I capuleti e i montecchi

“I Capuleti e i Montecchi could be titled “Romeo e Giulietta”, except that reading the libretto we immediately realize that it is not a love story, but rather a drama of hate, vendetta, honor and duty. Sons killed and daughters held back, young rebels, obbedience and loyalty, rebellion and rage. And we see that like love, also hate is a universal story that belongs to every age. For me, an Italian, it was easy to equate the bloody Veronese renaissance with a Mafia story, ʻNdrangheta to be precise. The opera takes place in one room, a billiard room, and I chose to set the story is the 1970ʼs, remembered unfortunately for an explosion of criminal activity. These were also the years of social and sexual revolution, a period during which southern Italy was still mired in ritual, archaic laws, and superstition, and the clash between tradition and modernity is evident.“