Customer Reviews

Verdi: La Forza del Destino

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a good recording, no doubt about it, but costumers should be aware of the fact that there is no libretto included, but only a detailed synopsis.

Sinopoli was a very imaginative Verdi conductor and deserved better here. Of the two leads, Carreras is seriously overparted and Plowright has a squally, irritating tone. In ruth there was no true Verdi dramatic sopranos at the time who could sing Leonora to a high standard, and with Domingo already tied to the Levine set on RCA and Pavarotti not having this role in his repertory (Don Alvaro is almost as heavy as Radames, which also was a strain for Pavarotti), Carreras was the logical choice. He does as good a job as you could want, and Rosalind Plowright has the notes for the part of Leonora, despite having a peculiarly covered timbre with curdled high notes. The rest of the cast, including the very experienced Bruson, is quite good. But one only has to compare Domingo and Leontyne Price in the lead roles to notice what is missing here.

I would still defend this 'La Forza' for the atmospheric sound and Sinopoli's imaginative conducting, but of course that's not enough to make a successful opera overall.

La forza del destino is probably no one's favorite Verdi opera, but it is still a glorious work. The problem, if it is one, is that - at least compared to some of the later operas - it musically speaking tends to come across as a series of separate (but often glorious) single scenes with no clear overall structure or development. This is something that Sinopoli's flowing but slightly incoherent account cannot remedy, but so could no one else, it seems, and this is still among the very best versions on record as far as I know.

Firstly, there are no genuine weaknesses among the singers here; even the smaller roles are superbly cast (not unexpectedly if you look at the list of names) - and there's a lot of those smaller roles in this opera, where several of them enter in and do their parts at quite crucial moments. This is, then, no minor feat, and it strongly counts in favor of this set as a top choice. In particular, Agnes Baltsa sings gloriously as Preziosilla in one of those marvelous scenes that really reveals Verdi's genius in act 1.

Secondly, there is Rosalind Plowright. Not only is her singing fabulous, but it is so full of character and feeling I can hardly think of any relevant comparison. Carreras pales in comparison, but he is to be honest generally very good as well, even though - especially later in the opera - he comes across as seeming a little disinterested. Bruson is as characterful as ever, even though the voice is not as fresh as it once was.

Now, what about the orchestral contribution? Well, the Philharmonia orchestra plays excellently, of course, and brings forth all the interesting textures and details one could possibly wish for. I generally like Sinopoli's approach as well - and he is superbly able to complement the singers with pacing and color. Sometimes the tempi are a little broad and he allows some juxtapositions of atmosphere and tempo that don't always convince me. Yet, the attention he brings to detail and the surging power he whips up from the Philharmonia players more than compensate, I think - I was a little dismayed when hearing the overture, but my worries were never realized in the opera itself. No qualms about the sound quality either, which is immediate and well-balanced. In short, this is a serious contender that really should be heard.

Although Verdi's basic style was established early in Nabucco (1842), he keeps getting better down through the 1860s with the spectacular La Forza del Destino and Don Carlo. In listening to his operas after 1870, I am too familiar with Aida and Otello to be deeply impressed with them; and I have never cared for Falstaff. The progress toward "true music drama" climaxing in Otello does not concern me although Boito's brilliant libretto makes that 1887 opera one of Verdi's best. The setting and plot of La Forza del Destino interest me more than any other Verdi opera. The accidental killing of a father, the brother's irrational but deadly vendetta and ,above all, the role played by Italian monasticism capture my imagination. Verdi's supercharged music is convincing at every point. What could be more electric than the brooding overture with its mournful clarinet melody? Leonora prays convincingly to the Virgin and then with a group of monks in Act II. I recall the role played by Italian monasticism in Ann Radcliffe's striking novel The Italian published in the 1790s, the same decade that Cherubini's Medee set the pattern of "grand opera," a basic element in Verdi despite all the talk about "music drama" without arias. Ewen observes, "With its pronounced dramatic content and enriched harmonic and orchestral writing, La Forza del Destino represents a gradual departure from the style of La Traviata toward that of Aida." I prefer to see this brilliant opera as a end in itself apart from any progressive scheme.

I appreciate most the interaction of keen drama with religion in a form preferable to the rather morbid religious-secular dualism of Wagner's Tannhauser. Although Verdi's monks may sing quietly, the religious element blends with the plot more convincingly than in Wagner's schematically opposed Pilgrim's Chorus and Venusberg music. Even more striking is the contrast between Verdi's opera and Tchaikovsky's frantic Eugen Onegin where the protagonist's stupid egotism results in a tragic duel. In Act IV of La Forza del Destino the noble lover Alvaro tries to convince the vengeful Carlo that "God alone can bring retribution." Although Carlo murders his sister and Alvaro is weak enough to curse his "destiny" (secular language for the overruling sovereignty of God), the last word goes to Padre Guadiano in "Non imprecare, umiliati." In addition to all these features the performance gives us Agnes Baltsa as an entertaining gypsy Preziosilla. Verdi measures out just the right amount of this change of pace rather than making us wallow in it as does Bizet's Carmen. In his great tragic opera, Verdi proves once for all that one of the best forms of opera is high-tension theater. His work forms a perfect complement to the operas of Meyerbeer.