Director: David Pountney
Costume Designer: Richard Hudson
Premiere: March 1st, 2008
Size: EU 34/36*
The premiere of Verdi's La forza del destino - conducted by Zubin Mehta - showed a stage world unfamiliar to many. Director David Pountney shaped the large plot panorama, which entraps the central lovers Leonora and Don Alvaro into hopeless entanglements of fate, to a panopticon between war and peace, and situated in a Shakespeare-like mixture of tragedy and comedy. He did not show the army camp in a historicizing way, but moved it to an American religion camp (or any other religious fundamentalist training camp of the present day) in which the masses are sworn to a common, supposed enemy. This is shown in the large-scale entertainment style that the ballet performs. With dashing choreography, the dancers - in bright red and visually striking - offered a counterpoint to the desperation of the protagonists. The cowboy or cowgirl costumes (costume designer: Richard Hudson) play with cliché elements that borrow from displays in a big show appearance, but with an ironic wink. The women's costumes consist of a cowboy hat, blouse, trousers, belt and revolver belt, and are made of cotton and leather. It is in very good condition.
*As the costume was made to measure for the dancer, it may differ from the standard size.