Antonio Pappano explores the musical secrets of La forza del destino

Christof Loy directs a star-studded cast of singers in Verdi's epic opera. Conductor Antonio Pappano shares some of the hidden musical moments that make up this dramatic production. Subscribe to our channel and find out more at www.roh.org.uk...
La forza del destino is one of Verdi's most ambitious scores. Its overture - which introduces us to the sinister motif signifying Fate - is one of his most memorable. The opera also contains some of Verdi’s most brilliant choral writing, including Act III’s stirring ‘Rataplan’ chorus, and several beautiful and intimate arias such as Leonora's ardent Act IV 'Pace, pace mio Dio!'. There's comedy too with the scenes for the greedy monk Fra Melitone. Christof Loy's colourful and spectacular production reflects the kaleidoscopic nature of Verdi's opera, where intense personal dramas play out against a background of war, and in which religion plays an ambiguous role.
Verdi and his librettist and friend Francesco Maria Piave based La forza del destino on Ángel de Saavedra's highly dramatic play Don Alvaro, o la fuerzo del sino, and also incorporated material from Schiller's Wallenstein's Camp for Act III's military scenes. Following Forza's 1862 St Petersburg premiere, Verdi made extensive revisions to the score. The most substantial of these were a new overture, and a less melodramatic ending, in which Don Alvaro remained alive rather than committing suicide. The revised Forza, the version best known today, had its premiere on 27 February 1869 at La Scala, Milan.

[@operaFan-tn8ng]

Sir Antonio Pappano is so brilliant to share his wealth of knowledge with us in this way. I have learned so much about opera from his "Insights" introductions via the ROH posts and also through his series on voices and opera history. Thank you so much Meastro. ❤

[@begonaibarloza9291]

It's amazing the ability that Antonio Pappano has introducing us so profoundly (I talk by myself at least) to some aspects of the opera that I would never be able to apreciate by myself.

[@Szczur99]

Ohh, it was beautiful, no wonder that is sounds good when he understand it so well

[@theovlach]

I smell a DVD coming?

[@DuncanAppleby]

What beautiful and skilled video editing!

[@elmundodelaliricaespanola1995]

Original dframa by Angel Saavedra has more "force", it's a masterpiece in both version as a Drama Play (in spanish) and as opera (in italian).

[@santi7616]

these singers chosen for this production are magnificent, I would dare to say, the best. Anna Netrebko is wonderful in "La vergine degli angeli" , what a great soprano ¡¡

[@marcellomanfredibassi6650]

no lol

[@cassandre6656]

existe-t-ilun DVD de cet opéra avec ses artistes si talentueux, tous les trois réunis

[@bloodredlegions1953]

That’s my uncle

[@marcellomanfredibassi6650]

this video helped me go to the bathroom

[@TheYu87]

The cast is - well, the 'best' money can buy , though the quality of vocalists scarcely correlates to their market value nowadays. If only the set looked more fitting to such a great opera. It looks overly cheap. Pity.

[@GoranVONKarkin]

ANNA is the best !!!

[@herrbrucvald6376]

the modernist, deconstructed, ironic set...ugh.

[@sfd8894]

najhorsi spevacky zbor na svete ked som mal 5 rokov u nas v ruzomberku bol spevacky zbor ucitelov slovenska dochodcovia vsetci spievali zadarmo mozem dat p.papanovi cislo na menezera z partizanskeho. a keby a.netrebko neodspievala svoje 3 predstavenia pochybujem ci tato produkcia by bola prezentovatelna na verejnosti. sir papano sa nerozumie spievaniu ani orchestru pride mi ako lepsi barovy klavirista. chodieval som tam len kvoli volnym listkom a volnemu casu som rad ze odchadzam do pariza