Work: Giovanna d'Arco (Joan of Arc)

After a fifty-year absence from Roman stages, Verdi's opera about the Maid of Orléans makes an appearance at Teatro dell'Opera under the conduction of Daniele Gatti.

Odyssey Opera comes full circle closing its season “Trial By Fire“ with another opera rooted in Schiller’s Die Jungfrau von Orléans, Giovanna d’Arco. Verdi’s seventh opera is an uneven, retrograde effort which fails to mine further the rich vein he had struck in Ernani.

Verdi's take on the Joan of Arc story may be thin on drama, but outstanding playing from Riccardo Chailly and the La Scala orchestra and top notch singing from Netrebko, Meli and Álvarez make this a wonderful Verdian evening.