In early 1861, Verdi received an offer to write an opera for Russia. The famous tenor Enrico Tamberlik, who performed in Russia for many years, was the mediator in the negotiations between the composer and the management of the St. Petersburg imperial theaters. The search for a libretto began. "Ruy Blaz", which has long attracted Verdi, has not received censorship approval. "Since it is impossible to compose" Ruy Blaz "for St. Petersburg, I am in the greatest difficulty, - wrote Verdi to Tamberlik. - I leafed through a great many dramatic works and did not find anything that would completely satisfy me. I cannot and do not want to sign an agreement before, than find a plot suitable for the artists I will have in St. Petersburg, and a plot that will be approved by the authorities "(March 5, 1861). Several months passed until Verdi opted for the Spanish play Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny. "The drama is majestic, peculiar and huge. I really like it, but I don't know if the audience will find in it everything that I find. One thing is certain: it is something outstanding" (August 20, 1861).
The author of the drama chosen by Verdi was a famous writer - the head of the Spanish romantic school Don Анngele Perez de Saavedra, Duke de Rivas. Expelled from Spain as a participant in the War of Independence, he spent many years in exile. His play, directed against the Spanish oppression of the peoples of South America, received a warm welcome in democratic circles when staged in Spain in 1835.
Having instructed Piave to compose the libretto, Verdi began to work with enthusiasm on the opera. On December 6, 1861, he arrived in St. Petersburg to learn The Force of Destiny. But the prima donna M. Lagroix, who was supposed to play a central role, fell ill. In this regard, Verdi preferred to postpone the production of the opera until the autumn of 1862, and asked to involve the young talented singer C. Barbo in the lead role. Before leaving Russia, Verdi stopped in Moscow for several days to see the museums and sights of the city. In February he was already in Paris, then returned to Italy, but not for long. Verdi spent the spring in London as music representative Italy at the World Exhibition in London, for which he composed the cantata "Inno delle nazioni" ("Hymn of Nations"). The text of the cantata was written by Arrigo Boito. This cantata, with its officially solemn character, does not belong to Verdi's creative successes. The composer himself did not rate this work highly.
After several months of rest in Sant'Agat, in mid-September Verdi went back to St. Petersburg, having previously stopped in Moscow to attend the production of Troubadour, which was performed with great success. Upon learning that the composer was in the hall, Muscovites greeted him with enthusiastic applause.
On November 10, The Power of Destiny was staged in St. Petersburg. The audience warmly greeted the author. But on the pages of the Russian press, Verdi's new opera was subjected to harsh criticism, more severe and harsh than it deserved. This excessive exactingness of Russian progressive musical thought in relation to Verdi's opera is largely due to the complex and difficult circumstances in which Russian opera was then found.
Russian music theater lovers knew and loved Italian opera well. Since the 1940s, the Italian troupe has come to Russia every year. In Moscow and St. Petersburg, Rubini, Tamburini, Frezzolini, Grisi, Mario and other famous Italian artists sang with great success.
Verdi's operas have been known in Russia since 1845, when The Lombards were first performed on the Russian stage. Verdi's music has found many ardent fans. However, in the 60s and 70s, when there was an intense struggle in Russia for the Russian national culture, for the Russian musical art, outstanding representatives of Russian musical thought: Serov, Stasov, Tchaikovsky, spoke out against the "Italianism" and "Italomania" widespread in the Russian public.
Russian musicians were outraged by the unacceptable attitude of the management of the imperial theaters to the Russian opera. Operas by Russian composers were staged by the theater management reluctantly and poorly. Very meager funds were allocated for their performances. Music was subjected to unreasonable, anti-artistic denunciations. It is significant, for example, that Boris Godunov was twice rejected by a special committee at the theater and was staged only at the insistence of the influential artist Yu. F. Platonova.
For several years, Tchaikovsky wrote about the state of Russian opera in his musical feuilletons "... In my reviews," he says in one of the articles, the heart of Russia, the Russian opera. (...) But has my philippics, seasoned with the most poisonous arrows of irony, anger and indignation, been heard by anyone? (...) Isn't the entrepreneur of the Italian opera still uncontrollably in control of all the means of the state theater, attracting all the money and all the time of the Moscow public (...).
In this outrageous exploitation by the Italian entrepreneur of the musical underdevelopment of the inhabitants of Moscow (...) you don’t know who is to blame more: whether the Italian entrepreneur and his accomplice, the theater management, or the audience so willingly bearing their yoke, so readily rushing to Dmitrovka in the spring to stock up subscription tickets "*.
* (Tchaikovsky P. I. Explanation with the reader. - In the book: Tchaikovsky P. I. Musical-critical articles. M., 1953, p. 159 160.)
Serov has repeatedly written about the frivolous attitude of music lovers to the opera, who are looking for not dramatic content in it, but only beautiful arias that can be heard performed by famous artists: "They listen to us, for example," Ballo in maschera "* by Verdi. plays, before intrigue, before characters - everyone is waiting for Tamberlik's solo in the quintet, Fioretti's aria and, most importantly, Graziani's aria in front of the portrait "**.
* ("Masquerade ball".)
** (Serov A.N. The fate of the opera in Russia.- Selected. articles, v. 1, p. 347.)
From the above statements of Tchaikovsky and Serov, it is clear that the dominance of Italian opera in Russia at that time was an obstacle to the development of Russian opera: the "Italomania" of that part of the public for which music was at the level of pleasant fun prevented the introduction of the artistic ideals put forward by Russian progressive musical thought. Therefore, in those years, the struggle against "Italomania" was a struggle for the original Russian art and had progressive social significance.
In this struggle, the difference in the paths of Russian and Italian opera was also significant. Both Italian and Russian composers in their musical speech turned to their native folk-song sources. However, Russian composers, relying on the samples of Russian folk art, developed them in a rich and diverse way. They drew new expressive means from the characteristic features of Russian folk song. It is quite understandable that they could not be satisfied with the elementary development of thematic material that was found in Verdi's early operas (as you know, he sometimes composed them two, even three a year), poor in harmonic and polyphonic development.
Let us also recall that in the 1960s, during the formation of the New Russian School, there was an erroneous view that only peasant songs, preserved intact, are truly folk, in contrast to the "pseudo-folk" city songs. And Verdi, who relied in his work primarily on everyday folk music, repeatedly received unfair reproaches from Russian musicians for the indiscriminate taste and even for the vulgarity, "organ melodies" of their melodies.
The very principles of opera drama, the understanding of realism in operatic art, were different among Russian composers and Verdi at that time of his work. Verdi is looking for unusual characters, strong passions; it is unusual characters, emotions, situations that he seeks to find true expression in music. Other things are in the center of attention of Russian composers.
"Russian composers are interested not so much in dramatic intrigues and adventures as an end in themselves, and even not so much in people, their collisions and attractions, but in life itself, completely regardless of the color in which it allows itself to be comprehended. Against the background of life, people are like a relief on a massive plane. , as if highlighted by it, just as the inner emotional world reveals the visible appearance of a person "*. In these words of BV Asafiev, the most important dramatic principles of Russian opera were aptly defined. "Life itself", albeit without external stage entertainment, is what attracts Russian composers first of all. Hence - the depth of historical truth, so unlike the conventional historicism of Italian serious opera, and French grand opera.
* (Asafiev B.V. Symphonic etudes. L., 1970, p. 54-55.)
Verdi more than once succumbed to the temptations of theatrical showiness, and the disclosure of the human psyche, although the composer was constantly striving for it, was often overshadowed in his operas by the melodrama of situations; he freed himself from the burden of romantic exaggeration with difficulty and gradually throughout his long career. And yet it must be said that the acuteness of the controversy that arose around the Italian opera, often prevented Russian criticism from appreciating the merits of Verdi's opera.
