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Giovanna dei demoni (Joan of the Demons) Parma
Teatro Regio
01/24/2025 - & January 26, 30*, February 1, 2025
Giuseppe Verdi: Giovanna d’Arco
Nino Machaidze (Giovanna), Luciano Ganci (Carlo VII), Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar (Giacomo), Krzysztof Baczyk (Talbot), Francesco Congo’s (Delil)
Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, Martino Faggiani (Chorus Master), Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, Michele Gamba (conductor)
Emma Dante (director), Carmine Marginola (set designer), Vanessa Sannino (costumes), Luigi Biondi (lighting), Manuela Lo Soco (choreography)
L. Ganci, N. Machaidze (© Roberto Ricci)
Verdi’s seventh opera, premiered in 1845, is one of his least performed operas despite being replete with excellent music. The remarkable story of Joan of Arc ought to have made a compelling opera, but its awkward libretto, based on Schiller’s Die Jungfrau von Orleans (1801), does it no favours. Temistocle Solera (1815‑1876), also Verdi’s librettist for Nabucco (1842) and I Lombardi alla prima crociata (1843), wrote a flawed libretto in part due to the necessity of disguising his source, namely Schiller’s play, for fear of copyright violation.
In this opera, Joan of Arc is not burned at the stake but rather dies from her battle wounds. She’s haunted by visions, including of taking up arms against the English. King Charles VII meets her and falls in love, but she refuses him. When accused by her father of having entered into a pact with the Devil, she refuses to defend herself. She’s imprisoned and is to be tried for witchcraft, but her father relents and lets her go. She goes to battle and defeats the English. Injured in battle, in front of Charles VII and her father, she briefly revives and finally dies.
As eager as I was to hear this Verdi rarity, I was apprehensive due to the staging. Those I’ve experienced by Emma Dante, La Cenerentola in Barcelona and Rusalka in Milan, left a lot to be desired. She invariably seemed eager to deconstruct well‑anchored fairy tales of Cinderella and the Little Mermaid without bringing new insight to the fore. Thankfully, she seemed to be somewhat reined‑in for this production. When asked about Giovanna d’Arco’s staging, an opera enthusiast who came expressly to Parma to see it told me it was thoroughly forgettable. I couldn’t agree more.
Nonetheless, Dante chose not to elucidate on Joan’s mysticism or to take the now en vogue mantle of Joan’s possible homosexuality. The director seemed to agree with Joan’s father: the girl was possessed. Another possibility is that she was insane. An ever‑present cortège of women danced hysterically around Giovanna. Some were dressed in fiery red and had repulsive black tongues, most certainly demons. Some may have been angels, though it was not apparent.
Thanks to Carmine Marginola’s aesthetically fetching sets and Vanessa Sannino’s costumes, the production was visually appealing. Several images, especially the Act II garden scene, evoked the Pre‑Raphaelite school of painting. However, no clear message was conveyed. Was Joan possessed by the Devil? Why did Joan refuse to give in to her passion for Carlo VII? Did her father accuse her out of true concern for her soul, or out of malice? If the latter, why? These questions, especially those regarding mysticism and femininity, are crucial, and the answer could have elevated the work. Pity!
Contrary to the confused staging, the singing was first‑rate. Tenor Luciano Ganci was Carlo VII, King of France and Joan’s champion. Ganci is very much in demand and his lyric tenor is perfectly suited for the role, with its bel canto musical lines. Recently admired in Don Carlo in Naples and Düsseldorf in Düsseldorf, in Stiffelio in Verona, and in Macbeth in Parma, Ganci is fast becoming one today’s most prominent Verdi tenors. He managed to convey Carlo VII’s youth and ardour thanks to his beautiful timbre and squillo. His Act III aria “ Quale più fido amico” was his best, especially for expressivity. His Act II duet with Giovanna, “E in tai momenti...Dunque, o cruda” was a moment of bel canto grace, thanks to beautiful singing and the formidable chemistry between the two singers.
Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze was Giovanna, a rather odd choice for a lyric soprano role with beautiful legato, as the famous sopranos who marked this role, including Renata Tebaldi, Montserrat Caballé and Katia Ricciarelli. Recently heard as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello in Frankfurt, Machaidze’s voice is more spinto than Lirico nowadays, with a noticeable vibrato, ill‑suited for this early Verdi bel canto role. Nonetheless, Machaidze is an accomplished artist and excellent actor who captivated the audience in the aria “O fatidica foresta”. She was less impressive in the lyrical first aria “Ah ben s’addice... Sempre all’alba.”
The revelation of the evening was Mongolia’s Ariunbaatar Ganbaatar as Giacomo, Giovanna’s father. This young baritone impressed with his beautiful timbre, excellent diction and expressiveness. He elicited the most applause, and rightfully so. Watch out for this young man; he promises to be a leading Verdi baritone.
Despite the confused staging, seeing this performance was a true privilege, given its rarity on stage. Parma’s Teatro Regio, home of the Verdi Festival, is an ideal place to see the master’s works, especially the rarer ones. Thanks to an overall excellent cast, top‑notch orchestra and well‑rehearsed chorus, one appreciated this neglected work. However, the staging, which should have lifted the weak libretto, may have made it even more confusing. Those unfamiliar with the story of Joan of Arc – hopefully these are few – may conclude Joan was not a saint but rather a witch or a possessed woman. I long to see this musically-appealing opera once again, but hopefully in a coherent staging that does justice to its excellent music.
Ossama el Naggar
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