao, play the role of Romeo, and sopranos Melissa Petit and Mihaela Marcu played the role of Juliet.
Speaking about the latest show, French soprano Petit says: “Romeo and Juliet is a universal story, and by working with director Poda we have a different way of thinking about this story.”