Verdi: La forza del destino ***
English National Opera, 9th November 2015
“A co-production with Metropolitan Opera”: five words which probably explain why Calixto Bieito’s new production of Verdi’s The Force of Destiny for English National Opera is – for him – a tame affair. Bieito, who grew up not far from Guernica, sets the action – quite reasonably – in the Spanish Civil War. Opera’s answer to Quentin Tarantino offers a grim, grey reading, which is unlikely to ruffle too many feathers in New York. Strong musical performances kick life into proceedings, but much of the evening was dramatically inert.
© Robert Workman
Read the full review on Bachtrack.