The gender facets of the vocal image of Romeo (on the example of the operas by N. Vaccai and V. Bellini)

Section 1. World music: retrospections and modernity

Abstract

Statement of the problem. In the opera tradition of the 19th century, in particular in Italian bel canto, an extremely interesting and at the same time paradoxical phenomenon is the vocal practice of en travesti, which involves the performance of a male role by a female voice. Among such parts, the image of Romeo – a young hero embodied by a mezzo-soprano in the operas by N. Vaccai and V. Bellini – looks quite unusual. The research problem is to understand this phenomenon through the prism of vocal-intonation, dramaturgic and gender interaction, which allows us to raise questions not only about the peculiarities of the vocal embodiment of the male image, but also, more broadly, about the semiotic field of its gender representation. However, in the 20th century stage versions, there is a noticeable trend of casting a tenor in the role of Romeo. This approach introduces a new timbral modality to the character, emphasizing masculinity, dramatic intensity, and rhetorical expressiveness. At the same time, it diminishes some of the emotional transparency and vocal flexibility traditionally associated with mezzo-sopranos in the female interpretation of a male role. Thus, the tenor portrayal of Romeo emerges not only as an alternative performance practice but also as a transformation of the character’s gender- expressive paradigm within the context of contemporary musical theatre. Recent research and publications. The modern musicology, while actively integrating the achievements of gender studies into the methodological toolkit, offers new interpretative horizons for the analysis of vocal art. The works by J. Butler, S. Cusick, S. McClary, M. Citron and K. Clement have formed a conceptual basis for considering the musical text as a space of gender performativity. In the domestic context, the research by V. O. Gigolaieva-Yurchenko, who proposed the concept of “gender-performing analysis” as a way of revealing the interaction between the timbre characteristics of the voice, stage physiology and socio-cultural codes, is significant. The study of bel canto is impossible without taking into account the methodological legacy of N. Vaccai, the historiography of Italian opera (G. Rosselli, C. Abbate) and current vocal pedagogy (K. Devour, S. Cookman). Оbjectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to identify and systematize the gender-vocal features of the image of Romeo based on its comparative analysis in the operas N Vaccai “Juliet and Romeo” and V. Bellini “I Capuleti e i Montecchi”. The task of the study is to determine how the female voice functions as a tool for representing male identity, what musical and dramatic means provide the appropriate translation, and how these practices are understood in the context of the modern performing process. The scientific novelty lies in the first systematic analysis of the vocal image of Romeo carried out in Ukrainian musicology, taking into account gender ambivalence and the specificity of en travesti role. The essential differences between N. Vaccai’s and V. Bellini’s concepts have been identified, and the characteristic features of feminine and masculine vocal representation have been revealed. For the first time, a comparative interpretation of the historical (G. Fabbri) and modern (E. Garanča, J. DiDonato) embodiment of the image has been introduced into scientific circulation, which allows us to trace the evolution of bel canto aesthetics in terms of gender modelling. For the first time, a comparative analysis of individual aspects of the interpretation of the image of Romeo in the operas by N. Vaccai and V. Bellini has been carried out, which allows us to identify contrasting but complementary approaches to his vocal and stage representation. The work also offers a new understanding of modern performing approaches to the embodiment of this role in the context of gender variability and changes in the paradigm of operatic perception. The methodological basis is an interdisciplinary approach that combines analytical strategies of musicology, performance theory, hermeneutics, and gender criticism. Intonation-analytical and dramaturgical analysis, a comparative method for studying Romeo’s parts, as well as an interpretative analysis of vocal realizations, taking into account stylistic, dynamic, timbre, and plastic characteristics of performance, are applied. Research results. The role of Romeo in N. Vaccai's opera is dominated by chamber lyricism, intonation restraint, soft declamation and psychological depth, which allows creating an image of feminized male sensuality. In V. Bellini’s version, large-scale dramatic aria nature, heroic cantilena and expressive dynamics form a model of noble masculinity. Both versions demonstrate the high potential of the female voice in embodying a complex male image that goes beyond the binary sexual opposition. Considerable attention is also paid to the performance aspect, in particular the interpretation of the image of Romeo by the representative of the old Italian school G. Fabbri (1866–1946), modern performers of the role include renowned mezzo-sopranos such as Joyce DiDonato and Elīna Garanča, as well as tenor (Giacomo Aragall). Conclusion. The image of Romeo in bel canto operas is not only a manifestation of vocal mastery, but also a polyphony of meanings, which combines aesthetic, socio- cultural and psychological codes. His en travesti component acts as a means of transforming ideas about male sensuality and masculinity, which appear through the female voice as artistically justified and deeply emotional structures. In modern performing discourse, this role acquires new meanings – fluid gender, androgenicity, emotional equality. Such a perspective opens up new horizons for vocal pedagogy, stage analysis and the actualization of the classical repertoire in the light of post-gender opera interpretation.