Giulietta’s superb opening romanza is all but too well-known to the audience, though, in this case, the renown is more than justified.
Bellini could have easily gone away with another full cavatina (rather logical after the full arias of both Tebaldo and Romeo) but he chooses to go with a much more elegant and, in the context of the situation (Giulietta, as far as I can see from the text, is almost completely dressed for her imminent wedding ceremony and awaits her lover, in almost complete desperation) and the elegiac character of the young woman, a much more plausible solution: a highly romantic aria in basic couplet form, slightly reminiscent of Rossini’s take on Shakespeare’s Willow Song, though on a smaller (though no less musically rich) scale.
Hei-Kyung Hong is a most sympathetic heroine, possessing a clear, sweet voice completely welcome in the aria. Hope you’ll enjoy :)!