Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Last weekend the ex’s mother invited me over to her swank new Manhattan apartment for dinner prior to going to see Verdi’s La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny). She found herself a beautiful place on the East River in the 50s. We had a civilized dinner with Max before heading over to the Met.
The opera was good. Nothing great. . . though, to be fair, its cast was fantastic. But, as the name implies, the opera was about destiny, and the almost ludicrous coincidences that condemn two lovers and a family.
Verdi, you see, never cared much for the religious establishment. Having had a number of bad experiences growing up with priests, and in his adult live with his faith – he lost all his children and wife to disease over the span of less than two years – he didn’t much believe people had control over their circumstances. Destiny – indifferent, cold, and unavoidable – ruled the lives of men. In fact, the first ending of the opera all the characters die. This was apparently too disturbing to the audiences and he later revised the ending to be more hopeful (he left one character alive that committed suicide in the original).
Needless to say, the opera is difficult to pull off. Ironically, Verdi wrote some of the most beautiful religious music for the opera and the last hymn of the condemned Leonora – Pace, Pace, Pace Mio Dio (peace, peace, peace, God) – is enough to rip your heart open. But with the opera lasting until midnight, it was a punishing evening at the opera as we were sung through all the twists of fate of our two lovers.
Act III of the Metropolitan Opera's dark production of "La Forza del Destino".
The opera was good. Nothing great. . . though, to be fair, its cast was fantastic. But, as the name implies, the opera was about destiny, and the almost ludicrous coincidences that condemn two lovers and a family.
Verdi, you see, never cared much for the religious establishment. Having had a number of bad experiences growing up with priests, and in his adult live with his faith – he lost all his children and wife to disease over the span of less than two years – he didn’t much believe people had control over their circumstances. Destiny – indifferent, cold, and unavoidable – ruled the lives of men. In fact, the first ending of the opera all the characters die. This was apparently too disturbing to the audiences and he later revised the ending to be more hopeful (he left one character alive that committed suicide in the original).
Needless to say, the opera is difficult to pull off. Ironically, Verdi wrote some of the most beautiful religious music for the opera and the last hymn of the condemned Leonora – Pace, Pace, Pace Mio Dio (peace, peace, peace, God) – is enough to rip your heart open. But with the opera lasting until midnight, it was a punishing evening at the opera as we were sung through all the twists of fate of our two lovers.
Act III of the Metropolitan Opera's dark production of "La Forza del Destino".
# posted by otas : 2:03 PM
