Forza del Destino
La Forza del Destino
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO
Giuseppe Verdi
Wiener Staatsoper
Recorded in 2008
CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor Zubin Mehta
Staged David Pountney
Video Director Karina Fibich
Chorus Master Thomas Lang
ARTISTIC TEAM
Donna Leonora Nina Stemme
Don Carlo di Vargas Carlos Álvarez
Don Alvaro Salvatore Litrica
Marchese di Calatrava / Padre Guardiano Alastair Miles
Fra Melitone Tiziano Bracci
Preziosilla Nadia Krasteva
Orchestra Orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper
Chorus Chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper
Extra Chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper
Presentation
“The cast is a dream team”, wrote the Financial Times after the premiere of this production of Verdi’s “La forza del destino” at the Wiener Staatsoper. At the top of the list is soprano Nina Stemme, who gives a full-blooded portrayal of Leonora. Passionate, forceful readings are also provided by Salvatore Licitra as Alvaro, Leonora’s lover, and by Carlos Alvarez as Don Carlo, Leonora’s vengeful brother. Zubin Mehta leads the Staatsoper Orchestra with agility, subtleness and relaxed mastery.
In Verdi’s “La forza del destino”, a stray bullet accidentally kills a young woman’s father, activating an unstoppable chain of fateful misunderstandings, merciless pursuits and murderous revenge – more the force of “chance” than of “destiny”. Next to the work’s heavenly music, it is this depiction of the fury of chance, of the one split second that can change people’s lives forever that makes this work one of the most fascinating and challenging in the Verdi canon.
David Pountney establishes this atmosphere of entrapment by fate at the very opening of the work. With the aid of a bizarre, menacing construction that suggests the randomness of destiny, Pountney finds an ideal image to serve as a forbidding background to a variety of colorful scenes. “A perfect utopia”, proclaimed the Süddeutsche Zeitung
Synopsis
Act I
Leonora di Vargas is in love with Alvaro. Her father, the Marchese di Calatrava, refuses to accept the relationship on the grounds of Alvaro’s background. Together with her confidante, Curra, Leonora is waiting for her beloved, with whom she plans to elope. The Marchese enters the room and discovers them. Alvaro is armed and throws down his pistol as a token of his surrender. At that moment the pistol goes off and the shot fatally wounds the Marchese. As he dies, the father curses his daughter.
Act II
Assuming that Alvaro has deliberately killed his father, Leonora’s brother Carlo is seeking revenge. Disguised as a student he scours the land in search of the murderer of his father. Leonora has lost sight of Alvaro and believes him to be dead. Dressed in men’s clothing, she overhears her brother in an inn saying that Alvaro is on the way to America. Preziosilla stirs up enthusiasm for war and prophesies a dreadful end for the student, the appearance of whom she does not trust.
Leonora wishes to devote herself to God in a solitary environment. Seeking sanctuary in a monastery, she begs Fra Melitone to be allowed to speak to Padre Guardiano. At the suggestion of her father confessor she hopes he will allow her to live the life of a hermit in a cell. She is prepared for a secluded life by the monks.
Act III
Alvaro has joined the army under a new name. He saves an officer’s life during a violent altercation. This officer is none other than Carlo, who is also serving under an assumed name. The two men swear eternal friendship – without recognizing each other. When Alvaro is wounded he gets Carlo to promise to destroy his personal papers if he dies. This awakens Carlo’s suspicions and he opens the papers, finds a picture of his sister and recognizes in Alvaro the presumed murderer of his father. He decides to kill his “friend”.
In the soldiers‘ camp, Preziosilla extols the liberal way of life in wartime. Fra Melitone reproaches the celebrating soldiers for their godlessness and is driven out.
Carlo makes sure that Alvaro has recovered and challenges him to a duel. The fighting men are separated. Alvaro decides to enter a monastery.
Act IV
Fra Melitone is distributing meals to the needy. Alvaro now lives in a monastery under the name of Padre Raffael. Carlo nevertheless recognizes him as his father’s murderer. They fight a duel. In her loneliness Leonora calls on God and begs for salvation in death. Carlo is wounded in the duel. Alvaro seeks help – in Leonora’s cell of all places. The two of them recognize each other. Leonora wants to stand by Carlo as he dies but he kills her. Alvaro is left alone in his despair.