The passionate propagandist of the New Russian School, inclined to extreme judgments, V.V. Stasov, has repeatedly made sharp attacks on Verdi's music. Tchaikovsky also underestimated Verdi's operas of the 1950s. However, neither Serov, nor Tchaikovsky, nor Laroche denied the enormous talent of Verdi and his artistic power. best works... In particular, Tchaikovsky highly appreciated Verdi's later operas Aida and Othello. Calling himself an inveterate "enemy of Italian opera, he at the same time closely followed everything that was created by composers not only in his homeland, but also abroad: he warmly greeted" Carmen "Bizet, he was the first to draw the attention of the Russian public to" Aida "Verdi. Discussing the staging of the Italian opera in print, calling for the renewal and enrichment of its repertoire, he advised staging the Italian opera" Aida "on the stage. This was in 1873, that is, a year after its birth.
Verdi's work, which for a number of years has caused heated debate among Russian musicians, was apt and justly assessed in Serov's article on "The Force of Destiny": "About Verdi, as well as about the heroes of music in the foreground in a certain era and in a certain sphere in general. , opinions are very divided for more than a dozen years. "This is a fashionable buffoon, a gayer, a supplier of musical vulgarity for the sake of loud-loving, frantic singers-dropouts and an audience with spoiled taste", - so indignantly exclaim the adherents of the so-called serious classical (?) music , fans of Bach concerts and Mendelssohn quartets.
"This is an inspirational lyricist, a fascinating dramatic, this is a melodist, full of inimitable charm, this is - great artistcapturing the heart from the first sounds, it is a powerful voice from soul to soul and the highest expression of the best, that is, Italian music in our time, "- so enthusiastically exclaim music lovers and adherents of Italianism, whose name is" legion "in every educated circle . (...)
The time will come when the wars of the warring parties will go out and about Giuseppe Verdi. The opinion of the "praisers" will be tempered by dithyrambic enthusiasm. (...)
On the other hand, even the "classics" will have to understand that the tremendous, all-world success of an author can never be without a significant reason, in the works of this author itself, lying, that it is impossible to take possession of the masses of all kinds of publics without deep inner dignity, without great a talent close to genius. (...)
Like any powerful talent, Verdi reflects in himself his nationality and his era. He is the flower of his soil. He is the voice of modern Italy (...), Italy awakened to consciousness, Italy agitated by political storms, Italy bold and ardent to the point of fury. It is clear that the artist, called upon to be the organ of such an era of his people, in the foreground must have the strength and energy of musical thought. Sometimes this energy will be reflected in a sharp rhythmic movement, even to the detriment of the melodic qualities proper, sometimes in impulsive exclamations at the highest sounds of male and female voices, to the detriment of their preservation, sometimes in the massiveness and brightness of the orchestral forces, reaching exaggeration and deafening "*.
* (Serov A. N. Verdi and his new opera. - Critical articles, vol. 3, stb. 1441 - 1442.)
"The Force of Destiny" is not one of Verdi's best achievements, although this opera contains many pages of beautiful, inspirational music.
The Spanish romantic drama, so close in its aspirations to Hugo's theater, has attracted Verdi not for the first time. On the plots of the dramas of Gutierrez were written, as already mentioned, "Troubadour" and "Simon Boccanegra". The gloomy flavor characteristic of Spanish romantic literature also reigns in The Force of Destiny. However, the "canvas" of the bloody drama is colored here with a number of living scenes from the life of the people. Unfortunately, in the libretto compiled by Piave, these realistic elements are smoothed out, reduced to a subordinate position of random episodes that are not organically connected with the drama. The main storyline is non-contrast: the power of fate pursues the heroes. Contrary to his own wishes, Alvaro (the main character) becomes the killer of his beloved's father and brother and the indirect culprit of her death. A fatal atmosphere reigns in the opera from the first act to the denouement, where all the heroes die.
The action takes place in Seville in the 18th century. Alvaro, the son of the Inca leader, the last offspring of an ancient family, persecuted for fighting the Spanish oppressors, loves the daughter of a Spanish nobleman Leonora, who decides to flee with him from her parental home. But the attempt to escape is revealed. Defending himself from the attacking servants, Alvaro inadvertently wounds to death Leonora's father, who, dying, curses his daughter. Leonora's brother Don Carlos vowed to avenge his father's death with the death of Alvaro and his sister. Fleeing from her brother's revenge, Leonora wanders, disguised as a pilgrim, and finds shelter in a monastery, where she remains to live under the guise of a hermit.
Don Carlos and Alvaro, both in disguise and under false names, meet at the camp of the Italian troops during a war in which Alvaro participates as a volunteer. In brave deeds, Alvaro seeks death, as he is sure of the death of Leonora. He saves Carlos' life, and both vow to eternal friendship. But when chance reveals to Carlos the true name of Alvaro, he challenges him to a duel, in which Alvaro severely wounds Carlos. Seeking oblivion, Alvaro leaves for the monastery (the same one in which Leonora is hiding). But Carlos does not leave thoughts of revenge. He finds Alvaro. Despite his resistance, Carlos insults and achieves a second fight. They fight near the hermit's cave - Leonora. The dying Carlos mortally wounds Leonora. Alvaro throws himself into the abyss in desperation *.
* (Not satisfied with the first edition of the opera, Verdi returned to it seven years later. In the second edition, wanting to defuse the atmosphere of darkness and despair, Verdi changed the denouement: Alvaro remains alive. The forgiveness of the dying Leonora instills in his soul the hope of reconciliation with heaven. The Force of Destiny was a great success in Milan in 1869.)
Such a condensation of tragic circumstances, combined with such an exaggeration of romantic passions, as in The Force of Destiny, is not found in any of the plots of Verdi's other operas. True, the images of the merciless avengers - Silva in "Hernani" and Renato in "Masquerade Ball" - are akin to the image of Carlos in "Force of Destiny", and the improbability of romantic horrors combined in the plot of "Troubadour" perhaps even surpasses the improbability of the events of "The Force fate ". But the dynamic plots of Ernani, Troubadour and Masquerade Ball contain magnificent inner contrasts that are almost absent in The Force of Destiny.
The tragic death of Leonora's father in the first act casts a deep shadow on the entire course of the development of the action. Strictly speaking, there is no character development. Leonore, whose restless soul finds a way out in self-denial, belongs to the best poetically sublime scene in the opera at the monastery (second act). But this is where the role of the main character is essentially over. Leonora appears again only in the final scene of the finale at the moment of a tragic denouement.
Throughout the opera, Carlos is obsessed with a thirst for revenge. Alvaro, convinced of Leonora's death, appears almost invariably in the guise of a sufferer seeking oblivion.
The gloomy coloring of the opera is colored only by the introductory genre episodes. These are realistic sketches of folk life in a tavern (second act), in a military camp (third act). Preciosilla's songs, the fiery choirs Tarantella and Rataplan, the beggars' chorus, comic scenes with Fra Melitone - all these colorful spots, as already mentioned, are not organically connected with the drama and create a purely external contrast.
The flaws of the libretto's drama could not but affect the music of the opera, the gloomy monotony of which is not redeemed by the presence of living folk scenes. But in the episodes that reveal the spiritual world of the heroes, Verdi created music of great artistic impact.
The gloomy, agitated theme of fate is impressive, throughout the entire opera inseparable from the images of Alvaro and Leonora, pursued by rock:
The main thematic material, as almost always with Verdi, is expressive and rich. The opera has many beautiful melodies, colorful orchestration.
Melodic charm, psychological subtlety of declamatory writing captivate such episodes as the scene of farewell to her father, who decided to secretly escape from the parental home of Leonora *:
* (Text translation:
Leonora. Father! Marquis. Why are you sad? Don't be sad ... Leonora. Oh, pangs of conscience! Marquis. I'm leaving. Leonora. My father! Marquis. Save you heaven! Goodbye.
In the idyllically gentle dialogue between father and daughter, parting before bedtime, Leonora's passionate explosion of melancholy and remorse (in the words: "Ah padre mio!") Is highlighted by a bright melody takeoff, shaded by sensitive harmonies.
