La Forza del Destino NYC Reviews and Tickets

90%

(66 Ratings)

Positive

92%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Absorbing, Great staging, Entertaining, Ambitious

About the Show

A co-production of Verdi's classic by the Metropolitan Opera and Teatr Wielki–Polish National Opera.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Verdi’s grand tale of doomed love, fatal vendetta, and family conflict, with soaring soprano Lise Davidsen as the noble Leonora, one of opera's most tortured—and thrilling—heroines.

Director Mariusz Treliński presents the company’s first new Forza in almost 30 years, setting the story in a modern world and making extensive use of the Met’s turntable to represent the unstoppable advance of destiny that drives the opera’s chain of calamitous events.

The distinguished cast also features tenor Brian Jagde as Leonora’s forbidden beloved Don Alvaro, baritone Igor Golovatenko as her vindictive brother Don Carlo, mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as the fortune teller Preziosilla, bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi as Fra Melitone, and bass Soloman Howard as both Leonora’s father and Padre Guardiano. For the last three performances, soprano Elena Stikhina steps in as Leonora.

Show-Score Member Reviews (12)

100

Meditation on war -- in micro- and macrocosm, Effective and affecting re-imagining, Modern apocalyptic setting, Top cast, Fine new production

See it if a powerful new production of Verdi's sumptuous exploration of the horrors of war, appeals.

Don't see it if 4 hours of beautiful opera makes you fidget, snooze, clap over the music like trained seals, wander around when it's not intermission . . . Read more

Exceptional voices, Terrific production, Wonderful score

See it if you're looking for best leading voices heard in the MET in a while, in an exciting rotating-stage modern production & Verdi's sublime music.

Don't see it if you disklike modern stagings of classic operas or don't have the patience for a 4-hour evening. Opera fans, Davidsen's Leonora is a must-see

Intense, Great staging, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if ... if you can appreciate a simply fabulous production, phenomenal singing by all, and inventive staging. Powerful, engaging.

Don't see it if It should not be the first opera you see!

Epic, Great staging, Great singing, For real, it was like it was lit w/20 watt bulbs., Docking it 5 points for horrid lighting.

See it if You like tragic grand opera; this one's lovely but a downer. The staging is fantastic; it feels like you're in a war-torn country.

Don't see it if Not that you can see it! Everything else works, but the lighting is AWFUL; even with opera glasses, I couldn't always tell who was singing.

Great staging, Great singing, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if Wonderful orchestration.A splendid evening at the opera.Solid cast of performers .

Don't see it if Never have been to an opera before.

Ambitious, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if Met peaks again. Lise Davidson.

Don't see it if Long.

Fascist overtones, Scattered for an opera, Ambitious, Great staging, Great singing

See it if you want to hear some amazing singing! Lise Davidsen is in her usual huge and beautiful voice, but the Met somehow found 3 men to match her

Don't see it if you want a simple direct story - Verdi is literally all over the place in setting and tone, and the production does not smooth things out Read more

Confusing, Disappointing, Quirky, Slow, Great singing

See it if splendid singing especially by Lise Davidson but a dreadful production. Makes no sense and is dramatically boring. Slow and frustrating

Don't see it if you are looking for an entire dramatic experience. Better to listen to the broadcast

Critic Reviews (6)

"Weary and noble, with filament-thin floated high notes and a warlike curse at the end"
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"At the Met, great voices and overwrought Choices in La Forza del Destino"
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"stage pictures are often striking, the directing doesn’t necessarily clarify the story"
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"We have all that marvelous singing, which makes a trip to the Met all worthwhile."
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"excellent cast and Davidsen’s Leonora...make this La forza the experience of lifetime."
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"The overture languished with inconsistent tempi that were often slow."
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Creative team

The Metropolitan Opera House