Giuseppe Verdi
Wiener Staatsoper
Recorded in 2008
CREATIVE TEAM
Conductor Zubin Mehta
Staged David Pountney
Video Director Karina Fibich
Chorus Master Thomas Lang
ARTISTIC TEAM
Donna Leonora Nina Stemme
Don Carlo di Vargas Carlos Álvarez
Don Alvaro Salvatore Litrica
Marchese di Calatrava / Padre Guardiano Alastair Miles
Fra Melitone Tiziano Bracci
Preziosilla Nadia Krasteva
Orchestra Orchestra of the Wiener Staatsoper
Chorus Chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper
Extra Chorus of the Wiener Staatsoper
Presentation
“The cast is a dream team”, wrote the Financial Times after the premiere of this production of Verdi’s “La forza del destino” at the Wiener Staatsoper. At the top of the list is soprano Nina Stemme, who gives a full-blooded portrayal of Leonora. Passionate, forceful readings are also provided by Salvatore Licitra as Alvaro, Leonora’s lover, and by Carlos Alvarez as Don Carlo, Leonora’s vengeful brother. Zubin Mehta leads the Staatsoper Orchestra with agility, subtleness and relaxed mastery.
In Verdi’s “La forza del destino”, a stray bullet accidentally kills a young woman’s father, activating an unstoppable chain of fateful misunderstandings, merciless pursuits and murderous revenge – more the force of “chance” than of “destiny”. Next to the work’s heavenly music, it is this depiction of the fury of chance, of the one split second that can change people’s lives forever that makes this work one of the most fascinating and challenging in the Verdi canon.
David Pountney establishes this atmosphere of entrapment by fate at the very opening of the work. With the aid of a bizarre, menacing construction that suggests the randomness of destiny, Pountney finds an ideal image to serve as a forbidding background to a variety of colorful scenes. “A perfect utopia”, proclaimed the Süddeutsche Zeitung
Synopsis
Act I
Leonora di Vargas is in love with Alvaro. Her father, the Marchese di Calatrava, refuses to accept the relationship on the grounds of Alvaro’s background. Together with her confidante, Curra, Leonora is waiting for her beloved, with whom she plans to elope. The Marchese enters the room and discovers them. Alvaro is armed and throws down his pistol as a token of his surrender. At that moment the pistol goes off and the shot fatally wounds the Marchese. As he dies, the father curses his daughter.
Act II
Assuming that Alvaro has deliberately killed his father, Leonora’s brother Carlo is seeking revenge. Disguised as a student he scours the land in search of the murderer of his father. Leonora has lost sight of Alvaro and believes him to be dead. Dressed in men’s clothing, she overhears her brother in an inn saying that Alvaro is on the way to America. Preziosilla stirs up enthusiasm for war and prophesies a dreadful end for the student, the appearance of whom she does not trust.
Leonora wishes to devote herself to God in a solitary environment. Seeking sanctuary in a monastery, she begs Fra Melitone to be allowed to speak to Padre Guardiano. At the suggestion of her father confessor she hopes he will allow her to live the life of a hermit in a cell. She is prepared for a secluded life by the monks.
Act III
Alvaro has joined the army under a new name. He saves an officer’s life during a violent altercation. This officer is none other than Carlo, who is also serving under an assumed name. The two men swear eternal friendship – without recognizing each other. When Alvaro is wounded he gets Carlo to promise to destroy his personal papers if he dies. This awakens Carlo’s suspicions and he opens the papers, finds a picture of his sister and recognizes in Alvaro the presumed murderer of his father. He decides to kill his “friend”.
In the soldiers‘ camp, Preziosilla extols the liberal way of life in wartime. Fra Melitone reproaches the celebrating soldiers for their godlessness and is driven out.
Carlo makes sure that Alvaro has recovered and challenges him to a duel. The fighting men are separated. Alvaro decides to enter a monastery.
Act IV
Fra Melitone is distributing meals to the needy. Alvaro now lives in a monastery under the name of Padre Raffael. Carlo nevertheless recognizes him as his father’s murderer. They fight a duel. In her loneliness Leonora calls on God and begs for salvation in death. Carlo is wounded in the duel. Alvaro seeks help – in Leonora’s cell of all places. The two of them recognize each other. Leonora wants to stand by Carlo as he dies but he kills her. Alvaro is left alone in his despair.
Genre
Culture Vulture,
Opera
Runtime
161
Language
Italian
Played at
Royal 2.02.15 - 2.03.15
NoHo 7 2.02.15 - 2.03.15
Town Center 5 2.02.15 - 2.03.15
Claremont 5 2.02.15 - 2.03.15
Playhouse 7 2.02.15 - 2.03.15
Lumiere Music Hall 2.02.15 - 2.03.15
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