The Heart of Opera Giuseppe Verdi's 'La forza del destino' - reviewed by MARIA NOCKIN '... a rhythmically alert, exciting performance ...'

Giuseppe Verdi's opera La forza del destino was first performed at the Imperial theatre of St Petersburg, Russia, on 22 November 1862. It was not seen in Italy until 27 November 1869, however, and that is the version that we see in this production originally staged at the Zurich Opera.

Nicolas Joël's Swiss production, restaged by Timo Schlüssel for the Florence Maggio Musicale, advances the time of the story to the era immediately preceeding Italian unification. Although the updating does not alter the story, it renders some of the characters' actions less believable because western European culture had changed radically in the interim. Ezio Frigerio's dark but exquisitely detailed sets help tell the opera's sprawling tale, however, while Franca Squarciapino's costumes establish the plot firmly in its transposed setting...

GIUSEPPE VERDI

ZUBIN MEHTA

OPERA