Verdi: Luisa Miller

Back in the day, Verdi scholars like Charles Osborne (The Complete Operas of Verdi) and Julian Budden (The Operas of Verdi) regarded Luisa Miller as a transitional opera, with the last act showing Verdi's "mature" style while the first two were regarded as more of that "oom-pah-pah" Bel Canto stuff. Fortunately for opera fans in general, and Verdi fans in particular, that old school attitude is going, going, but not quite gone (Budden's three volume work was copyrighted in 1973, Osborne's in 1969). With the bicentennial of the Maestro's birth being celebrated this year, the issuence of DVDs of all his works enable us to formulate opinions independant of the academic set.Luisa Miller is, of course, loosely based on Shiller's Kabale und Liebe (Intrigue and Love). In it, Verdi is seen moving from the more histionic works toward a more studied treatment of the human condition. The drama is far more focused than in earlier works while the music is rich and melodic. This near perfect performance is a real winner!Leo Nucci continues to amaze! He is close to 65 but his voice is in fantastic shape. In the cabaletta, "Ah! Fu giusto il mio sospetto!" following his Act I aria (Which Osborne calls "ordinary", but which is anything but!), he ends with a high A, which even Cornell MacNeil eschewed in his CD recording with Moffo and Bergonzi. Nucci is the featured baritone in several of the C major "Tutto Verdi" series and I have yet to find him in anything but top form to date. His acting, by the by, is in keeping with the high quality of the singing.Marcello Alvarez is also in top form in this recording. He has a lot of singing to do, much of it right in the passagio, but there is no sign of strain or fatigue. His "Quando le sere al placido" is definitive: I have heard many tenors sing this aria over the years, but none better than this. Dramatically he is spot on, as well, which is not always the case with him.Much the same can be said of Giorgio Surian (Count Walter) and Rafal Siwek (Wurm). The former is vocally secure and dramatically involved, while the latter, singing to the same high level as his compatriots, is a marvellous villain, including the required leers and sneers.Fiorenza Cedolins is a better Norma than a Luisa. She is not lyric enough to realize this role as well as some of her sisters do, but she still does a magnificent job, and my nit picks on the vocal side do not in any way diminish my enthusiasm for this performance. She executes this role with all the trills, pianissimi, bells & whistles and is splendid in the dramatics.Staging here is quite good; it is a more traditional approach, done with apparent respect for the libretto. One of the highlights, for me at least is the Act II duet ("Pallida, mesta sei!") between Miller and Luisa. It is the first of the father daughter duets which, in Verdi, is so well known. It is perfectly realized, as is the case with most of what is performed here.Chorus and orchestra under Donato Renzetti are also splendid. In my reviews of other C Major releases, I have noted the particular nature of regional Italian opera, especially that of Parma, in the heart of Verdi country. "Idiomatic" is the word that comes to mind, but that may be imprecise. Whatever it is, it adds a quality that is frequently missing in performances in the big houses, and it extends to the audience, as well as the performers (in reading a review of the performance of Il Trovatore that C Major will release later this month, the anger of the audience at cuts and a lackluster soprano reflected an attitude that is rare in New York or London).Disc quality is superb: The picture is crisp and the DTS sound is something that continues to amaze me by providing a near equivalent to the live performance.Buying this one is a no brainer; you simply cannot go wrong .... unless you're into the German guy.

Full disclosure: I love this opera. Although very much part of the traditional repertoire, it is not produced with anything like the frequency of such Verdi works as Traviata and Rigoletto. Consequently, there are precious few videos to choose from here. This one is definitely worth buying. But why only 4 stars?First: The singing is absolutely FIRST RATE and excuses all the faults. LEO NUCCI proves yet again why he is THE great Verdi baritone of his time. RAFAL SIWEK is an enormously powerful Wurm, and the other principals are all at the top of their game.Second: The costumes give the production an early-20th century setting. Some are quite stylized such as the head-to-toe scarlet outfit worn by FRANCESCA FRANCI as Federica. Others are almost comically bland such as that worn by FLORENZA CEDOLINS in the title role, who is also made to wear an unflattering wig. She deserves better.Third: The minimalist (i.e. cheap) sets do nothing to enrich the production. The best that can be said for them is that they do not get in the way. A modern, geometric backdrop clashes with the period costumes. It's a mess.So 5 stars for the great singing and 3 for the design, which is why I compromise and give this 4 stars overall.