Among the best pages is the scene at the monastery, where she came to seek refuge, haunted by the obsessive thoughts of the murdered father Leonore. The gloomy and confused theme of fate, dominating at the beginning of this scene, gives way to the strict choral sounds of a prayer that comes from behind the walls of the monastery. The famous aria-prayer of Leonora at the monastery is based on psychological contrast:
Tragically agitated at the beginning, it ends with a sublimely detached melody:
92.
This theme of Leonora the hermit has almost the same meaning in the opera as the theme of fate. One of the best lyrical episodes of the opera is Alvaro's romance, with its melodious and simple melody (beginning of the third act) *:
* (Translation of the text: "In heaven, among the angels, you are blameless.")
Alvaro at night, alone, in a military camp, gives himself up to sad memories. In an expressive instrumental role-playing (clarinet solo), the poetic theme of Alvaro's love sounds.
In the second edition, the opera was replenished with a wonderful developed overture, which replaced the initially short prelude, and an excellent final trio, in which melodic brightness and declamatory expressiveness are combined with subtle harmonic colors.
With a great emotional saturation of the music associated with the main characters, their characters are still poorly revealed. Verdi did not create living individual portraits. Rather (as in Verdi's early operas) the heroes of Forces of Destiny are perceived as expressing certain emotions: the elegiac image of Leonora is the embodiment of suffering, Carlos is the embodiment of merciless revenge.
Better written out the character of Alvaro, echoing in lyrical episodes with the image of Manrico in "Troubadour".
The opera's undoubted successes include everyday episodes and much in the depiction of some side characters.
The famous choir "Rataplan", which has won wide popularity in Italy for its vigorous cheerfulness and clarity, does not bring anything essentially new to Verdi's work. But in some comic scenes (especially when depicting the fat grumpy Fra Melitone), new musical and dramatic devices and new images appear.
Verdi finds here juicy, everyday colors, realistic vividness of speech intonations, bold and unexpected harmonies that emphasize the comic nature of individual positions.
One of Fra Melitone's best episodes is his beggar scene. Fra Melitone is obliged to endure monastic alms to the beggars by duty, he does this very reluctantly. But when he hears the praise lavished by the poor for the generous Fra Raphael (Alvaro), he loses his temper and breaks out in abuse. *
* ("Beggars, worse than Lazarus, shameless beggars, away, away from here, you scoundrels, go to hell!")
The image of Fra Melitone is something new for Verdi; it is not the gloomy laugh of the masked characters, the conspirators from the "Masquerade Ball", not the elegantly carefree smiles of Oscar, but the rude, realistic, juicy folk humor. Fra Melitone is a reincarnated character of the Italian opera buffa in a new way, the closest predecessor of Verdi's Falstaff.
In The Force of Destiny, with the greatest clarity, perhaps, the drawbacks of drama inherent in a number of Verdi's operas of this period were revealed. This is one of the most characteristic examples of "horror romance" in operatic art. The hypertrophy of the extreme, taken to the extreme in the plot of this opera, inevitably led to monotony. Despite the abundance of beautiful, impressive music, "Force of Destiny" is weaker than its best predecessors. In terms of the nature of the drama, it is closest to the Troubadour, but in the brightness of contrasts it is indisputably inferior to him.
It is not surprising that The Force of Destiny, in which the most vulnerable aspects of Verdi's drama were revealed with particular clarity, did not win the sympathy of Russian musicians.
How did Verdi react to the statements of Russian critics about his work? In correspondence with friends, he passes this question in silence, nevertheless, from individual ironically irritated remarks and from the indignant remarks of the composer's wife, one can judge that the criticism of this Verdi did not remain indifferent.
An interesting and, I think, fair conclusion on this matter is made by F. Abbyati: it is the Russian criticism of The Force of Destiny that Abbyati considers the first serious impetus for the composer to revise his creative methods. According to Abbyati, the birth of this opera coincides with "a mighty awakening of not only the creative, but also the mental powers of Verdi," when the composer, indignant at the criticism of "learned" musicians, is nevertheless forced to ponder over it. "And since then he has been seized by an unrelenting worm of doubt, which makes him reconsider a lot around himself and in himself, to think not only about his own, but also about other people's creativity and, finally, to pay attention also to what has created, created and promised to create a young generation of composers, whom, in truth, until then he had paid little attention to (...). There is no doubt that from now on Verdi will cease to neglect enemies and underestimate rivals. But he will never experience fear of them or will imitate them (...) and yet he will not refuse to get to know them better, to get a clear idea of \u200b\u200btheir direction, all the more so when it is so different from his own "*. According to Abbyati, "The Force of Destiny" is the last Verdi melodrama in its purest form; further under the influence of reflections on the ways of contemporary music and the tasks that arise before opera composers, Verdi enters a period of revision - a period of revisions of Macbeth, the same Force of Destiny, Don Carlos, Simon Boccanegra. And this period serves as an approach to the last innovative creations of Verdi.
* (Abbiati F. Giuseppe Verdi: Le vite, v. 2, p. 715-716.)
Returning to the period of the production of The Forces of Destiny, I must say that in letters from Russia, keeping silent about Russian criticism, Verdi, as it were, opposes it with the success of his operas on the Moscow and St. Petersburg stages and the cordiality with which he was received in the "land of ice" ... "For two months - be amazed, amazed - I have been in salons and at dinners, at festivals, etc., etc. I met titled and untitled people: men and women, the most amiable and distinguished by a truly charming courtesy, a politeness quite different from the audacious courtesy of the Parisians "(November 17, 1862). These lines, unflattering for the Parisians, Verdi wrote to Clarine Maffei, leaving Petersburg and heading for Paris, where he stopped for a while on his way to Spain to stage the Forces of Destiny in Madrid. Like the trip to Russia, Verdi made it together with Giuseppina, with whom he almost never parted. From Madrid, where "The Force of Destiny" was performed with great success (staged on January 11, 1863), they took a trip to Andalusia, saw a folk festival. They visited Seville, Cordoba, Grenada, Cadiz, Jerez. The Alhambra aroused their admiration; the gloomy El Escorial made a depressing impression on Verdi.
On the way back, despite a great desire to return home as soon as possible, Verdi was forced to stay in Paris, as he promised to attend the resumption of "Sicilian Vespers" at the Grand Opera. Only in the summer of 1863, "mortally" tired, he finally returned to Italy.
Characters (edit)
- Marquis Calatrava - bass.
- Leonora, his daughter is a soprano.
- Don Carlos de Vargas, his son is a baritone.
- Don lvaro, Leonora's admirer is a tenor.
- Kurra, Leonora's maid is a mezzo-soprano.
- Preciosilla, a young gypsy woman - mezzo-soprano.
- Mayor - bass.
- Maestro Trabuco, mule driver, peddler, gossip - tenor.
- Padre Guardiano, Franciscan - bass.
- Fra Melitone, Franciscan - baritone.
- Doctor - bass.
- Peasants, servants, pilgrims, soldiers, monks - chorus.
Contents (according to the St. Petersburg edition)
Act I
House of the Marquis Calatrava. In the evening, the Marquis and his daughter Leonora are sitting in the living room, the Marquis tells his daughter about his love and care, mentioning that he managed to ward off the unworthy applicant for her hand, Alvaro, from the house. Meanwhile, tonight, Leonora and Alvaro prepare to flee. After her father leaves, Leonora has only a few minutes left to mentally say goodbye to the house (“ Me pellegrina ed orfana» - « Homeless orphan"). An enthusiastic Alvaro appears, ready to take away Leonora (" Ah, per semper, o mio bell'angiol”), But Leonora begs him to postpone the flight for at least one day in order to say goodbye to his father. Alvaro reproaches Leonora for neglecting his love. Struck by the reproach, Leonora is ready to flee (" Son tua, son tua col core e colla vita! " - "yours, yours with all your heart and life"), but then the Marquis Calatrava bursts into the room with armed servants. Alvaro declares to the Marquis that Leonora is innocent, and throws the pistol on the floor, not wanting to raise his hand against his beloved father. The pistol spontaneously fires, the marquis, struck to death, dies, cursing his daughter. In the confusion, Alvaro escapes.
