About the work
Al gran sole carico d'amore is an "azione scenica" (scenic action) in two parts by Luigi Nono, to a montage libretto of texts and images written by Nono together with Russian director Yuri Lyubimov. Commissioned by Milan's La Scala in 1972, the work premiered on 4 April 1975 at the Teatro Lirico in Milan, conducted by Claudio Abbado and staged by Lyubimov.
Plot
The work assembles texts about revolutionary women from different eras – from the 1871 Paris Commune to the Russian revolutions to liberation movements in Latin America and the Vietnam War. Central figures include the anarchist Louise Michel and the guerrilla fighter Tamara "Tania" Bunke; the episodic form forgoes a continuous plot in favour of collaged voices of struggle, doubt and solidarity.
Cultural significance
The premiere sparked fierce political controversy in the Italian press, with right-wing papers denouncing the work as communist propaganda; the collaboration with Soviet director Lyubimov is now seen as one of the defining examples of Nono's idea of politically engaged theatre.