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More than a Mere Curiosity
Verdi's 'Giovanna d'Arco',
reviewed by MIKE WHEELER
Verdi's Giovanna d'Arco, the headline opera for this year's Buxton Festival, is an early work, from that period between Nabucco and Rigoletto (most of the 1840s) the composer called his 'galley years'. Elijah Moshinsky's production and Russell Craig's designs sit light to the period, but then Temistocle Solera's libretto is not exactly a model of historical accuracy, either — Joan falls in love with the French King, Carlo, and dies on the battlefield instead of at the stake.
The focus, instead, is on human drama rather than epic spectacle...
Copyright © 20 July 2015
Mike Wheeler,
Derby UK
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