Carlo loves Luisa. There can be no doubt about that: they are head over
heels or in whatever acrobatic position you fancy, besotted with each other.
Her father has some reservations which grow into terror when he is informed
that Carlo is a fraud and a seducer and is in fact Rodolfo the son of Count
Walter. The Count is violently opposed to his son having anything to do with a
commoner like Luisa, the daughter of a miller, especially since he has promised
Rodolfo’s hand in marriage to the wealthy Duchess Federica.
Sonya Yoncheva as
Luisa and Piotr Beczała as Rodolfo. Photo: Chris Lee / Met Opera
Now Federica has a lot of virtues like royal provenance and wealth, and
she and Rodolfo grew up together. On the downside she does have reduced
resistance to the law of gravity, she is a mezzo (and we know the soprano gets
the guy) and Rodolfo would rather eat dirt than marry her.
Tyrol, we have a problem.
Call Verdi. Call Salvatore Cammarano for a libretto. This calls for an opera to resolve all these
problems. And the result is Verdi’s 15th opera, Luisa Miller, which was
first seen in 1849. It is no longer completely ignored but it is infrequently
performed and underrated. It is a marvelous opera and deserves more frequent
productions.
The Met has revived Elijah Moshinsky’s production, first seen in 2001,
with a first-rate cast and the result is an astonishingly impressive and
enjoyable afternoon at the opera. Luisa Miller makes punishing demands on the
lead soprano and tenor. In soprano Sonya Yoncheva as Luisa and tenor Piotr
Beczala as Rodolfo, the Met has vocal power and beauty to spare.
Yoncheva exudes youth and innocence as she expresses passion,
disappointment, grief, fear and courage as she goes through the phases of
Luisa’s life. She sings with tonal beauty and gives us a superb Luisa. Matching
her is Beczala who is also passionate, heroic and human. His vocal prowess and range
are never in doubt and always on display.
Placido Domingo sings the role of Miller, Luisa’s compassionate father,
a baritone role. He has sung Rodolfo many times and there is a DVD of him in
that role that was recorded in 1979. The Deity that is protecting him and
especially his vocal chords has clearly done an outstanding job. There can be
no rational explanation for someone singing as well as Domingo does at age 77.
Mezzo soprano Olesya Petrova has a rich, luscious voice and sings the
role of the rejected Federica. She has been in love, we are told with Rodolfo
all her life, and she loses her last chance to the peasant girl Luisa. No
wonder she is angry and unforgiving. An excellent performance.
Bass Alexander Vinogradov is Walter, the father of Rodolfo and together
with Wurm (Dmitry Belosselskiy), the heavy of the opera. When his son threatens
to marry Luisa, Walter orders that Luisa and her father
be arrested. But Rodolfo has a secret weapon that he pulls out and stops
Walter in his tracks.
Rodolfo.
Photo: Chris Lee / Met Opera
In Wurm, Walter has a fixer who takes care of things for him. I thought
of him as a progenitor of Michael Cohen. Perhaps I am being unfair. Wurm was
promised the beautiful Luisa and all Cohen got was money. We get a fine
performance in the role by Belosselskiy.
Moshinsky’s and Set Designer Santo Loquasto’s production is opera on a
grand scale. From the opening scene of a 19th century village in
Tyrol (they tell us it is in England but no great matter) to the grandeur and
opulence of Walter’s castle, we see production values to leave us impressed. We
see the change of sets in the live broadcast and they require organization,
manpower, budget and engineering that no more than a handful of opera houses
can even imagine.
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus were conducted by Bertrand
de Billy in a production that may claim to be one of the best you are likely to
see this season.
And, oh yes, there is good news. Rodolfo and Luisa enjoy a last drink
and they live happily ever after. But, where?
You will just have to see the opera to find out.
__________
Luisa Miller by Giuseppe Verdi with libretto by Salvatore Cammarano
was shown Live in HD at select Cineplex theatres
across Canada and can be seen again on May 21, 23, 27 and June 16, 2018. For more
information go to: www.cineplex.com/events
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