Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #52551 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-03-01
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Classical, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .25 pounds
• Running time: 167 minutes

From Amazon.com
This is a 1998 performance from the Mariinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, of the original 1862 St. Petersburg version of Verdi's La Forza del Destino. While the world-famous version premiered in Italy in 1867 is the superior work, few will want to miss the rare opportunity to see and hear such a well-staged version of Verdi's first thoughts. Here the earlier libretto by Francesco Maria Piave is restored, the original, considerably darker ending is intact, and even the sets are constructed to the 1862 designs. There are other differences, though the story remains the familiar mixture of love, misunderstanding, and war, the characters ranging from the nobility to monks, soldiers, and gypsies, the tone spanning low comedy to high drama. The result is a lavish production, full of life and vitality, shot through with musical urgency and some tremendously powerful singing. Particularly striking is Gegam Grigorian, making a commanding Don Alvaro, whose role here is rather more expansive than in the later version. Galina Gorchakova reprises her Leonara from the 1997 CD recording of the work with passionate intensity, and conductor Valéry Gergiev keeps the epic scale tightly focused. The direction for video unobtrusively brings out the heart of the drama on stage. --Gary S. Dalkin, Amazon.co.uk

From the Back Cover
Taped live at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Valery Gergiev conducts this landmark production of Giuseppe Verdi's operatic masterpiece. This opera premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1862, and is performed here in its original St. Petersburg version using reconstructions of the magnificent painted scenery. Cast:

Grigory Karasev: Marchese di Calatrava
Galina Gorchova: Leonora
Nikolai Putilin: Don Carlo
Gegam Grigorian: Don Alvaro
Marianna Tarasova: Preziosilla
Sergei Alexashkin: Padre Guardiano
Georgy Zastavny: Fra Melitone
Lia Shevtsova: Curra
Yevgeny Nikitin: Alcade
Nikolai Gassiev: Mastro Trabucco
Yuri Laptev: Chirurgo