Before this recording I was somewhat familiar with Verdi's Luisa Miller of 1849. I had seen it on stage a few times in forgettable performances. I knew the video with the lovely June Anderson who sang beautifully as the innocent girl for two acts but wasn't quite up to the demands of the intimate drama of the third. And I knew the Met performance where Renata Scotto rewrote Verdi's music to cover her failing vocal abilities. In both of these performances the tenors(and this is a tenor's opera) were simply inadequate. When I saw the cast list for this recording I was uneasy about Cedolins as the sweet ingénue of Act 1. I remember her as the stentorian-voiced Norma of an excellent production and a quite fine brassy Tosca. But after a few exposures to this video I see her now as a consummate artist who can convey innocence in the first act, the wronged but steadfast lover in the second and in the third act rise to great heights as a dramatic actress unmatched in today's operatic world. What a wonderful recording this is!As I've said before this is a tenor's opera and it's viability depends on him. Marcelo Alvarez is a Verdi tenor: lyrical, ardent, despairing and ultimately a loser but here he must also be spinto dramatic to carry the tragedy to it's conclusion. Alvarez has the voice and technique to do all of these and more. Certainly Placido Domingo's "Quando le sere al placido" was more beautiful but he didn't become a tragic actor till later in life with Otello. Thus he could not measure up to the naked drama of act 3 as Alvarez does (I won't say anything about Renata Scotto last act performance).Luisa Miller is Verdi's first after the so called "galley years". He is now well recognized, comfortable financially, and has mastered his craft. He can now do things more leisurely and take time with his composing and Luisa Miller shows this. There are several characters in Luisa and each one is well developed; the father - Miller, daughter - Luisa, suitor Rodolfo, his father the Count, and the cad - Wurm (the duchess Fredrica is short changed; writing for mezzo will wait until Trovatore). Then there is the increasing mastery of orchestration, the sensitive scoring, flexibility of musical forms, less fussy accompaniment to arias, two long dialogue recitatives (Luisa - Miller & Luisa - Rodolfo); long dialogues did not occur in earlier opera as Verdi thought the audience would be bored. Here they are the high points of the drama.Miller is a Verdi baritone role of the first order. Here it is done superbly by Leo Nucci and it is a dramatic high point. Nucci is amazing! He just goes on and on. One excellent performance after another and each an individual well thought out performance. Giorgio Suria is an excellent example of the Verdi bass: granite-like, monochromatic, inflexible and here the ultimate loser.A special accolade to Donato Renzetti. He put the orchestra in top form and really made possible this great performance; among the very best of the Tutto Verdi series.This opera is the first of Verdi's that is not about Medieval knights or tales from the Bible. This is a tragedy of ordinary people. An innocent girl betrayed by circumstances beyond her control (as Giselle act 1). This is drama of everyday people- Verismo before it had a name.

Me ha gustado mucha esta ópera. No es una de las más conocidas de Verdi, pero vale la pena adentrarse en ella porque en general es una obra muy equilibrada, tanto musical como argumentalmente, que depara grandes momentos. Esta representación del Teatro Regio di Parma ofrece un elenco más que aceptable, destacando desde mi punto de vista Leo Nucci, y una dirección orquestal excelente. La puesta en escena, sin ser fiel a la época reflejada en el libreto, no desentona demasiado. En conclusión, recomiendo esta representación en concreto de Luisa Miller.

Excellente version, vaut celle du Met en 1979, en plus dramatique. Belle mise en scène, décors et costumes convenables. Leo Nucci superbe et prise de son parfaite.

Fiorenza Cedolins is not entirely convincing in the role of the heroine Luisa, at least, not to begin with. Fortunately, she improves as the performance continues and, over all, this is a top grade one even if it isn't quite my top favourite. I always think that this is one of Verdi's works in which he did not have to include a tragic ending. Luisa could have stopped Rodolfo from drinking the poison just in time. No one could wish for a better father (Miller) than Luisa has and the role could not have been sung and played better than it is here by Leo Nucci, who receives some well deserved ovations. Both picture quality and sound are of the best in this Blu-Ray recording.Count Walter is convincingly played and sung by Gorgio Surian and Francesca Franci is excellent as the Duchess d'Ostheim. So much so, in fact, that one might very well wonder why Rodolfo did not want to marry her. In his younger days, of course, Count Walter did a very nasty thing. Rodolfo knows what this is and is preparing to 'spill the beans' when he's deceived into believing that Luisa doesn't want him any more because she loves Wurm, Count Walter's unscrupulous right hand man who wants to wed Luisa. This is all because Wurm forces Luisa to write a letter saying she doesn't love Rodolfo any more and wants to wed Wurm, all this in order to save her father, now imprisoned by Count Walter, from being put to death. It works and she gets her dad back, but Rodolfo believes it all and is broken hearted.In this performance, Rodolfo is played by 'Marcelo Alvarez who makes up for his plump appearance with his top quality tenor voice; but, for me, it has to be Leo Nucci, Luisa's dad, who steals the show. What a performance! This staging of the work is worth five stars for him alone, good man, brave man and excellent father, that he is. - all brilliantly portrayed by Leo Nucci. In a way, this opera is really about two fathers and the different way in which each of them handles child problems. Whereas all the count cares about is furthering his own interests through a prestigious marriage involving his son, Miller is concerned only for his daughter's welfare and happiness. Whilst Fiorenza Cedolins would not be my favourite Luisa, she gives a credible performance, which I'm sure many viewers will like very much indeed.Chorus, orchestra and staging are all of the best in this recording and help considerably towards the enjoyment of the performance. and I liked the costumes. For myself, I would have preferred a more convincing Luisa, after whom the opera is named. However, because of the all round high quality of this recording my estimate is that its still worth five stars and I'm glad I own it. The question to ask is: can your dad sing like Luisa's?

ヌッチ・チェドリンス・アルバレスと、三人がそれぞれ持ち味を発揮しバランスの取れた出来だ。トゥットヴェルディの中でも秀逸の一つ。

Belle interprétation de cet opéra peu joué de Verdi avec d'excellents solistes. Mise en scène "moderne", mais sans les excès qu'on peut constater chez certains metteurs en scène. Version à acheter si on veut sortir des versions traditionnelles en costumes folkloriques.