It has become commonplace to say that ‘The force of destiny’ Verdi’s is not one of his best operas, largely because of a libretto so implausible that at some point it is more likely to elicit laughter than tears. It is, without a doubt, an unfair statement: in one fell swoop, some pages of enormous musical value are undervalued, such as the fascinating ‘Symphony’ that separates the first act from the second or the interventions of Leonora, the female protagonist. As if some of the most programmed operas were a feat of dramaturgy and did not have a single eighth note left over.
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Music:
verdi -
Performers:
A. Pirozzi, A. Ruciński, B. Jagde, C. Piva. Lyceum orchestra and choir. Jean-Claude Auvray, scene. N. Luisotti, director. -
Date:
November 12. -
Place:
Great Theater of the Liceo
However, it is worth pointing out some weak points that singers, musical directors and stage directors have to overcome. In the Liceo production, the talents of the soprano Anna Pirozzi stand out, as Leonora, and that of the musical director Nicola Luisotti. The first embodies a character tormented by his own mistakes with a measured emotionality that overflows in the aria ‘Pace, pace, mio Dio’.
The second delves into the score, providing impressive nuances in all registers. Aware that Verdi tried to fix the librettist Piave’s messes with music, Luisotti is capable of accompanying an action with an irregular rhythm, which moves forward in fits and starts in the literary sense but which, with his direction, evolves with reasonable fluidity in the sound sense.
Ruciński and Jagde, as Don Carlo and Alvaro respectively, defended their roles correctly. But here come the pitfalls. Leonora’s role is incredibly brief, being the protagonist. From the moment he flees at the beginning of the play until he is reunited with his brother and his lover, he spends hours absent. Thus, having a Pirozzi in the role is important, but not enough. The weight falls on those Don Carlo and Alvaro, with some duets that give goosebumps. Or they should, wow. The connection between the two aforementioned singers was not always optimal, thus creating long periods of music that was flatter than I would have liked.
If we add to this that the rest of the cast was a singer changes dance For various reasons, from colds to mysterious “agreements” with the Liceo to abandon production, the result was as irregular as Verdi’s own work.
The worst part, however, went to Jean-Claude Auvray’s set design, created more than a decade ago in a co-production between the Lycée and the Paris Opera. It has been described, very benevolently, as “elegant” and “minimalist”, which in the dictionary of synonyms should appear next to “bland” and “non-descript”.
Empty stages, completely open (lest the singers’ voices find something to bounce off and reach the audience’s ears in optimal conditions) and above all very static. I wanted to evoke paintings like those of Zurbarán, they say. As if we couldn’t visit them on the websites of a few museums and we needed them to be shown in an opera. Taking into account that Paris also replaced the production last season, it can be assumed that, since it is not an exciting production, nor particularly beautiful, nor does it help to make the plot believable, it must be, at least, cheap.
#force #destiny #Verdi #runs #aground #rocks
