The Metropolitan Opera’s Gripping New Production of La Forza del Destino
Staging Verdi’s La forza del destino is an act of directorial prowess. This tragic tale of implacable fate, doomed love, extraordinary and devastating coincidences, and the relentless pursuit of revenge unfolds over many years. Its three protagonists age and transform, the times and settings change, and the fates of the three intertwine throughout a work that is a veritable colossus of music and drama. In the Met’s current production of the opera—first performed at the Polish National Opera last year—stage director Mariusz Trelinski has grappled thoughtfully with this complicated, labyrinthine plot. He has transposed the plot to the twentieth century into a fascist society that pursues war and propagates injustice, its escalating excesses leading to dystopia.
Leonora is at the heartbeat of the plot. The daughter of the Marquis of Calatrava, she is in love with the young Peruvian nobleman Don Alvaro, who is discriminated against because of his Inca heritage. Leonora’s father opposes the relationship between her and Alvaro, whom he considers unworthy, and she plans to flee with her lover. As they are about to leave, the Marquis discovers them. When Alvaro decides to surrender, his gun goes off inadvertently killing Leonora’s father. The accident triggers a series of heartbreaking and bloody events, fueled by Leonora’s brother, Carlo, and his desire to avenge his father’s death by killing the lovers.
In Trelinski’s vision, Leonora’s Seville home is the opulent Hotel Calatrava while the Marquis seems a type of military leader. As the opera unfolds, Boris Kudlicka’s sets and Bartek Macias’ projections create a grim world of war, destruction, and poverty. Images of helicopters cutting their way through thick smoke, invaded by fire and reddened by blood, infuse each act with a sense of devastation and terror. Add to that, chain link fences topped with barbed wire, Leonora’s totaled escape car, a dilapidated hospital, tombs of soldiers, and a deserted bombed-out subway station at the end, and the process of a universal crumbling into dystopia is practically complete. Even the church where Leonora seeks refuge is a dark space where the scourging of sin seems as regimented as the military, and Padre Guardiano is but a replacement of one dominating patriarchal figure with another.
Lise Davidsen as Leonora and Soloman Howard as Padre Guardiano in Verdi’s La forza del destino at the Metropolitan Opera (Photo: Karen Almond)
La forza del destino has not been performed at the Met for almost thirty years. This production not only brings back one of Verdi’s most tragic operas, but it offers this return as a shock to the system. It’s a shock that works and makes sense in the context of what is happening in the world. Trelinski’s vision resonates with current events, and the horror of war it evokes is all the more horrid in contrast with the magnificent singing and the ravishing music. In a traditional production the tragedy is, of course, poignant, but here, because of the brutal contrast between this masterpiece of music and the visuals that shred the heart and mind as they invoke thoughts of present wars, the tragic developments become almost unbearable and there is hardly any relief from the power of the drama.
In her highly anticipated debut as Leonora, Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen thrilled and moved an excited audience. She sang with smooth, pellucid power that seemed to spring from an unlimited source. This role is an indomitable tour de force, and one never felt that Davidsen held anything back as she grappled with the character’s tribulations. But it wasn’t just the shimmering, richly cascading volume of her voice that impressed. She spun her sounds into filigrees of quiet and deep-running anguish, like, for instance on the waves of her aria “Madre, pietosa Vergine.” Her “La Vergine degli angeli” resounded delicate and translucent, creating an aura of sonorous light around her, cleverly intensified by the floating luminous image of the Virgin Mary projected behind her. In Leonora’s most famous aria, “Pace, pace, mio Dio”, the silky thread of sound that began it developed into a river of anguish showcasing her gorgeous instrument in all its glory. Delving into the final trio, Davidsen’s diamantine tones took on an otherworldly quality as she died in Alvaro’s arms. This Leonora was a stunning first foray into Italian repertoire at the Met for the exceptional Norwegian soprano.
