La forza del destino (The Force of Destiny)

“Verdi’s War and Peace“, writes Peter Conrad of this epic opera composed in 1862. It encompasses the extremes of a religious and secular existence – the worlds of the lovers pursued by an uncompromising fate and of the people in the scenes at the inn and on the battlefield. Despite its beautiful score, this opera has often seemed perplexing: Richard Bernas shows us how the music is devised as a convincing entity, and Bruce A. Brown traces the tortuous but fascinating history of its revisions. Here translated into English by Andrew Porter, La forza del destino deserves a serious reassessment. Contents: War and Peace, Peter Conrad; The Music of ‘The Force of Destiny’, Richard Bernas; The Revision of ‘The Force of Destiny’; ‘That Damned Ending’, Bruce A. Brown; La forza del destino: Libretto by Francesco Piave (1862) with additions by Antonio Ghislanzoni (1869); The Force of Destiny: English translation by Andrew Porter