Though the role of the young gypsy Preziosilla (who in this contemporary-set production, is simply an entertainer) might not be as coveted as that of Leonora, it still gives performers a chance to shine. In this production, it was played by a singer making her Met debut, Judit Kutasi. Hopefully she'll be returning to the Met frequently in the future.
Verdi and librettist Francesco Maria Piave based the opera on a Spanish play by Ángel de Saavedra called Don Álvaro o la fuerza del sino. The 1835 drama was important for bringing Romanticism (a bit belatedly) to the Spanish stage. The opera also adds a scene with a pedlar selling goods to soldiers, based on Friedrich Schiller's drama Wallenstein's Camp.
The Met utilized a modern-looking setting, which aided by massive projections, seemed to me to echo the war in Ukraine. The characters are battered about by war and fate, caught up in forces of destiny they cannot control. In the end, Christian forgiveness seems to be the only way out of the cycles of vengeance portrayed in the opera.
This production is playing until March 29th. If you're a fan of opera in the grand manner (and at four acts, it's not exactly short), I heartily recommend it.