Brian Jagde as Alvaro in Verdi’s La forza del destino at the Metropolitan Opera (Photo: Karen Almond)
Tenor Brian Jagde brought heroic passion and brilliance to the role of Alvaro. In his main aria, “La vita è inferno all’infelice”, he displayed a mournful darkness of tone coupled with ringing, ardent phrases that burst with electrifying colors and emotional force. As Act III progressed, so did Jagde’s dramatic power, and his two duets with Carlo simmered with passion and profound agony, exploding into a larger-than-life fierceness, and resolving into the determination to withdraw from the world. That withdrawal and resignation as well as a certain sublimation and muted pain emanated movingly from Jagde’s voice in his last duet with Carlo. His implorations of Carlo to forgive and give up revenge rang sorrowfully and touchingly, turning into brisk anger as he ultimately decided to fight Leonora’s brother. In the final trio, the tenor’s voice took on a more tender quality, sweetening into the realization that his soul was saved by the dying Leonora.
Lise Davidsen as Leonora and Igor Golovatenko as Carlo in Verdi’s La forza del destino at the Metropolitan Opera (Photo: Karen Almond)
As Leonora’s revenge-minded brother, Carlo, baritone Igor Golovatenko conveyed determination and focus. His strong voice with its gleaming core and vivid high notes poured out relentlessly expressing fury and pain while maintaining a fluid Verdian legato. The theatrical and vocal chemistry he had with Brian Jagde was evident from the start. In all of his confrontations with the tenor, Golovatenko flourished vocally and dramatically, endowing the duets with increasing, exhilarating tension and vigor. He infused the aria “Urna fatale del mio destino” with ominous colors followed by fierce determination in “Egli è salvo.” Known for his elegant lines, Golovatenko managed to add a particularly harsh, fearsome strength to the vocality of this role, without obliterating the beauty of his sounds.
Bass Soloman Howard played two roles: Leonora’s father and Padre Guardiano—an astute choice, as the authoritarian priest was harsh and dominating toward Leonora like her father had been. Howard’s impressive, abundant sound granted both characters commanding authority. His Padre Guardiano was an awe-inspiring figure in flowing vocal lines of imposing yet velvety tones that transmitted both implacable resolution and weary, noble wisdom.
Patrick Carfizzi’s turn as Fra Melitone proved vocally and theatrically satisfying. Embodying the only comedic character in this opera, Carfizzi displayed impeccable diction and flexibility of sound. His solo in Act IV provided delightful and striking comic relief, and his lustrous tones blended well with Howard’s rich bass in their subsequent duet.
Lise Davidsen as Leonora and Brian Jagde as Alvaro in Verdi’s La forza del destino at the Metropolitan Opera (Photo: Karen Almond)
The only disappointment of the evening was the casting of Judit Kutasi as Preziosilla. While her voice proved remarkable in volume and, now and then, impressed in spectacular resonances, it lacked a certain flexibility and graceful ability to navigate the playful aspects of the role reflected in the staccati and ornamentations. At times, her voice sounded opaque, clunky, and even warbling as though uncomfortable in trying to shape its way through this rather nimble part. It just didn’t seem like the role was a good fit to showcase her at her best. One hopes that Kutasi’s Amneris in the Met’s Aida next season will be the ideal opportunity for audiences to experience the full scope and capabilities of her instrument.
The Met chorus conveyed strength and haunting mysticism in masterful singing. Yannick Nézet-Séguin led the Met orchestra with vigor, passion, and emotional force, drawing out the opera’s sublime and delicate moments with care and tenderness. It was a pity that Trelinski chose to stage the overture. While the orchestra played it, the turntable set spun around showing brief scenes with Leonora, her father, her brother, Alvaro, and guests at the Hotel Calatrava for a birthday party in Leonora’s honor. There was too much activity and too much spinning of the turntable to create any effective dramatic impact. It all became an unwelcome intrusion on the pure pleasure of simply listening to the iconic overture.
Objections aside, this production of La forza del destino makes for one of the most artistically and emotionally gripping experiences at the opera in recent years. I can’t recommend it enough!
Verdi’s La forza del destino runs through March 29th at the Metropolitan Opera.
Top: Lise Davidsen as Leonora in Verdi’s La forza del destino at the Metropolitan Opera – Photo: Karen Almond