Act II
First painting (tavern)
The mule drivers fill the tavern. Among them is Trabucco, who is accompanied by Leonora, dressed in a man's dress, who immediately goes upstairs. Her brother Carlos also comes here in search of Leonora, vowing to kill his sister and her seducer. In vain, Carlos tries to find out the identity of Trabucco's companion - the latter laughs it off, and then snaps. The waitress Preziosilla enters the tavern, surrounded by fans, urging everyone present to go to war with the Germans in Italy (“ Al suon del tamburo» - « Drum beat"). The stormy gaiety is interrupted by pilgrims going on a pilgrimage; all present join in the prayer (" Padre eterno Signor, pieta di noi»).
Carlos' questions raise a counter question who he is. Carlos tells the story of the murder of his father, while, however, calling himself Pereda - a friend of Carlos, and unsuccessful searches for an adulterous sister and her seducer (“ Son pereda son ricco d'onore"). Leonora hears this story and realizes that no mercy should be expected from her brother.
Second painting (courtyard of the monastery)
Disguised as a man's dress, Leonora arrives at the monastery at night ("Sono giunta! Grazie, o Dio!"). She is in confusion, only in a monastery, in strict solitude, she hopes to be saved from her brother's revenge and to beg forgiveness from God for her involuntary participation in the death of her father. She is certain of Alvaro's death. A knock on the door is answered by Melitone, who does not want to let the stranger in. Then the abbot Guardiano comes out, who agrees to speak with Leonora in private ("Or siam soli" - "We are alone"). Leonora tells Guardiano her story ("Infelice, delusa, rejetta" - "Unhappy, deceived, abandoned") and pleads for her to be given refuge in a secluded cave. Guardiano instructs Melitone to gather the brethren in the church to participate in the tonsure of the new brother.
Third painting (monastery)
« Il santo nome di Dio Signore» - « By the holy name of the Lord»Guardiano informs the brethren that a hermit will live in a secluded cave. No one but Guardiano is allowed to approach the cave (" Maledizione» - « A curse"). In case of danger, Leonora will notify the monks by striking the bell.
Act III
First painting (forest near Velletri)
Contrary to Leonora's opinion, Alvaro is alive and under an assumed name (Don Federico Herreros) serves in the Spanish army in Italy. Moving away from the soldiers playing cards (" Attenti al gioco, attenti, attenti al gioco, attenti"), Alvaro yearns for a broken love (" La vita è inferno all'infelice» - « Life is hell for the unfortunate"), Wants to die and reunite with Leonora, who died long ago, in his opinion (" Leonora mia, soccorrimi, pietà» - « Leonora, have mercy"). Suddenly, a scuffle breaks out in the camp, Alvaro intervenes and saves the life of Don Felice de Bornos's adjutant, under which name Carlos is hiding. Alvaro and Carlos, under assumed names, vow eternal friendship (" Amici in vita e in morte» - « Friends in life and death»).
Second picture
In the battle, Alvaro is seriously wounded, he may die, unable to withstand the operation. Alvaro gives Carlos a box with personal documents (“ Solenne in quest'ora”), Carlos, at Alvaro's request, vows to destroy these documents without reading them. Left alone, Carlos gives vent to his suspicions - something tells him that his new friend is his father's killer. Doubts can be easily resolved by reading the documents, but the oath is sacred (“ Urna fatale del mio destino» - « Fatal receptacle of my fate"). Opening the box, Carlos discovers there not only the treasured documents, but also the medallion. The oath does not apply to the contents of the medallion, Carlos opens it and finds a portrait of Leonora there. Everything is clear to him, and all that remains is to pray to God that Alvaro survived the operation in order to be able to kill the enemy with his own hands. The surgeon enters and reports that Alvaro is saved. Carlos rejoices - he will be able to take revenge on his father's killer (" È salvo!» - « Saved!»).
Third scene (camp at Velletri)
Mass scene representing the mores of the Spanish army camp. Preciosilla predicts the fate of the soldiers ( Venite all'indovina), Trabuco is trying to sell his goods (" A buon mercato"), The beggars beg for alms (" Pane, pan per carità"), Waitresses led by Preciosilla seduce young soldiers (" Che vergogna! Su, coraggio! ”), Melitone reproaches the soldiers for debauchery. In the final scene, all those present, led by Preciosilla, glorify the war to the beat of drums (“ Rataplan, rataplan, della gloria»)
The fourth picture (Alvaro's tent)
Alvaro has recovered from his injury and Carlos comes to challenge his friend to a duel. Alvaro, having found out who is really in front of him, begs Carlos to forget the grievances and become brothers. But Carlos is relentless: he wants to first kill Alvaro, and then find and kill Leonora (unlike Alvaro, Carlos realizes that his sister is alive). During the duel, Alvaro's sword pierces Carlos, and he falls dead. Realizing that he has the blood of the second Vargas, Alvaro rushes into battle, wanting to find death there.
Act IV
First painting (monastery)
In the courtyard of the monastery, numerous beggars ask for bread (“ Fate, la carità"). On behalf of the brethren he gives alms to Melitone, but the beggars are unhappy with his arrogance and callousness - they remember with gratitude Father Raphael, who was truly kind and merciful (“ Il padre Raffaele! Era un angelo! Un santo!"). After the expulsion of the beggars, Melitone, in a conversation with the abbot of Guardiano, claims that Rafaele is a strange man and, perhaps, possessed. Guardiano convinces Melitone to be merciful and imitate Raphael.
An unknown caballero arrives at the monastery, demanding from Melitone, who met him, to take him to Raphael. Rafaele comes out to meet, and the enemies recognize each other - over the years Alvaro became a monk, and Carlos did not die during the duel and still wants revenge. Carlos insists on a duel, Alvaro calls to forget and forgive insults (“ Fratello! Riconoscimi... ") Carlos manages to inflict an indelible insult on Alvaro - the enemies leave the monastery to fight in a deadly duel far from people.
Second painting (Leonora's Cave)
Away from people, Leonora lives in a cave. Years have passed, but she still cannot forget Alvaro and find peace (" Pace, pace, mio \u200b\u200bDio!"). Suddenly footsteps are heard, Leonora loudly warns that there is a place forbidden for people, and hides in a cave, having previously struck the bell.
Alvaro and Carlos appear. By the force of fate, they chose for the duel the place where Leonora had been hiding for so many years. Carlos is mortally wounded and demands a priest (" Io muoio! Confessione!"). Alvaro cannot accept confession and asks the hermit about it. After a long conversation, Leonora leaves the cave, and all three participants in the scene recognize each other. Carlos asks his sister to hug him, stabs her with a dagger and dies, satisfied. Alvaro runs desperately into the mountains.
The Force of Destiny (from the Italian La forza del destino) is an opera by Giuseppe Verdi in four acts (or eight scenes). The authors of the libretto are Francesco Maria Piave, Antonio Gislanzoni. The premiere took place in St. Petersburg on November 22, 1862 (the final version premiered on February 27, 1869 at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan).
The opera is based on the drama by Angelo Perez de Saavedra entitled " Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny". The opera tells about the tragic fate of two young people, whose love was impossible due to social prejudices. Leonora has strong feelings for Alvaro, unworthy of her hand in the opinion of her father, the Marquis Calatrava. One day he finds Alvaro with his daughter - a fight is brewing. is not going to resort to weapons and throws away the pistol, but suddenly a shot rang out - the old man was mortally wounded.
Leonora decides to go to a monastery. Don Carlos, her brother, wants revenge for her father's death. But neither he nor Alvaro can find the girl. Once, by the will of fate, Alvaro saves Don Carlos from the robbers and he swears to him of eternal friendship. But as soon as he finds out the name of his savior, he challenges him to battle. The clash was stopped by a patrol.
