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Teatro Grattacielo Presents Riccardo Zandonai’s 'Giulietta e Romeo' in Battery Park City




A RARE JEWEL OF OPERA HISTORY COMES TO BATTERY PARK CITY FOR IT’S 100 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!


Teatro Grattacielo presents “Giulietta e Romeo” by Riccardo Zandonai in Battery Park City this summer, free and open to the public.


In partnership with the Battery City Park Authority (BPCA), Teatro Grattacielo presents a full production of Riccardo Zandonai’s Giulietta e Romeo with libretto by Arturo Rossato. The Opera is based on Luigi da Porto’s original publication: Storia di Giulietta e Romeo con loro pietosa morte avvenuta in Verona. This is the first written version of Romeo and Juliet as we know it. Luigi da Porto, a writer from Vicenza, published it in 1530, almost 60 years before Romeo and

Juliet by William Shakespeare. Giulietta e Romeo debuted 100 years ago, on February

14 th , 1922, at Costanzi Theater in Rome. The site-specific production will take place in

Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park in Battery Park City, at 9:00 pm on Saturday, June 4th and

Sunday June 5th. The two performances will be free and open to the public, positioned

outdoors next to the Hudson waterfront with the Statue of Liberty in clear view. This will

be the first time a world-class opera will be presented in its full capacity in Downtown

Manhattan. A once in a life-time experience sure to captivate a wide audience from

opera buffs to park lovers alike. Interested individuals can find out more online at

bpca.ny.gov/news/events, by phone at (212) 267-9700, or at https://grattacielo.org


The performances will be part of the Festival of New York, an unprecedented

movement of more than 180 organizations across the city to marshal the creativity,

resiliency, diversity, and spirit of collaboration that makes New York one of the strongest

and most inspiring cities on earth. [FestivalofNY.com]


 

Teatro Grattacielo’s mission is to promote performances from an Italian operatic

repertoire rarely heard in the U.S which accompanies a season of classic operatic titles.

Through performances in New York City, strategic national and international

collaborations and educational outreach, Teatro Grattacielo promotes artists and the

appreciation of operatic traditions with an eye on innovation and inclusivity.


“We chose Zandonai’s beautiful Giulietta e Romeo because it fits the architectural setting of the Wagner Pavilion and highlights an Italian operatic masterpiece that tells a story of eternal love - exactly the sentiment that many of us are in need of right now. We have assembled a world class international cast, while we are very happy to be bringing back the Grattacielo Orchestra.” -Stefanos Koroneos (Executive and Artistic Director of Teatro Grattacielo)

The opera was written by Italian composer Riccardo Zandonai (1883–1944) All the

classic elements of the ancient story of “Romeo and Juliet” made famous by

Shakespeare can also be found in Zandonai’s 1922 rendition: family rivalry, an ecstatic

fight scene, the triumphant return, and of course, prohibited love between the illustrious

Giulietta Capuleti and Romeo Montecchi embodied in the iconic balcony scene.

The performances are conducted by Christian Capocaccia and directed by Stefanos

Koroneos. Sets and costumes are curated by Tasos Protopsaltou, and projections

designs by Camilla Tassi. The big cast is led by soprano Eleni Calenos in the role of

Giulietta, tenor Matthew Vickers in the role of Romeo, baritone Franco Pomponi in the

role of Tebaldo, tenor Spencer Hamlin in the role Il Cantatore and baritone Eric

McKeever in the role of Banditore.


 

MATTHEW VICKERS as ROMEO, and ELENI CALENOS as GIULIETTA


CAST & CREATIVES


  • CHRISTIAN CAPOCACCIA | CONDUCTOR

  • STEFANOS KORONEOS | DIRECTOR

  • TASOS PROTOPSALTOU | SET AND COSTUME DESIGNER

  • LANCE LEWIS | LIGHTING DESIGNER

  • CAMILLA TASSI | PROJECTIONS DESIGNER

  • KARINE IVEY | MAKEUP

  • JASON TRAMM | CHORUS MASTER

  • FRANCES CAPERCHI | GENERAL PROJECT MANAGER

  • MARIL ORTIZ | ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PARKS PROGRAMMING, BPCA

  • OMAR HOWARD | CREATIVE DIRECTOR - SOCIAL MEDIA & PR

  • ALLA MILCHTEIN | REHEARSAL PIANIST

  • ARNAULT-QUENTIN EGGERMONT | ASSISTANT TO COSTUME DESINGER

  • FRANCISCO MIRANDA | SCORE REDUCTION AND SUPERTITLES

  • GEORGE SAKARELLOS | ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR


CAST

* Frank Sinatra School of the Arts High School alumni


 

About BPCA


Established in 1968, The Hugh L. Carey Battery Park City Authority is a

New York State Public Benefit Corporation charged with developing and maintaining a

well-balanced community on the Lower West Side of Manhattan. Battery Park City’s 92-

acre site has achieved worldwide acclaim as a model for community renewal in

planning, creating, and maintaining a balance of commercial, residential, retail and park

space. By pioneering development through ground leases and bonding authority with

public/private partnerships between the BPCA and private developers, this planned

community has become a blueprint for successful urban development.


 

MORE INFO


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