Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
La forza del destino - Melodramma in four acts (production in
the original St. Petersburg version, 1862)
Marquis of Calatrava - Grigory Karasev (bass); Donna Leonora, his daughter
- Galina Gorchakova (soprano); Curra, her chambermaid - Lia Shevtsova (soprano);
Don Alvaro, lover of Leonora and of Royal Inca Indian descent - Gregam Grigorian
(tenor); Don Carlo of Vargas, Leonora’s brother - Nikolai Putilin (baritone);
Preziosilla, a gypsy girl - Marianna Tarasova (mezzo); Fra Melitone, a Friar
- Georgy Zastavny (bass); Padre Guardiano, Father Superior - Sergei Alexashkin
(bass); Mastro Trabuco, muleteer - Nikolai Gassiev (tenor); An Alcade, a mayor
- Yevgeny Nikitin (tenor); Spanish military surgeon - Yuri Laptev (tenor)
The Kirov Chorus and Orchestra/Valery Gergiev
Director: Elijah Moshinsky, Set design: Andrei Voitenko after original designs
by Andreas Roller; Costume design by Peter J. Hall
rec. live, Mariinsky Theatre, 1998
TV and Video Director: Brian Large
Sound Format: PCM Stereo. DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC. Picture Format: 16:9
Subtitles in Italian (original language), English, German, French, Spanish,
and Dutch
Booklet essay and synopsis in English, French, German
ARTHAUS MUSIK DVD 100079 [160:00]
This DVD video recording is, in its way, an historic document. It is quite
distinct from the various other recordings available in the medium and not
just because conductor Valery Gergiev uses the rarely heard original version,
composed for St. Petersburg and premiered in that city in 1862. That version
has distinct differences from Verdi’s revised version, first staged
in Milan in 1869 and contains dramatic scenes and arias not included in the
latter. Furthermore, and nearly unique in the annals of recorded opera, the
stage-set for this 1998 live recording in the Mariinsky Theatre recreates
the designs produced by Andreas Roller for the original St. Petersburg premiere
in 1862.
Verdi composed La forza del destino after a two-year
break from composition following the premiere of Un Ballo in Maschera
(17 February 1859). This was a period of great turmoil in the states
of Italy and consequently in the composer’s personal life. On 28 April
1859 the Austrian army had invaded and Victor Emmanuel had called on the Italian
population to rise up and fight for their independence. On 29 April Verdi
married Giuseppina Strepponi his long-time companion. He was 45, she 43. Whilst
the regularisation of their relationship ensured Giuseppina’s situation
in the turbulent times, it also made easier their social acceptance and movement
in the political circles in which Verdi was increasingly involved. During
the ensuing months Verdi, and his close friend Mariani, paid for and helped
import guns for the local militias. With the help of Garibaldi’s troops
and the machinations of Cavour, who Verdi described as the father of Italy,
a unified nation came into existence. At Cavour’s insistence Verdi stood,
and was elected to Italy’s first National Parliament. This was not exactly
what Verdi had intended for this period of his life. Rather, he had hoped
to spend time, and money, on his estate at St. Agata. Nor was Verdi wholly
comfortable amongst the political activities. Although he in fact remained
a deputy until the end of the first parliament in 1865, he had earlier asked
Cavour, who died in June 1861, for release as he had been approached for another
opera.
This approach had come from the Imperial Italian Theatre in St. Petersburg.
With Verdi busy away at the Parliament, Giuseppina managed the correspondence
and persuaded Verdi that, with suitable provisions, the cold in Russia would
be manageable and he should accept the lucrative commission. The first suggestion
of subject, Victor Hugo’s dramatic poem Ruy Blas, with its romantic
liaisons across the social divide, met censorship problems. After some struggle
for another subject Verdi settled on the Spanish drama Don Alvaro, o La
fuerza del sino by Angel Perez de Saavedra, Duke of Rivas. This was deemed
suitable in Russia and Verdi asked his established collaborator Piave to provide
the libretto. Verdi worked throughout the summer of 1860 as Giuseppina made
the domestic arrangements for the shipment of Bordeaux wine, Champagne, rice,
macaroni cheese and salami for themselves and two servants. They expected
to be in St. Petersburg for three months and travelled to Paris to take a
direct train.
The Verdis arrived in St. Petersburg in November 1861, but during rehearsals
the principal soprano became ill. As there was no possible substitute the
premiere was postponed until the following autumn and after some sightseeing
the Verdis returned home. At its delayed premiere the work was well received
with the Czar attending a performance. However, Verdi himself was not wholly
satisfied with his creation, and after its Rome premiere in April 1863 he
withdrew it for revision. This recording is of the original St. Petersburg
version of 1862 which was reprised the following year in that city. As I have
noted, it is performed in a re-creation of the sets used in that original
production.
