An Erotic Flavour

A few months ago ['Shakespeare and Spielberg', 31 July 2012], I reviewed the Verona Arena new production of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, the most famous opera based on Shakespeare's tragedy. Then, we recalled that many other musicians composed operas based on the play: to mention only the Italians, Vincenzo Bellini, Nicola Vaccaj, Filippo Marchetti, and Riccardo Zandonai. Only Bellini's I Capuleti ed i Montecchi is regularly performed; eg a new low cost production is now touring the provincial theatres of Lombardy. Similarly, many ballets have been based on the Verona lovers' tragedy, but only two are now frequently on stage: Serge Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet and Hector Berlioz's Roméo et Juliette...