La forza del destino
Thu, 08. Oct 2026, 19:00
Opera by Giuseppe Verdi
With La forza del destino, Verdi broke new ground in the 1860s. The title itself refers to this paradigm shift, as it does not refer to the name of a character or a historical event, but rather evokes the universal concept of the «power of fate». Accordingly, the composer wrote a four-act opera that is a drama of ideas, dealing with the fate of entire social classes and peoples. Building on this, director Frank Castorf creates connections to the Spanish Civil War of the 20th century and the fight against fascism in the Second World War, weaving the individual fates of the characters with the horrors of colonial history. In this production by the veteran enfant terrible of the Berlin theatre scene, the «triangle of fate» is embodied this time by an internationally sought-after trio consisting of Guanqun Yu (Leonora) and the two house debutants Luciano Ganci (Don Alvaro) and Igor Golovatenko (Don Carlos). Massimo Zannetti, a frequent guest at the Berlin State Opera in the past, makes his debut at the Deutsche Oper with this revival.
Werkinfo:
Opera in four acts [1869 version] by Giuseppe VerdiLibretto by Francesco Maria Piave and Antonio Ghislanzoni based on the drama Don Alvaro o la Fuerza del sino by Angel de Saavedra, Duque de Rivas, with texts by Heiner Müller and excerpts from Curzio Malaparte's The SkinFirst performed on 10 November 1862 in St. Petersburg [first version]on 27 February 1869 in Milan [second version]Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on 8 September 2019