Alvaro ends up in a monastery, where his beloved was hiding all this time. But Don Carlos follows him and still insists to take up arms. In a duel, Alvaro wounds an opponent against his own will. Leonora bends over her brother and he kills her. Unable to withstand the death of his beloved, Alvaro throws himself into the abyss and dies.
History of creation.
The opera Power of Destiny was commissioned by the Imperial Theater of St. Petersburg. Soon it was successfully held in many cities around the world - Rome, Madrid, Vienna, London, New York and Buenos Aires. This work colorfully displays the mature talent of the composer. From the first notes, the viewer feels how clouds are gathering over the main characters, and waits for a terrifying thunder to break out.
Interesting facts
- originally, as planned by Giuseppe Verdi, the plot for the opera was to be based on Victor Hugo's drama "Ruy Blaz". But because of the plot itself, opera was banned in Russia (which is not surprising, because the story told about a lackey who managed to become a minister, and besides, he has mutual love for the queen!). Then the composer drew attention to the play by Angelo Perez de Saavedra. Keeping in mind the strictness of the theater management, the librettist softened the plot, but the main content was preserved.
- due to the serious illness of Francesco Maria Piave, the Italian writer Antonio Gislanzoni took part in the creation of the second edition of the opera in the work on the libretto.
- the opera presented in the new edition has a less tragic ending - Alvaro finally decides to obey the power of fate and remains alive. It is this version of the play that is most widespread in the world opera repertoire.
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Even elaborate costumes can be forgiven for the excellent musical performance of the opera. |
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Sergey Khodnev. ... "The Force of Destiny" in Moscow ( Kommersant, 09.10.2010). Marina Gaikovich. Premiere of the famous opera by Verdi in Moscow ( NG, 11.10.2010). Maya Krylova. ... The Moscow Musical Theater staged the opera The Force of Destiny ( Novye Izvestia, 12.10.2010). Dmitry Morozov. ... Georgy Isahakyan staged in Moscow the opera by Giuseppe Verdi ( Culture, 10/14/2010). Maria Babalova. ... Musical theater named after K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko presented the first opera premiere of the new season - "The Force of Destiny" by Giuseppe Verdi ( Izvestia, 14.10.2010). |
The power of destiny. Musical Theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Press about the performance
Kommersant, October 9, 2010
Music against rock
"The Force of Destiny" in Moscow
The premiere of the opera The Power of Destiny took place yesterday at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater. The opera, which Giuseppe Verdi wrote specifically for Russia, was staged by director Georgy Isahakyan, ex-artistic director of the Perm Opera (now working at the Moscow Sats Theater). The dress rehearsal with the premiere cast was attended by SERGEY KHODNEV.
"The Force of Destiny" is such an "operatic opera". In addition to the beautiful music, a plot is given that, in its touching combination of active melodrama and absurdity, is comparable, probably, to the thickest Latin American soap sagas. Don Alvaro, a descendant of the royal Incas (by the way, about Latin America), kills the father of his beloved Leonora - but purely by accident, the gun fired himself. Several years, not particularly eventful, pass, Alvaro manages to make friends in the war with Leonora's brother Carlos, who all this time has been scouring the world in search of his sister and her seducer - and then he saw the latter in Alvaro. Another fifteen years pass, Carlos finally finds Alvaro hiding in the monastery, a duel ensues, Carlos is mortally wounded and asks for a priest; a hermit living nearby, who turns out to be in fact Leonora, is called. Which Carlos manages to stab before he dies.
That is, there is an ideal appearance for a radio, but here an ideal opera for a concert performance; in the theater, the director has to work hard on her somehow. After watching the current performance, it seems that Georgy Isahakyan, shall we say, did not overwork. Although all the circumstances fatal for the production were laid down before any directing, in the way the scene was framed. Knowing the hand of Sergei Barkhin, there is no doubt that the sketch he made looked wonderful - such a spectacular abstract composition of giant geometric bodies. And the layout was probably wow, too. But in the form of a realized decoration, this is a rather grievous sight, and all these beautifully drawn volumes, made of stained plywood, suggest disrespectful thoughts about a warehouse of old office furniture. What is worse is not the spectacle, but the fact that this construction occupies the entire stage, leaving only the edge of the proscenium for the action, although there are regular nightstands on it, from which the artists from time to time have to sing. The bedside tables are arranged symmetrically, there is not much space, so the mise-en-scenes in any case are flat and static (an exception is Leonora, who sings her "Pace, pace, mio \u200b\u200bDio" in the fourth act, like a pillar, with one of the octagonal turrets). But sometimes they are also ridiculous - when Carlos depicts a fatal wound, holding his saber under his armpit, when he, with amazing dexterity for a dying man, puts his hand with a knife behind his back and exactly hits Leonora in the stomach. Or when the choir lines up in rulers, as at a matinee, and waves some monstrous banners from the point of view of heraldry. Although what is heraldry, if the costumes of Tatiana Barkhina are problematic. The military heroes are dressed in a somewhat operetta-like gilded uniform, which rather resembles the uniforms of Nicholas officials, and in the monastery, judging by the color and style of the cassock, the abbot is the Pope, and the doorkeeper is the cardinal.
Such a visual range is perceived at best with bewilderment, but in a musical sense, this "Force of Destiny" is really a good acquisition. The premiere line-up was adorned with the amazing work of soprano Natalia Petrozhitskaya (Leonora); brisk Preciosilla performed by Larisa Andreeva reminded in quality of her excellent Despina in "Cosi fan tutte", Andrei Baturkin (Carlos) and Dmitry Stepanovich (Abbot Guardiano) did not surprise with anything, but the games were played very well. There are more complaints about Alvaro performed by Uzbek Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov, in whose voice, given the very "Russian" open sound, there is practically no dramatic color. But at the same time, almost the most entertaining of all was the orchestra under the direction of Felix Korobov, unexpectedly temperamental, interesting, expressive and dexterous, which confirmed the feeling that it was the conductor who was most interested in studying The Force of Destiny.
NG, October 11, 2010
Marina Gaikovich
What is the strength?
Premiere of the famous opera by Verdi in Moscow
The Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater presented the first opera premiere of this season - “The Force of Destiny” by Verdi, directed by Georgy Isahakyan and artist Sergei Barkhin.
Verdi wrote The Force of Destiny for St. Petersburg at the request of the Directorate of the Imperial Theaters. But today's managers do not really like this opera, which is fair - the troupe needs a very strong one. In addition, the modern viewer is unlikely to empathize with her plot, woven from opera clichés that smell like a Mexican series. The father, trying to prevent the escape of Leonora's daughter with the heir of the ancient Incas, Don Alvaro, is killed by an accidental shot of a thrown gun. Don Carlos - Leonora's brother vows to take revenge and kill his sister with her lover. After 20 years, they will meet: during this time, Alvaro visited the war and made friends with Carlos (under assumed names), Leonora got lost and became a hermit, Alvaro, after being wounded, took refuge in a monastery to atone for his sins, where his brother, who did not lose his thirst for revenge, found him. ... The force of fate brings them together at Leonora's hut, the monk kills an opponent in a duel, and he, prostrating himself, manages to stab his sister.
In general, the main thing is not the form (although from the point of view of musical drama, Verdi's work is impeccable), but the content, that is, the music, it is beautiful and noble in Verdi's way. This opera will "play" only if there is a truly stellar cast of soloists, which in this case is not limited to the canonical for bel canto pair of tenor and soprano. There is also the bass - the abbot of the monastery, who decides the fate of Leonora, the baritone Don Carlos, who participates in key scenes and plays (including in terms of the vocal part) not a secondary role. There is the gypsy Preciosilla - her appearance with the chorus is one of the most spectacular in the performance (and one of the most difficult in opera literature).
