-The acclaimed Italian stage director returns to the Campoamor Theatre this time with Gounod’s masterpiece in a production that has already triumphed at ABAO Bilbao Operaand the Teatro San Carlo in Naples.
The opera, which is a co-production between ABAO Bilbao Opera and the Oviedo Opera itself, “has brought me a lot of joy”, confesses Giorgia Guerra, referring to her staging of Roméo et Juliette. The Rome-born director, who has an outstanding international career, had already worked her magic at the Teatro Campoamor in the capital of Asturias, Spain; she did so when she made her debut there with Verdi’s Ernani in 2023, and now she returns “very excited” with a production that has been extremely well received both in Bilbao (October 2023) and at the Teatro San Carlo in Naples (February 2025), “a run that allows me to play much more with all the elements offered by this production of the popular story of the lovers from Verona, this time with different singers,” she explains. In Oviedo she will work with two casts. “I am very happy to collaborate with Génesis Moreno and Ismael Jordi, two very flexible singers with whom I know I can delve into the psychology of Romeo and Juliet, as well as with Annya Pinto and Mario Bahg in the alternative cast.”
This aspect, the work of the performer at the acting level, is something that Giorgia Guerra emphasizes in her productions, since she was an actress before consolidating herself as a stage director in opera houses in Italy and Spain. “It is essential to give credibility to the development and evolution of the character; this completes the magic that every operatic score contains,” she notes.
With set design by Federica Parolini, costumes by Lorena Marín, lighting by Fiammeta Baldiserri and video projections by Immaginarium Studio Creative, the production centres on “poetics and contemplation, so that audiences can take in and enjoy Gounod´s incomparable music. The intense story that Juliet and Romeo experience still offers us the possibility of believing in the power of love,” she explains. Giorgia Guerra’s idea focuses on the social and political influence of rival families “that engulfs the lives of these young people and precipitates them to their sad end. In this timeless staging, these historic lovers come to life, dressed in period costumes, showing us the magic of their deep and pure feelings.”
Gounod’s version of the Shakespearean masterpiece emphasizes the beauty and transparency of youth and will transport Oviedo opera goers “to a magical place where they will be able to savour the myth of Romeo and Juliet that today, in the 21st century, continues to offer us its charm in many art forms, from the original drama of the late sixteenth century, to Gounod’s opera, to the version of the popular ballet by Sergei Prokovfiev – a work to which tribute is paid in this production. There is also an extensive filmography that has further popularized this universal story,” says Giorgia Guerra. “With this production, my intention is to go a step further by giving it a twist so that the audience forgets their problems and immerses themselves in a moving adventure and wonderful music, combining tradition with contemporary audiovisual media”.
In Oviedo, on 10, 12, 15 and 18 October, the Venezuelan-born soprano Génesis Moreno and the tenor Ismael Jordi from Jerez, Spain, will share the stage with Olga Syniakova (Stéphano), Régis Mengus (Mercutio) and David Lagares (Frère Laurent), among others; the alternative cast for the Viernes de Ópera (Friday Operas) includes Annya Pinto, Mario Bahg, Gabriela Flores, Carlos Reynoso and Jacob Abe. Audrey Saint-Gil will be conducting the Oviedo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Oviedo Opera Choir (Intermezzo Choir).