Giuseppe Verdi conceived his LA FORZA DEL DESTINO (1862) as a truly ground-breaking work of opera, one which would centre not on the private destinies of its characters but on ideas of universal human significance. The radical way in which Verdi pursued this aim with FORZA was unequalled even within his own body of work. His break with convention begins with the title of the opera, which proclaims not the name of an individual but the “power of Fate”, which dictates people’s destinies. And Fate serves notice of its power in the opening phase of the opera, when a thrown-down pistol goes off accidentally, killing the Marquess of Calatrava. From this moment on Don Carlo, his son, can think of only one thing: taking vengeance on the two people he sees as the guilty parties – his sister Leonora and her lover Alvaro. The ensuing hunt, which lasts a number of years, sees the three protagonists acting and reacting in a world spiralling out of control, an environment beset by war, famine and misery on the one hand and offering monastic retreat and hopes for a better world on the other. And by dealing the unlikeliest of twists, Fate demonstrates its supreme power to the very last.

The most recent staging of FORZA as a drama of ideas at the Deutsche Oper Berlin was Frank Castorf’s production in 2019. This semi-staged abridged version of the work, facilitated by a presenter, focuses on the trials and tribulations of the three main protagonists and their inner conflicts, with revenge and forgiveness, revolt and humility, struggling for sway. Yet we are also given the perspectives of characters like Preziosilla, who represent the voice of the people.