Obviously, these thoughts were guided by the director Georgy Isahakyan (formerly director of the opera house in Perm, laureate of the “Golden Mask”, known for “modernist” works) - to give more space to the music, and to minimize his role. His production, relatively speaking, was more like a concert performance in sets and costumes, by the way, rather strange. The entire space of the stage is occupied by a huge structure - several pipes, hollow or crowned with a "toothy" cut, this is the work of the artist Sergei Barkhin. They are accompanied by balconies with wooden railings, reminiscent of the decoration of various departments of the Soviet era. The only scene where the scenery evokes at least some kind of association is the scene in the church, when it can conjure up, say, organ pipes. On the three square meters left, an angry father, an ardent lover, a doubting girl, an impartial abbot regularly appear - in fact, any opera singers can cope with these tasks without the participation of a director. And the scene with the sword clutched under the arm looks like a drama circle. In general, from such an objectively strong director as Isahakyan, who also acquired a permanent residence permit in Moscow this summer (he headed the Natalia Sats Children's Musical Theater), I would like directorial work, not just mise-en-scène.
It's up to the orchestra and soloists. Felix Korobov, in his characteristic energetic manner, tries to draw the best out of the orchestra, and for the most part he succeeds - and the thrill of prayer, and the ringing of blades, and the fatal cold. Of the two sopranos, each is good in its own way: Natalya Petrozhitskaya, the performer of the title role, takes on both the tenderness of the image and the mobility of her voice, but loses in the strength characteristic of the reference Leonors; Preciosilla Larisa Andreeva - dashing and groovy - in one breath conducts a scene with drumming, but on the way it loses its tongue twister. The new soloist of the theater, Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov (Alvaro), is good, but in the future. Dmitry Stepanovich does not create any image at all - his father-abbot is indifferent, he just goes on stage and sings in a bass (although this part could become a key part in the interpretation of the opera), and for Andrei Baturkin, he is one of those who decorates this production - perhaps lacking in baritoneal audacity, his Don Carlos is too noble.
Novye Izvestia, October 12, 2010
Maya Krylova
The rich cry again
The Moscow Musical Theater staged the opera "The Force of Destiny"
The premiere of Verdi's opera "The Force of Destiny" took place at the Moscow Musical Theater named after Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. The tragic melodrama from the noble life of the 18th century was commissioned to stage Georgy Isahakyan, the former artistic director of the Perm Opera House, and from this season - the head of the Moscow Children's Musical Theater. The director rejected the Spanish-Italian flavor of the scene, ascetically resolving the performance in the spirit of "eternal truths".
This opera by Verdi is considered Russian in his biography: the composer wrote The Force of Destiny by order from St. Petersburg, where the premiere took place in 1862. True, then the author reworked both the score and the libretto, so the second edition appeared, which became canonical. It was to her (making small bills) that the musical theater turned. Preparing the order, Verdi was inspired by an intricate and gloomy Spanish play in which circumstances fatally affect the fate of noble characters. No less strong are the motives of merciless revenge, which broke the life of the avenger himself, of hopeless love and the coming consolation in the next world. The main characters, Alvaro and Leonora, cannot unite due to the prejudices of society, moreover, he accidentally kills her father, the marquis, and the new marquis, the heroine's brother, defending the honor of the family, pursues the killer. Everything is happening against the backdrop of a great European war. An avalanche of passions is unhappily resolved in a certain monastery, where, not knowing about each other, but in fact, lovers separated by the force of fate live nearby. The elderly brother still finds the aged Alvaro, the enemies are fighting in the presence of the elderly Leonora, who suddenly appears. The Marquis dies, but, having time to implement the obsession, stabs his sister. The hero desperately seeks Christian consolation.
The director, avoiding such romanticism with three letters "r", abandoned historical scenery, and set designer Sergei Barkhin reduced the design to spatial structures in the form of steps, columns, podiums and towers. Barkhin, he says, was inspired by the basalt rocks in Iceland and the combination of steel with rusty iron. All together it looks like the silhouettes of skyscrapers in a metropolis, but when needed it plays the role of palaces, taverns, battlefields and church walls.
The asymmetrical arrangement and different heights of the structures became the basis for the director's decision. Isahakyan had to put the transitions of the characters and choirs from the catwalks to the steps and back. And add a couple of "silent scenes" like the one described by Gogol in the finale of "The Inspector General": here is a frozen soldier's attack, and here is a frozen duel, where one participant pierced another with a sword. Costume designer Tatyana Barkhina brought in a touch of costume antiquity, albeit somewhat “soap-opera”. The marquis, possessed by a thirst for blood, wears a blood-red jacket with gold and the same cocked hat, Leonora in black celebrates mourning for her mundane life, lives in all white in the skete. And in itself, the shade of blue is beautiful, taken for Alvaro's costume.
Felix Korobov's orchestra conveyed both the thunderous excitement of the music and its heartbreaking lyrics - like Verdi's, everything goes in sharp but convincing contrast. The Chorus of the Musical Theater (choirmaster - Stanislav Lykov) sang two key episodes not only well, but brilliantly. The first is a scene in a monastery, where male voices reign, glorifying God in a grandiose apotheosis. The second is the famous, but monstrously difficult "Rataplan", onomatopoeia of drums and "challenge to the chorus of any troupe", where the horror of a soldier before death (under the guise of carelessness) mingles with the roar of orchestral percussion. The performers of the main parties competed for audience success - and no one won. Because the audience loudly greeted the brilliant soprano Natalia Petrozhitskaya (Leonora), but did not skimp on the applause and the strong tenor Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov (Alvaro), invited to Moscow from Tashkent, as well as Andrei Baturkin (brother-marquis), with his even confident baritone. Of course, there is always something to complain about when we sing Italian operas. But with all the claims, one must take into account that, for example, for Mavlyanov this is a debut in a musical theater, the hero's part is replete with hellish vocal tricks, and his throat dries up from excitement. However, the stress was left behind by the final tercet of Lieta poss'io precederti (“I am happily ahead of you”) with the participation of Alvaro and Leonora: the ensemble, imbued with a deep religious feeling, was also emotionally performed. And if the musical theater, before the premiere, had also become generous with an Italian coach (a specialist in singing in style and in the original language), the achievements of the soloists would have been even better.
Culture, October 14, 2010
Dmitry Morozov
How to conquer fate
Georgy Isahakyan staged an opera by Giuseppe Verdi in Moscow
Georgy Isahakyan never shies away from challenges. This year he received two of them and accepted both. One was the proposal of the Minister of Culture to head the Natalia Sats Children's Musical Theater, the other - an invitation from the management of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater to stage The Force of Destiny. And, it should be noted, in this last case, the element of risk was much higher.
“Force of Destiny” is one of the most “vampy” operas by Verdi and one of the most non-directing in all opera literature. Attempts to somehow "revive" it on the stage - through the notorious actualization, the invention of some far-fetched concepts or, on the contrary, with the help of in-depth psychologism and building causal relationships - paradoxically led only to the strengthening of this very "vampueness" and emphasizing dramatic vices ... It would seem that the best thing a director can do here is to play giveaway by deciding a performance in the genre of “costume concert”. And at first, in the first part of the play, it seemed that Isahakyan went exactly this way. But it soon became clear that this was not entirely true, or even not at all true.
The external statics of crowd scenes and solo episodes in his performance is internally dynamic. However, it would be more correct in this context to speak not even about statics, but about the principle of reviving pictures, according to which many mise-en-scenes are built. For me, for example, some of them unexpectedly rhymed with Goya (the famous “Shooting on May 3” or the series “The Disasters of War”). The alternation of these pictures unequivocally appeals to the cinema with its instant change of frames (which, as always, is aided by the virtuoso work of the lighting designer - the ubiquitous Damir Ismagilov).
The architectural-constructivist style of Sergei Barkhin's scenography turned out to be especially “in the subject”. Trimmed or chopped off fragments of either pipes or towers eventually fold into the outlines of a Gothic cathedral surrounded by fortress walls. Here is the atmosphere of medieval Spain, not created directly, perhaps arising only in our imagination, to which the artist gives rich food. Spanish associations further enhance Tatiana Barkhina's costumes.
A separate plot is how in such a performance there are actors, from whom properties are required here that are not so easily combined. After all, they should, on the one hand, fit into this “picture” principle, and on the other, not look like “singing mannequins” at all, even in the most “staged” poses while still preserving some semblance of naturalness. This was largely achieved by the performers of the first line-up and much less of the second.
