It might be difficult for you to get to Milan right now, but this week’s Sunday Opera (6-29 3:00 p.m.) is going to be going there for the beginning of a series of operas from La Scala. We’re beginning with Giuseppe Verdi’s “La forza del destino” (“The Force of Destiny”) in a production starring Anna Netrebko, Ludovic Tezier, and Brian Jagde.
Don Alvaro (Brian Jadge) is a newcomer to Seville, probably from South America. He has fallen in love with Leonora (Anna Netrebko), the daughter of the Marquis of Calatrava (Fabrizio Beggi) who has forbidden the match. The lovers plan to elope, but Leonora hesitates at the last minute, and they are caught by her father who challenges Alvaro. To try to prove Leonora is pure, Alvaro throws down his gun which accidentally discharges, killing the Marquis. This accident sets the wheels of fate in motion.
Through the remaining three acts, Leonora’s brother, Don Carlo (Ludovic Tezier), seeks revenge, and fate deems that he and a disguised Alvaro end up serving together in the Spanish army. Eventually, Carlo and Alvaro have their sword fight which ends outside of the cave where Leonora has been living her ascetic life (as one does). Carlo is mortally wounded, and Alvaro runs off to get a surgeon. Meanwhile, Leonora leaves her cave, recognizes Carlo, and bends down to him to try to embrace her dying brother. However, he stabs her in the heart as he dies, and Leonora pleads with Alvaro to stop blaming God and cursing fate which he does as she dies.
No one is really happy in this opera.
They are joined by Vasiliisa Berzhansaya as Preziosilla, Alexander Vinogradov as Padre Guardiano, Marco Filippo Roman as Fra Mlitone, Hunhong Li as Alcade, Carlo Bosi as Trabuco, and Zhieldo Hyseni as the surgeon. Riccardo Chailly leads the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus.
Stay with us after the opera for more music of Verdi including his String Quartet in E Minor performed by the Enso Quartet and the Ballet from his opera “Jersalem” which was the French language version of “I Lombardi alla prima crociata.”
