Metropolitan Opera Archives

La Forza del Destino received four performances this season.
Gros designed the sets for the Church of the Madonna, the encampment and the Cloister of the Madonna;
the other sets were created by scenic artist J. Fox.

Review 1:

Review of Pitts Sanborn in the Telegram

Ponselle and Martinelli Return in 'La Forza del Destino"

Apparently the resuscitated "Forza del Destino" - to judge from the enormous and proportionately enthusiastic audience that gathered at the Metropolitan last night - is likely at last to duplicate in New York the success that has made this septuagenarian work of Verdi's the outstanding opera in Germany, with critics as well as with audiences, for over a twelvemonth - Germany, which had neglected its beauties for nearly seven decades!

Perhaps now Mr. Gatti-Casazza will be encouraged to try a revival of Verdi's "Simone Boccanegra," a neglected Verdi opera on whose merits the late Victor Maurel used strongly to insist. Mr. Gatti-Casazza might also bring back the great Italian's "Don Carlos," now that he has conductors of the metal of Mr. Serafin and Mr. Bellezza to conduct it, for "Don Carlos" is an opera that needs a large amount of conducting.

A considerable part of the success of "La Forza del Destino" last evening was due to the careful and authoritative leadership of Mr. Bellezza. And much was due also to the singing of Miss Rosa Ponselle as Donna Leonora and of Mr. Martinelli as Don Alvaro, whose dual presence at the Metropolitan largely accounted for the revival of "La Forza" a season ago.

It was as Donna Leonora that Miss Ponselle first revealed the glory of her voice to the world of opera in November, 1918, on this same Metropolitan stage. In the interval she has learned a great deal about make-up and acting and something further about the use of her voice. Last night her singing was sometimes positively gorgeous. But alas, there were also moments when she merely squealed! It is to be hoped that she will get rid of that disturbing peculiarity before she undertakes to do Norma.

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