By the way, about the compositions. “The Force of Destiny”, as you know, makes extremely high demands on the performers of the main parts, and when the Musical Theater included it in its plans, this side aroused even more doubts than the appropriateness of this name on this stage in principle (however, an appeal to the most stilted from Verdi's operas, which do not fit well with the precepts of the founders - "Sicilian Vespers", "Battle of Legnano", "Ernani" - over the past half century has become a kind of tradition within these walls). What do we end up with?
The Uzbek tenor Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov, who was invited to the troupe this year with an eye to the Force of Destiny, seems to have been created for the part of Alvaro. Maybe his beautiful spinning voice lacked sounding power at some moments, but Romance Alvaro and the first duet with Carlos found in Mavlyanov an almost ideal performer. In addition, on stage, he looked quite organic, as far as possible under the proposed circumstances. The second Alvaro, Dmitry Polkopin, discovered a distinct lack of artistry and a provincial lack of vocal culture. However, today, against the background of an ever-increasing decrease in real dramatic voices, a tenor who is capable of at least simply “buying” such a difficult part is already valuable ...
Natalia Petrozhitskaya, who has made a serious leap since the premiere of Eugene Onegin, has shown herself to be a very good Leonora. She, of course, is far from a dramatic soprano, the lows are absent, and the highs are somewhat strained, but in the middle and when moving to the upper register, Petrozhitskaya sounded very beautiful, convincingly conveying the necessary emotional colors and perfectly feeling the Verdi style. And she looked great on stage. The second Leonora, Amalia Gogeshvili, did not make much of an impression, and besides, sometimes she was noticeably fake. Leonora's party is clearly not within her means.
Andrey Baturkin in the part of Carlos demonstrated real Verdi vocals of European quality. Perhaps he lacked a little expression, which, on the other hand, was abundant in the second performer, theater veteran Yevgeny Polikanin. True, his invariably forced sound production soon began to tire with the monotony of colors, and besides, the very process of overcoming vocal difficulties constantly reminded of itself, while Baturkin's singing was absolutely free.
Anatoly Loshak performed excellently in Fra Melitone's game, and on both evenings he made him regret that this party had undergone such radical reductions.
Dmitry Stepanovich, who performed in the part of Father Superior, in principle is not shown vocal material that requires cantilena, and even the ensemble of it is still the same. Dmitry Ulyanov was much more in place here, although problems with the lower register slightly spoiled the impression of his performance.
But the choir headed by Stanislav Lykov, whose part in this opera is so important, has shown itself in the best possible way.
As for the bright and expressive work of Felix Korobov, it nevertheless leaves an ambiguous impression. Along with excellent moments, finely traced musical episodes, we now and then encounter sudden and far from always justified sharp dynamic changes and extremely accelerated rates, which sometimes the performers frankly cannot keep up with. Although, generally speaking, isn’t the opera “The Force of Destiny” itself the same, in which there is incomparably more fire than logic ...
Returning to the production, I would once again emphasize that I consider it a fundamental success. Not everyone will agree with this assessment: judging by the first responses, some clearly wanted something “hotter”, but for everything to be “weighty, rough, visible”. Thin and non-aggressive direction, which does not pretend to dominate at any cost, seems to some today almost a weakness. Meanwhile, if this “Force of Destiny” is considered in the context of the opera itself and the experience of its productions, then the picture looks quite different. Tackling the material that was generally disastrous for the director, Isahakyan eventually won, and not least thanks to the ability to hear music and translate this hearing into the stage fabric.
Izvestia, October 14, 2010
Maria Babalova
There is strength, no need for fate
Musical Theater named after K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko presented the first opera premiere of the new season - "The Force of Destiny" by Giuseppe Verdi.
"The Force of Destiny" is the late, great Verdi. At the time of the creation of this opera, he was already an Italian senator and responded only to those proposals that were interesting to him. "The Force of Destiny" is an Italian "Russian" opera, created for St. Petersburg by order of the Directorate of Imperial Theaters. The premiere took place in 1862 at the Mariinsky Theater. To direct the production, the composer came to Russia twice, having visited both Moscow and St. Petersburg. True, seven years later, Verdi changed his creation significantly. And it was this - the second - edition that was now presented to the public in the theater on Bolshaya Dmitrovka.
The chief conductor of the theater, Felix Korobov, wanted to check how strong fate was. And he tried to refute the well-known axiom: "The power of fate" is subject only to outstanding voices. Korobov gave its development not to a superstar team, as is done everywhere in the world, but to the theater's staff soloists.
The artistic director of the Perm Opera and Ballet Theater, and since this summer also the Musical Theater named after N.I. Sats - Georgy Isahakyan suggested directing, which can be called "the dream of singers". Stop and sing - and no "conceptual" mockery of the soloists. But in this case, you have to sing delightfully, and nothing else. Moreover, the plot of this Verdi opera - in contrast to the score - is frankly awkward and contains a complete collection of opera clichés.
The father tries to prevent the escape of Leonora's daughter with the heir of the ancient Incas, Don Alvaro. Alvaro kills his father with an accidental shot. Don Carlos, Leonora's brother, vows to take revenge - to kill his sister and her lover. Twenty years later, all the heroes will meet. During this time, Alvaro visited the war and made friends with Carlos (under assumed names), Leonora became a hermit, Alvaro, after being wounded, went to a monastery to atone for his sins. There he was found by Carlos, who did not lose his thirst for revenge. The force of fate brings them together at Leonora's hut. The monk kills an opponent in a duel, and he, falling down, manages to stab his sister.
Felix Korobov conducts very "magnificently" and energetically, but does not reveal any intriguing meanings in "The Force of Destiny". The vocals are, to put it mildly, not convincing. Natalia Petrozhitskaya has a beautiful lyric soprano, but the part of Leonora requires a much more dramatic voice. The famous "Pace, pace, mio \u200b\u200bDio" from the fourth act, for which many people go to listen to this opera, sounds like a schoolboy. And in a duet with Alvaro to the final phrase "Andiam, dividerci il fato non potra!" the singer simply did not have enough voice.
The recent acquisition of the troupe - the Uzbek tenor Nazhmiddin Mavlyanov, having a good vocal nature, in vain hastens the time and undertakes to sing Alvaro, having no proper singing skill and experience. Baritone Andrei Baturkin (Carlos) voices everything soundly, but without vocal brilliance and dramatic experiences. Bas Dmitry Stepanovich, as always, works "under Chaliapin", forgetting about his character - Father Guardiano. Mezzo Larisa Andreeva (the young waitress Preciosilla) behaves nicely and with enthusiasm on the stage, but does not burden herself with the task of accurately and with maximum virtuosity singing all the passages, including the hit song "Rataplan". The general musical level of performance hardly reaches the "three".
And the wonderful theater artist Sergei Barkhin, who has not worked in opera for a long time, seems to have just made a joke. Sent singers to the collection site for non-ferrous metals with countless samples of pipe rolling. All this only emphasizes the absurdity of what is happening on the stage. Such a crafty impotence in the face of the fate of art ...
Music by Giuseppe Verdi
Libretto by Francesco Maria Piave based on the drama by Переngel Pérez de Saavedra "Don Alvaro, or the Force of Destiny".
The Stars of the White Nights festival at the Mariinsky Theater continues with a parade of Verdi's masterpieces. Alexey Markov “festivals” for wear and tear in this marathon, and so do I, since my schedule of attending performances is largely correlated with his performances. And today there was "The Force of Destiny", which I did not get into in the spring. And in the role of Leonora - the sweet-voiced siren Elena Stikhina. I realized this is fate. And we cannot resist fate, as Verdi and his comrades have been proving to us today for about 4 hours.
