Italy's La Scala opens with Verdi opera highlighting war's tragedy

Milan's famed La Scala opera house kicks off its new season on Saturday with a Giuseppe Verdi drama adapted to the modern day to tell the tragedy of war, as conflicts rage around the world from Ukraine to the Middle East.

The original plot of La Forza del Destino (The Force of Destiny) was set against 18th century wars in Spain and Italy and told the story of the ill-fated love between Don Alvaro and Leonora, which was frustrated by Leonora's brother Don Carlo.

For the latest La Scala edition director Leo Muscato decided to set the opera in four conflicts starting from 1700, incorporating the First World War and arriving at the present day.

"The last act takes place in a contemporary world ... the audience sees what the media shows us every day, only rubble," Muscato told reporters ahead of the opening night, adding that he was not referring to any specific ongoing conflict.

French baritone Ludovic Tezier, who stars as Don Carlo, said the message the 19th century Italian composer was sending in one of his last operas was "to stop wars and hate."

At the tragic end of The Force of Destiny Don Carlo, in his dying breath following a duel with Don Alvaro, fatally stabs his sister, leaving Alvaro alive but alone.

Russian soprano Anna Netrebko acts as Leonora and U.S.-born tenor Brian Jagde has taken over the role of Don Alvaro from German Jonas Kaufmann, who was forced to withdraw in November for personal reasons.

The opening night at La Scala is a highlight of the social calendar for Italy's political and business elite, coinciding with Milan's St. Ambrose holiday celebrating the city's patron saint.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who usually sits in the royal box, will not attend the event as he is in Paris for the celebrations for the re-opening of Notre Dame Cathedral after the 2019 fire.

This year's opening night will be the last under La Scala's French artistic director Dominique Meyer, who steps down in February to be replaced by Fortunato Ortombrina, currently at the helm of Venice's La Fenice opera house.