Joan of Arc, Opera in Four Acts

'Giovanna D'Arco' is static in terms of story, with Giovanna's dilemma never as believable as it ought to be and not developed enough. But whatever the state of the story you can always rely on Verdi to boast a good score.

And 'Giovanna D'Arco' while not one of his best has that(more in the solos this said rather than the choruses). The father-daughter relationship, a common theme in Verdi and so crucial that it makes or breaks a production of Verdi opera, especially 'Rigoletto', and the final scene of the opera is excellent and the dramatic highlight easily. There are two DVD productions of 'Giovanna D'Arco'. Both are good, with the Werner Herzog film faring stronger due to some captivating imagery especially. Parma's is musically outstanding and committedly performed but doesn't always overcome the opera's story problems and the Carlo is weak.

This La Scala production, seeing it in its entirety on Youtube, is very good and at its best it comes close to a triumph. There are times where it is static and where it does struggle to maintain momentum, but part of the blame is to do with the story of the opera, though admittedly the production could have done a little better at overcoming these. Giovanna is developed beautifully, a woman of ambiguities and conflict, though her dilemma is not always easy to resonate with.

It is a good-looking production visually. The sets are a touch too sparse in places, but the stylised but traditional costumes are colourful and tasteful and the video projections are both positively angelic and demonic, look striking and help make the production more visually engrossing. They could easily have been pointless, and they should have been, but they looked good and didn't feel overused. The staging has many compelling moments, with chillingly stirring choruses (by far the best directed chorus of the three productions of the opera seen), the tender and at times tense father-daughter chemistry and a riveting final scene that's both blazingly intense and moving.

On a musical level, finding fault is difficult. The orchestra play beautifully and with the right amounts of energy and power, the woodwind playing especially impressive, and the chorus give it everything and are well-balanced and sing with vibrant tone. Was not expecting Riccardo Chailly to conduct with such precision and finesse, in one of his most ambitious endeavours as conductor, but he really keeps the drama alive but also sympathetic to the performers' needs.

'Giovanna D'Arco' focuses heavily on the three leads, all three do not disappoint by any stretch of the imagination. Anna Netrebko is thrillingly and poignantly ablaze in her acting, especially in the final scene, and the dark creaminess to her voice fills the house with ease.

Francesco Meli is much better than both the Carlos on the DVDs, a stronger actor with much more command and regal bearing and none of the stiffness that eluded the Carlo of the Parma production. He has no problem being heard and in no way sounds strained, the high notes actually ring out which was not expected personally as Meli was taxed by Manrico (a role that Carlo is almost on the same level on in difficulty).

David Cecconi is no Renato Bruson, a superb singing-actor who embodied every role he took on, something that Cecconi doesn't quite. However he does have a beautiful and very musically used voice, and shows a lot of authoritative and touching sympathetic acting especially with Netrebko.

Overall, very good and often comes close to a triumph. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This La Scala production from December 2015 has Carlos Alvarez singing Giacomo, instead of the lesser known baritone that the previous reviewer heard. It's a wonderful show, and shows how Netrebko's voice has firmed over the last few years; she's really a formidable singer now. Alvarez and Meli offer good support, although in the latter's case it's a bit hard to get over the gold paint that Leiser and Caurier have put on him. Recommended.