Bowers:Bruson:Vassileva - Verdi: Giovanna D'Arco

Giovanna d�ArcoStaged by Gabriele Lavia at the Parma Festival, October 2008Giovanna d'Arco is based on Friedrich Schiller's tragedy The Maid of Orleans and deals with the life of Joan of Arc. But Verdi and his librettist Temistocle Solera departed from both Schiller and historical fact by turning Joan's father into the opera's powerful antagonist. Ever since its first performance in Milan in 1845, Giovanna d'Arco has been admired and loved for its emotionally affecting arias and thrilling choral writing.