Love stands test of time

THE Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, together with Victoria Opera, will present the opera event of the season with a concert version of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette in Hobart on Saturday.

The concert will be conducted by Marco Letonja and will feature leading tenor Pavol Breslik and soprano Adriana Kucerova in the title roles, and eight other soloists, including former Tasmanian baritone Michael Lampard as Le Duc and fellow baritone Samuel Dundas as Romeo’s companion Mercutio.

Dundas, who is a principal artist with Opera Australia, said Romeo and Mercutio were constant companions in the first half of the opera.

“As Romeo falls in love with Juliette the tension between their two families increases and Mercutio maintains that rage,” he said.

“He is a confidant of and a sounding board for Romeo.

“At the opening Romeo and Mercutio are at the Capulet masked ball, which is a very dangerous situation for them.

“Romeo has dreamt that something bad is going to happen, and Mercutio sings an aria telling Romeo it is just the work of the fairy Mab, who is the queen of dreams.”

In Act III Mercutio pays the ultimate price for his dedication when Romeo and Juliette openly declare their love for each other.

“When one of the Capulets insults Romeo, Mercutio takes it upon himself to avenge him and is killed,” Dundas said.

Dundas enjoyed being part of Carmen last year and is looking forward to Saturday night’s Romeo et Juliette.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to bring the best opera repertoire to Tasmanian audiences,” he said.

“Gounod is such a brilliant writer. He’s so capable of evocative and emotional music, and of course the text is one of the great stories in Western literature. Combining the two makes for very powerful theatre.”

The opera will be sung in French, with English surtitles.

Romeo et Juliette will be performed at the Federation Concert Hall in Hobart at 7.30pm on Saturday. Tickets are from $33, available from tso.com.au