La Scala’s season opens with new production of Verdi’s ‘La forza del destino’

Giorgio Koukl | 9 DEC 2024

As the tradition of Milan dictates the 7th of December, exactly the day of the city’s Saint Ambrogio anniversary, La Scala opens its doors to the most important mundane event of the year: the premiere of a well-chosen opera. Meanwhile, this day has reached a quasi-sacred value among opera lovers worldwide. It is the day when the rich and the famous must be there and be seen participating. So, no wonder the streets of Milan were busy this year, too, with cars bringing actors, politicians, and industry managers toward the theater entrance. For 2024, maestro Riccardo Chailly, the main conductor of the house, has chosen Verdi’s La forza del destino (“The Force of Destiny”).

This well-known opera by Giuseppe Verdi was first performed in 1862. It is based on a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave and inspired by the play Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino by Ángel de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas. Verdi was commissioned by the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, to write the opera. Verdi was not composing anything for two years, so he was glad to start work in the late 1850s. The first version premiered on 10 November 1862 at the Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre in St. Petersburg. While the premiere was successful, Verdi later revised the opera making significant changes with the help of Antonio Ghislanzoni, who rewrote parts of the libretto. The revised version premiered on 27 February 1869 at La Scala in Milan. This version, featuring a new ending, is the one performed today. Undoubtedly, the cruel ending, in which all the main characters die, was a hint too much for Milan’s public sensibility.

The story unfolds in Spain and Italy during the 18th century, revolving around three main characters: Leonora, her lover Don Alvaro, and her brother Don Carlo. Leonora and Don Alvaro plan to elope due to opposition from her father, the Marquis of Calatrava. When Don Alvaro surrenders to the Marquis, his pistol accidentally discharges, killing the Marquis. Before dying, the Marquis curses Leonora, who flees. In the second act, Leonora seeks refuge in a monastery. Don Carlo, her brother, vows revenge against Alvaro, believing he has dishonored their family. Don Alvaro, under a false name, joins the Spanish army. Don Carlo, who is also now in the army, recognizes Alvaro. They duel, but Alvaro wounds Carlo and flees, intending to become a monk. In the final act, we see Leonora living in seclusion. Don Carlo finds her and forces her to confront him. Now a monk, Don Alvaro appears and tries to prevent further bloodshed. Don Carlo and Don Alvaro fight again, and Carlo is fatally wounded. Before dying, Carlo stabs Leonora. She dies in Alvaro’s arms as he curses the force of destiny. “Pace, pace mio Dio” (Leonora’s prayer in Act IV) is one of the most celebrated soprano arias of all time.

In the opening night performance, we had a really star cast.

Despite her 53 years, Anna Netrebko still has a splendid voice, although sometimes marred by an imperfect Italian pronunciation.

The baritone Ludovic Tézier is a solid professional, reliable, and perfectly at ease despite the terrible psychological pressure of the moment.

But the real surprise of the evening is the Don Alvaro sung by the American tenor Brian Jagde. He is the youngest of the trio and is entering this production because the chosen tenor, Jonas Kaufmann, withdrew. Jagde has a potent, natural voice and some admirable pronunciation of the Italian language. His acting capacities are also quite good. Coupled with his suitable physical presence on the stage, this guarantees his future as a tenor.

The minor characters were also quite convincing, especially the mezzo-soprano Vasilisa Berzhanskaya (Preziosilla).

However, one of the main characteristics of this opera is the massive presence of complicated choir scenes, culminating in the onomatopoeic scene called “Rataplan.”

Ludovic Tézier and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya in ‘La forza del destino.’ (credit: Brescia e Amisano / Teatro alla Scala)

Here, the full power of the well-organized La Scala machine comes into full light. Built around a revolving scene, which is, per se, already a technical nightmare, the singers move against a seemingly powerful “destiny” represented in continuously changing dark scenery. The director, Leo Muscato, proposed a perfectly traditional approach suitable for opera lovers who are very tradition-bound. Yet he also proposed some solutions, which were quite innovative and frankly well-chosen. The idea of having every single act set in a different century, with changing clothes, scenery, and prop details, is a daring one. Maybe only some minor glitches could be noted: the final stabbing scene of Leonora happens in complete darkness, so the public really cannot see this critical moment. Generally speaking, the original story is a complicated one, and explaining this on stage must be a real challenge for any director.

Conductor Chailly has mainly chosen a quite slow pace as a general solution. That serves him well in most arias but less so in the “buffo” duets and recitatives.

This new Teatro alla Scala production runs through January 2, but all performances are sold out. For anyone interested, some special internet streaming evenings are available — surely a well-chosen way to pass a pleasant evening. ■

EXTERNAL LINKS:

• Teatro alla Scala: teatroallascala.org
• Riccardo Chailly riccardochailly.com
• Anna Netrebko: annanetrebko.com
• Ludovic Tézier: ludovictezier.com
• Brian Jagde: clairechoquette.com

About the author:

Giorgio Koukl is a Czech-born pianist/harpsichordist and composer who resides in Lugano, Switzerland. Among his many recordings are the complete solo piano works and complete piano concertos of Bohuslav Martinů on the Naxos label. He has also recorded the piano music of Tansman, Lutosławski, Kapralova, and A. Tcherepnin, amongst others, for the Grand Piano label. (photo: Chiara Solari)

Read more by Giorgio Koukl.

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