Censored by kings, relocated to Boston, dressed by Lacroix — Verdi's scandal finally uncaged.
Envy and conspiracy, but also passionate loves, jealousy, revenge and final forgiveness come together in the masterpiece of Verdi, which aroused the anger and prohibitions of censors of the time until the composer and librettist was compelled to make changes in it: from the original Sweden to far away Boston. The great Polish tenor Piotr Beczala returns to the Liceu with one of his opening credits, accompanied by the soprano Keri Alkema. Vincent Boussard’s sets reinforce the dark and mysterious atmosphere surrounding the piece, which features costumes by Christian Lacroix and Vincent Lemaire’s sober staging, which allows one to focus their attention on the dramatic core of the score. The cast, directed by a true specialist like Renato Palumbo, also presents a leader in Verdian song: Dolora Zajick.
Production
Christian Lacroix costumes that scream 'betrayal never looked this good.'
Acting
Beczała and Hvorostovsky — two tenors, one masquerade, maximum tension.
Direction
Palumbo conducts with the urgency of someone who knows the censors lost.
Director
Fabrice Castanier
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Verdi originally set this in Sweden with a real king's assassination; censors forced him to fictionalize Boston and make Riccardo a governor instead. The composer fumed but complied — and audiences got one of his most politically restless works anyway.
This 2017 Liceu production captures Dmitri Hvorostovsky months before his brain tumor diagnosis became public; his Renato carries an unplanned valedictory weight that haunts the revenge duet.
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