When the infant son of Count di Luna falls ill after a visit from a gypsy woman, she is burned at the stake for witchcraft. Read more …
Her daughter snatches the child intending to kill him, but, mad with grief, throws her own son onto the fire. Years later, she has brought the Count’s son up as her own and he and his elder brother, unaware of their relationship, are rivals for the beautiful Leonora. Jealousy, revenge, love and hate collide as the opera crashes towards its unstoppable conclusion.
A production that serves Verdi well.
This is a traditional, assured, no-frills production with a fine cast and a blistering orchestra: highly recommended.
The production has weight, it has gravity and it has drama. And yet, it leaves a feeling that it could perhaps push the boundaries and go a little further – it could be that touch deeper and darker.
Such visual atmospherics would count for little, however, without performances to match. Both cast and chorus measure up abundantly.
On Tour, from Thursday May 7, 2015, until Saturday June 13, 2015.