La forza del destino

A raging torrent of love, vengeance and redemption set against the backdrop of a world in flames, Verdi’s La forza del destino is one of the landmarks of 19th-century opera. In the right hands, it can be one of opera’s most cathartic experiences, and in 1998 few conductors in the world generated more electricity than Valery Gergiev at the helm of his rejuvenated Mariinsky forces, conducing the fascinating 1862 version of the score, as premiered in St Petersburg. With Galina Gorchakova as Leonora and supercharged emotional commitment from the whole cast, Elijah Moshinsky’s classic staging has rarely felt more vital – or more thrilling.