Attila, Opera by G. Verdi
Venice's premier music venue for opera, Gran Teatro La Fenice, is home for a new staging of Attila by Giuseppe Verdi. This production revives Verdi's much-loved opera in three acts with a prologue which premiered on 17 March 1846 at this very opera house in the heart of Venice. Based on an 1809 play, Attila, King of the Huns by Zacharias Werner, a German dramatist and poet, Attila tells the tale of the real historical character who once dominated much of Europe outside of Roman control in the fifth century.
Famously, the Italian librettist Temistocle Solera abandoned work on the unfinished Attila halfway through writing it. Consequently, Verdi turned to Francesco Maria Piave, who had already provided librettos for the great composer to finish it off for him. The opera never feels disjointed despite this less-than-ideal backstory. It opens with a two-scene prologue, the first of which sees the title character falling for a warrior maiden who's just been defeated by the Huns. Later, Attila is approached by a Roman general, Ezio, who suggests his forces team up with the Huns against Rome.
In the first act, the maiden Attila has fallen for, Odabella, finds her kinsman, Foresto, and the two vow their love for one another. During a disturbed night, Attila, calls for his army to rise up in arms but soon finds that what is happening was what he had been dreaming about. The second act switches between action at Ezio's camp, where he is preparing to fight, and Attila's camp, where the leader of the Huns has been warned by druids not to trust the Roman general. Following an attempt on Attila's life, Foresto falsely claims it is he who attempted to poison the Hunnish King. Odabella pleads for Foresto's life, saying she should determine his punishment. Attila is pleased with this stating he'll marry her the following day. Nevertheless, it turns out, that almost all of the other central characters, Odabella included, have different motives driving the story to a dramatic, final-act conclusion.
Although there was some criticism of Attila when it was first performed, notably because of its Teutonic, almost Wagnerian character, it has remained popular despite changing fashions. In particular, the aria È gettata la mia sorte was highly praised in its day. Seeing it performed where it was first staged, at La Fenice Opera House, is sure to make for a delightful and compelling evening of entertainment.