The Internet told me that the opera was ordered by the Russian imperial directorate of theaters. The Force of Destiny was the only opera by Verdi written specifically for the Russian theater. On the other hand, why not? After all, he wrote for the Paris Opera, and we also don’t bast with consommés. The premiere took place on November 10, 1862 at the Bolshoi Kamenny (Mariinsky) Theater.
For the modern production, sketches by the artist Andreas Roller for the 1862 premiere were used, so that the audience also joins the old design school. I really liked the scenery - both those that were drawn and the designs. Something all sweet, real, atmospheric. The photos on the site, by the way, do not convey this.
The action takes place in southern Spain and Italy in the 18th century. We saw a rich house with a balcony, a tavern, a monastery, a town square, mountains. Mentally! I experienced a severe attack of nostalgia: I remembered the Pedralbes Monastery in Barcelona, \u200b\u200band the hot streets of Seville, the embankments of Cadiz and the white city in the mountains - Ronda ... They cut right on the living! My soul sobbed and soared at the same time on the wings of vague dreams that often squeeze my heart when I think about Spain.
Each nation has its own characteristics. Take at least the same Spaniards: these people came up with the idea of \u200b\u200beating tartilla and gazpacho, drinking sangria, dancing sevillana and buleria, giving birth to virtuoso guitarists and cante jondo, and they also invented bullfighting and burning people on fires on religious grounds, not a single war in Europe did not manage, it seems, without their participation, they sent the conquistadors to conquer the expanses of the New World and significantly reduced the population of the Incas there, built the Escorial Castle, which became synonymous with gloomy court ceremoniality, and also became famous as arrogant, stubborn arrogance. And all these contradictory national features of the magnificent Verdi and Francesco Piave very accurately embodied in the "Force of Destiny"! There are also funny crowd scenes from the category of Tristan's verses in a tavern and on a town square, as well as severe and lyrically tragic arias of the main characters, prayer chants. The opera stands apart from his other creations, filled with tragedies and gloomy pathos (albeit against the background of cheerful dance melodies), since in it the tragic inevitability of rock is intertwined with cheerful everyday scenes from the life of ordinary people, so the overall aftertaste of the performance is very cheerful. True, this was also facilitated by some features of the libretto, which sometimes make you wonder, and sometimes even giggle (from the series "Don Alvaro will live - this is good, because I myself can kill him.")
The opera tells us about the beautiful Donna Leonora di (de) Vargas, the daughter of a proud aristocrat, the Marquis de Calatrava, who is in love with a certain nameless Don Alvaro. In the process, it turns out that he is a descendant of the royal family of the Incas, however, for the Spanish grandee that the king of the Incas, that the leader of the Papuans is a suspicious person and certainly not a future son-in-law, therefore, finding the hero-lover in his daughter's room (the lovers were preparing to escape), dad strongly I got angry, there was a quarrel, an accident, and we lost our marquis at the very beginning of the opera. Tragedy separates young people, who further suffer one by one. Don Alvaro, like any worthy husband, goes to heal his emotional wounds in the army, because what else can comfort a real man, no matter how the opportunity to make a chop out of the enemy, well, or, for evil, frostbite everyone's ears and die the death of the brave? Donna Leonora lives as a hermit in some cave in order to cherish her misfortunes to her heart's content, because if she returned home, at some point, after drinking sangria, buying a new cloak and a comb in her hair, one evening she could change her mind and suffer, and I would have jumped out to marry, because, as we know from another opera, “the heart of a beauty is prone to treason” and if there were some Don Diego with dark eyes and black mustache over his lip, singing under the window “The crown of creation, wondrous Diana, ugh, that is, Leonora ", the girl's heart could not resist. In general, the whole family is proud and, let's call it, very consistent in implementing their plans. Donna Leonora's brother, Don Carlos, has especially distinguished himself, who enters into business after the death of his father and instead of trying to increase the wealth and glory of the family, as well as to attend to its continuation, he irones Spain from Salamanca to Cadiz in search of his sister and “her lover” (as he thinks) in order to avenge the death of his father and the outraged family honor. Ironically, he became friends with don Alvaro under a different name, and after “a friend saved a friend’s life” and vice versa, the secret still becomes clear, the men sort things out twice (in the first duel, don Alvaro stabbed with a saber (which for some reason called a sword), but instead of checking whether the enemy is dead or not, he sipped wine from a jug and sang about the fact that everything was lost), and what is the result? The arrogant Don Carlos, equipped in abundance with pride and family stubbornness, survived, spent a few more years, but again came out on the trail and that was all - Memento mori, instantly into the sea (C) and “And this abyss swallowed her in one moment. In general, everyone died. "
The central place in the opera is the idea of \u200b\u200bGod, to whom the protagonists of the story turn in search of consolation and peace of mind (in the final aria of the heroine I heard very familiar notes of the prayer to the Virgin Mary), and the idea of \u200b\u200bmercy and forgiveness, when the dying Leonora forgives her murderer brother, and Don Alvaro tries in every possible way to avoid conflict (it doesn't work out very well, because if one man wants a fight, then there will be a fight). Religion is also an important element in the life of ordinary Spaniards: the monks not only give shelter, but preach sermons in the square, feed the poor. The dying Don Carlos calls the priest, however, the thoughts of confession flew out of his head at the sight of his sister and returned to the old rails, because the man said - the man did, apparently.
About today's performance. I walked purposefully on Markov and Stikhin, because one should not miss such an opportunity to hear them together.
Elena Stikhina / Leonora is magical and amazing. A real diva. The feeling that singing is given to her so easily that she can easily block an orchestra, especially one as friendly as Verdi's (this is not Richard Strauss or Wagner). And at the same time, a very beautiful timbre of the voice, especially on piano and on transitions down. She is also sweet, impetuous, radiant. Most of all I liked the way her voice poured over the choir in the tavern (as the composer bequeathed to us), and the final aria was performed simply brilliantly - tenderly, emotionally, doomed. And in general, the image turned out to be very solid, as it seems to me.
August Amonov / don Alvaro has too dull timbre of voice for me (well, I’m a little hard of hearing), all the time I wanted to ask: “Uri, where is his button? - Which one? - Loudness.
I liked Fra Melitone / Alexander Nikitin very much. An enviously unlucky character who, at the behest of the creators, introduced a comic element into the opera. And that's who had a full blast! He played well even with his voice - at the first appearance we at first heard only his voice - thick and snide.
Alexey Markov / Don Carlos was wonderful again today - for me. And this is not to mention the fact that, objectively, he was the most beautiful man on stage (boots, a frock coat and a black bow definitely suit him), as well as the purest, full, shimmering from dark density into sparkling ringing tenderness with him, although he was the moment when it seemed that he was tired of this festival already, but there are still so many achievements ahead! From new impressions about him - for the first time I saw a lively, almost cheerful image, when in a tavern he portrayed a student and - oh gods! - he almost flirted with an appetizing gypsy girl (it's a pity that baritones rarely sing duets about mutual love, I would have watched and, especially, listened to Alexei in this role). In general, he was somehow energetic and even a little reckless. His trademark hand gestures, legs apart and head tilting were very appropriate - a stubborn aristocrat in his own juice, get it, sign it! In our gallery, his every exit was accompanied by lively whispering, while it seems that the ladies themselves did not realize what exactly excites them (Markov and the strangeness of the libretto), but I wanted to click on their poppies, because they interfered with their listening greatly. And I also saw a real fan of Alexei Markov (it turns out that I still have a lot to lie in this direction).
About the gypsy woman Preciosilla / Natalia Evstafieva I will say that I liked the image. In the opera, she acts as a voice of fate, a conductor of truth and, in combination, “freedom on the barricades”, since the finale of the second scene of the third act - the famous “Rataplan” with her call to everyone to join the army - reminded me of Delacroix's painting.
The evening was a success.
CONTRACTORS
Conductor - Mikhail Sinkevich
Donna Leonora - Elena Stikhina
Don Carlos: Alexey Markov
Don Alvaro - August Amonov
Preciosilla: Natalia Evstafieva
Padre Guardiano - Vladimir Felyauer
Fra Melitone - Alexander Nikitin