The opera so many people dread… apart from the scaramanzia, or the superstition that earned her the nickname of l’innominata (the one who shall not be named) it is the opera that does not forgive, whether you’re a singer, a chorus, a producer or a costume maker. La Forza del Destino is the opera with the big cast, the grand arias, the larger-than-life choruses, and a whooping 4 acts and 8 scenes! It’s a go big, or go home. And that’s what the Teatru tal-Opra Aurora plans to do, on 11th October 2025 with this new production of La Forza. Certainly not a bad omen for the Aurora, the much loved title returns for a second time after being successfully presented in 2007.
Liudmyla Monastyrska
LEONORA
Stefano Secco
DON ALVARO
Dimitris Tiliakos
DON CARLOS
World-class soprano, Liudmyla Monastyrska is set to headline the massive cast of Giuseppe Verdi’s operatic masterpiece La Forza del Destino – the opening night of opera-in-Gozo, set to take place at the Aurora Opera House on Saturday 11th October 2025.
Born in Ukraine, Monastyrska’s fame has been taking her to the world’s most egregious opera stages, such as New York’s MetOpera where she performed the title role in Tosca and Turandot, Munich, Verona Arena, Naples’ San Carlo, the Royal Opera in London’s Covent Garden, and of course, Milan’s La Scala. She will appear alongside another A-rated opera star, tenor Stefano Secco, in the role of Don Alvaro. He has graced the stages of Teatro alla Scala, Opéra Bastille in Paris, the Vienna State Opera, and more. His international reputation brings credibility and a loyal fanbase of opera aficionados who know their tenors. The main trio is rounded up by Dimitris Tiliakos who returns to the Aurora after his highly successful Nabucco which local opera audiences are sure to remember.
The cast list continues with the Italian mezzo Cristina Melis as the incendiary Preziosilla and Hidenori Inoue as Padre Guardiano. Francesco Napoleoni returns as Mastro Trabuco (after last year’s double role as Il Tinca in Il Tabarro and Gherardo in Gianni Schicchi), as does Andrea Carcassi (after his Aurora debut in Gianni Schicchi, 2024). Meanwhile, Davide Procaccini makes his Malta debut at the Aurora as Il Marchese di Calatrava.
Securing Monastyrska and her counterparts has not been an easy task, but it signals the Aurora’s commitment to consistently taking the level of opera-in-Gozo, indeed opera the Aurora, one or two notches up at a time. Indeed, being the complex and expansive opera that it is – requiring no less than 10 leading roles and a voluminous chorus – La Forza is not quite the most performed operas for a reason that doesn’t have to do with its musical beauty, and putting together a creditable cast for it can be quite challenging, not to mention costly.
Cristina Melis
PREZIOSILLA
Hidenori Inoue
PADRE GUARDIANO
Tiziano Bracci
FRA MELITONE
But the Aurora’s not trying to pull this one off with just the cast. It’s an never-ending quest to give the audience something new, something fresh, something not quite seen before, but credible, respectful to the plot and, above all, aesthetically beautiful. In this, stage director Riccardo Buscarini has proved himself twice on end, with Madama Butterfly (2023) and Il Trittico (2024). This time round, he has teamed up with Mara Pieri for costumes, and Giammaria Farina – an Italian architect and set designer whose portfolio includes massive outdoor stages and indoor opera sets for the big guns. His active collaborations with David Livermore and the biggest Italian opera houses, bring a wealth of experience and the assurances of a top-notch spectacle for which the Aurora has grown to be renowned.
As ever, Colin Attard, at the helm of the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra and the Aurora Opera Chorus binds all these elements together and translates them into the one lavish opera-night no one should miss.
Francesco Napoleoni
MASTRO TRABUCO
Davide Procaccini
Il MARCHESE DI CALATRAVA
Andrea Carcassi
UN ALCADE / UN CHIRURGO
Nicole Vassallo
CURRA
Riccardo Buscarini
STAGE DIRECTOR
Giammaria Farina
SET DESIGNER
Mara Pieri
COSTUMES
Moritz Zavan Stoeckle
LIGHT DESIGNER
Colin Attard
CONDUCTOR
Malta Philharmonic
ORCHESTRA
Aurora Opera
CHORUS
La Forza del Destino is the opera where everyone’s hiding and disguising. The nobleman disguises himself as a student. The South American dresses up as a Spanish fighter, and the Lady walks in male attire and more poignantly as a hermit. They all try to be someone else, to escape their own fate. Therefore, it’s the quintessential opera where dress and textile stand key to the plot. And that is where Riccardo Buscarini‘s production comes to play, with original sets by Giammaria Farina, costumes by Mara Pieri and lighting design by Moritz Zavan Stoeckle.
But above all, La Forza is the ultimate opera for big arias and even bigger choruses. Colin Attard formidably leads the pack as he conducts the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, the Aurora Opera Chorus and an international cast of opera artists.
Tickets are now out on sale at €90, €75 and €55, with a limited number of premium boxes available for €500-for-4-seats, including champagne and butler service. Vin d’honneur tokens for an intermission wine-and-canapes reception are being sold at €35. Check out the Choose Your Seats link above.
Photos by Anthony Grech.
Watching an opera is much more than getting tickets and taking a seat. It is the ultimate social event; the ultimate form of theatre entertainment; it is a very special world that one chooses to indulge in, on a few special nights during the year. To make sure yours is special too, here we help you prepare yourself for an opera night.
Coming to the Aurora for an opera, there are some questions people usually ask. Here we try to answer the basic ones concerning accessibility. Everybody loves being in a better state of preparedness, especially when it’s about opera nights like these. Here you find how to get to the Aurora in the easiest manner.
Half the fun is getting there, they say. And that’s true for an opera at the Aurora. In order to make sure you don’t miss anything, we invite you to look at the timing you need to manage. These few tips should answer quite a few questions you might have when planning your special night at the opera.
One last thing or two before you come to the Aurora. You’re probably asking about what to wear, where to eat and how to complement your opera night. Explore the facilities we have available for our esteemed audience and feel free to ask for more.
SINGLE PERFORMANCE
Saturday 11th October 2025
Starting at: 1900hrs
Doors open at: 1815hrs
APPROXIMATE RUNNING TIMES
ACTS I, II – 85 minutes
30 minute interval
ACT III – 55 minutes
10 minute interval
ACT IV – 35 minutes
LANGUAGE
Sung in Italian with English surtitles
WORLD PREMIERE
N.S. Bolshoi Kamenny Theatre, Saint Petersburg, 1862
TEATRU AURORA PREMIERE
13th October 2007
A NEW AURORA PRODUCTION
11th October 2025
LA FORZA DEL DESTINO 2025 is being supported by Arts Council Malta in collaboration with the Ministry for Gozo through the Investment in Cultural Organisations Gozo programme, with the generous sponsorship of Bank of Valletta.
Should you require further information, our Concierge will be very pleased to assist. Contact Matthew on teatruaurora@leone.org.mt or +356 79045779.
