The Battery Park City Authority and opera company Teatro Grattacielo are putting on performances of the operatic rendition of “Giulietta e Romeo” this weekend in Battery Park City.
Commissioned by the Battery Park City Authority as part of its free summer programming and event schedule, Giulietta e Romeo is also part of the inaugural Festival of New York. The shows will take place at 9 p.m. on Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5 at Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park.
“This performance of Giulietta e Romeo builds on Battery Park City Authority’s commitment to provide free, dynamic, and diverse programming that brings together a wide range of residents and visitors,” said B.J. Jones, President and CEO of the Battery Park City Authority. “I look forward to welcoming attendees to the first full production of this celebrated opera in Battery Park City.”
Composed by Riccardo Zandonai, “Giulietta e Romeo” is based on Luigi Da Porto’s 16th century novella by the same name. The opera has three acts – love, passion, and tragedy – stripped down to their most pure and intimate form to tell the forbidden love story of Giulietta Capuleti and Romeo Montecchi. In addition to Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, and nine secondary characters, the composition features a 30-piece orchestra and 30-person double chorus representing the two opposing families, the Montagues and the Capulets.
To celebrate the opera’s 100th anniversary, Teatro Grattacielo, New York City-based professional opera company, is bringing the full-scale performance to downtown Manhattan for the first time.
“We are honored to have the opportunity to break down the perceptions of opera, take it outside of the theater, and offer it in a public space where all New Yorkers can share a unique experience,” said Stefanos Koroneos, Executive and Artistic Director at Teatro Grattacielo. “We chose Zandonai’s beautiful Giulietta e Romeo because it tells a story of eternal love and was originally intended for the masses – both appropriate themes for this moment in history.”
“New York Tech is thrilled to be collaborative partners with Teatro Grattacielo and Battery Park City Authority for the Giulietta e Romeo performance!” said Suzanne Musho, Vice President, New York Institute of Technology, a fellow member of the Festival of New York and collaborator on the Giulietta e Romeo project. “We also thank Mediapro for their collaboration as well. Our faculty and students are grateful for this amazing opportunity to contribute to this world class performance that embodies the efforts of the Festival of New York, exclaiming the resilience of New York City and of New Yorkers!”
The shows will take place at Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Park, located at 20 Battery Place, and are free to the public. Click here to register.
