Edited by Claudio Toscani (2003)
Three-volume set: two volumes score pp. I-XLV, 1-358 / I-VII, 359-648 + critical commentary
NR 138469
Piano vocal score available
CP 138472
Hugely popular from the time of its premier up through the 1880s, I Capuleti e i Montecchi shared the all-too-familiar fate of other such “fortunate” operas: over time, the evolutions of performing tradition introduced significant modifications to the score that often obscured, and sometimes even altered, Bellini’s original intentions. Coming after decades of accumulated distortions of the text, the critical edition of I Capuleti e Montecchi offers numerous, at times quite significant differences from the traditionally used version. To begin with, in the instrumentation, which had been gradually thickened (the original orchestral “color” was lighter, more transparent) and “recast” according to evolving tastes, without taking Bellini’s distinct style into account.
The critical edition, beyond correcting various errors accumulated over the years and restoring the original readings, also recuperates Bellini’s phrasing, dynamic shadings, and numerous (and significant) performance instructions. Moreover, it allows performers to open arbitrary cuts that had become traditional despite of Bellini’s intentions.
A fundamental aspect of the new edition is the possibility of choosing the vocal “role” for the part of Lorenzo. In Bellini’s final version the part is assigned to a tenor, but his original choice (later abandoned, though not definitively) was a bass voice. The critical edition offers both parts and integrates the missing sections where necessary.
Finally, the edition allows performers to choose between the original version of the opera, premiered in Venice in March of 1830, and the version Bellini himself prepared for Milan in December. In the revised version, the composer adapted the part of Giulietta so it could be performed by a mezzo soprano, added extra bars to her second-act aria, transposed several sections, and retouched the other vocal parts as well as the instrumentation.
Overall, the critical edition of I Capuleti e i Montecchi, carefully examines and restores the versions of the opera prepared or accepted by the composer, offering a reliable text for scholars and enthusiasts, and a fully functional score for performers, offering a work freed from the deformations of time and misuse.