In La forza del destino Verdi writes on a massive dramatic canvas.
With its story of unrequited love, racial prejudice and violent deaths, some
contend it is his darkest opera. Ever the man of the theatre Verdi leavened
the dark facets of the story with brighter, even humorous interludes. These
particularly involve the irascible Friar Melitone, whose sermon is lifted
from a Schiller play, and who is forced to join a whirling dance with the
vivandiers in act 3 in an army camp (CD tr. 17). Verdi poured great intensity
and creativity into this work of his mature compositional period, and the
opera contains scenes, arias and duets that are included amongst his finest
music.
The sets are quite magnificent and atmospheric. With period costumes designed
by Peter J Hall, gimmick-free direction by Elijah Moshinsky and idiomatic
and dramatic conducting by Valery Gergiev this has the makings of a performance
to savour. The singers largely match these virtues, albeit, not unexpectedly,
there is some lack of Italianata among them. For his tenor friend Tamberlick,
who had helped facilitate the composer’s acceptance of the St. Petersburg
approach, Verdi wrote the most demanding music in respect of both length and
vocal weight. In this 1862 version, the role of Alvaro is certainly not a
role for a lyric tenor with aspirations. In fact Verdi quickly came to the
conclusion that the vocal demands of the role could only be met by Tambelick
and he quickly revised the score for performance elsewhere before withdrawing
it altogether for more radical revision having also become aware that the
triple deaths and overall darkness of the subject needed modification. Although
not the most romantic in appearance, Gegam Grigorian as Alvaro sings with
wide dynamic, full ringing tone and no little vocal grace in his demanding
music (CHs.30-31 and 47-49). Although his fated lover, Leonora, gets quite
a long rest after her big sing in acts one and two it is a role that requires
a full spinto voice. It demands a wide range of expression and colour along
with the ability to hold a legato line in the flowing cantilena of the La
Vergine degli angeli that concludes act two (CH.28), and the more dramatic
Pace, pace, mio Dio in act four (CH.58). In this performance Galina
Gorchakova fulfils all expectations and hopes admirably with full tone and
good Italian nuance to her phrasing.
Verdi had written the role of Melitone with the baritone de Bassini specifically
in mind. He it was who had created Seid (Il Corsaro), the Doge (I
Due Foscari) and Miller (Luisa Miller). He was not a buffa and
Verdi wrote to him to assure him that he did not see the singer or the role
in that context. What Verdi wanted, and got from de Bassini, was a full-toned
and tuned bass-baritone with capacity for an acted and vocal turn of humour.
This is what Georgy Zastavny conveys in this performance in a role that is
often seen as a precursor to the composer’s conception of Falstaff (CHs.45
and 51). The Carlo of Nikolai Putilin is strong if a little dry and lacking
in much variety of vocal colour, as is the Padre Giardano of Sergei Alexashkin.
Although it is a matter of regret that Olga Borodina was not available to
sing Preziosilla for this recording, as she was for the Philips audio set
of two years previously, Marianna Tarasova’s gypsy is vocally rich if
lacking a little in vibrancy whilst bringing the role to life (CHs.43-46).
This original 1862 St Petersburg version has several significant differences
to the later revision premiered at La Scala in 1869, not 1867 as stated in
the booklet essay (p9). Although two audio versions exist of this original
version, this DVD should have pride of place over either in a Verdi collection.
It is far easier to comprehend the differences in the sequencing of the unfolding
drama in the original version of this complex and episodic opera. This is
particularly so compared with the more commonly performed revision and especially
when seen rather than merely read about.
For the revised version premiered in 1869 Verdi wrote an expanded overture,
a new last scene leaving Alvaro alive, and re-arranged the numbers in the
latter part of act 3 so as to finish with Preziosilla’s Rataplan
della Gloria. This also resulted in the loss of a tenor aria and cabaletta
(CH.49). It involved the relocation of the duet where Carlo reveals that he
has identified Alvaro as the killer of his father, and he believes seducer
of his sister, for whom he has been searching with intent to assuage the Calatrava
family honour. It is in the 1869 revision, albeit often with cuts, that the
opera is all too infrequently heard today.
The booklet contains a full Chapter listing with cast and timings, a brief
essay on Verdi and his works, a second under the opera’s title and an
act-by-act synopsis. The latter are given in English, French and German.
Robert J Farr
Despite minor limitations this production and performance should have a place
in every Verdi collection.