Krassimira Stoyanova (Luisa Miller) and Franck Ferrari (Miller). Scenography by William Orlandi. Foto: Andrea Messana

The Opera in Paris is again showing one of their great succes Giuseppe Verdis opera Luisa Miller in a very beautiful scenography and good understandable regi. It is a big warm love history, – and unfortunately also a tragedy, about warm and true love between two people, a man and a women, which unfortunately because of that they are from different social positions, which not normaly shall get each others, and in this is the tragedy. But also about a warm and true love between the daughter and her father.

As very often the Paris Opera are presenting great singers in all the leading roles, the Bulgarian famouse soprano  Krassimira Stoyanova with virtuose coloratur, which very much reminded me of the difficult arias ending first act of La Traviata, and a warm and beautiful voice in the titelrole. Unfortunately it was announced that Marcelo Alvarez as Rodolfo was indisposed, but he manged very well, and his great aria and arioso in secodn act was outstanding. As Count Walter we enjoyed the famous base Orlin Anastassov,  also he from Bulgaria, who presented a warm voice  full of different colors, who he used well to form his role personality.

It is allways a pleasure to enjoy Franck Ferrari, as he knows how to form his roles. Maria José Montiel sung the mezzorole Federica, Duches to Ostheim with surplus as her voice is beautiful. Arutjun Kotchinian presented the demanding diabilical role as Wurm, so I enjoyed in him a Mefisto type. The singers and brilliant choir was extraordinary well followed by a very well sounding Orchestra conducted by Daniel Oren, who knows how to conduct opera so the audience are getting an optimal evening out of it. In his conducting personality i heard one of the best orchestras for along time at the Opera de Paris, not as the dreadful presentation that I recently heard with Maurizio Benini, when he tried to spoile Madame Butterfly for the tenor by allways letting the orchestra play with to large a sound. Daniel Oren knows intelligently to let the orchestra use the pianissimo so it gives the whole opera an extraordinary musically atmosphaere. Bravo mr Oren!!!

Marcelo Alvarez (in the center) Krassimira Stoyanova,(left), Franck Ferrari (right) and Orlin Anastassov (far left). Foto: Andrea Messana

I enjoyed the scenography by William Orlandi, and the following up by his great costumes. He has put it all in to a wonderful “Sound of Music” frame,  which in the first act, where the love is presented suits the romantic start very well. Then it was followed up by letting us have a view out over the same landscape from Count Walters palace. It all got like a “fairytale” framing, which suited the piece very well, and by good lighting by Joël Hourbeigt it all changed its atmosphaere to the relevant scenes. His use of shadows from the columns at the palace was deliciouse.

Gilbert Deflo is responsible for the staging. It was understanding ell done, and the grouping of all the participating singers was very well placed. A great pleasure to enjoy
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Maria José Montiel as duchess d´Ostheim in the centre. foto: Andrea Messana

The libretto is based on Friedrich Schiller´s Kabale und Liebe (Intrigue and Love), recounts the  love story of a gentleman, Ferdinand (who becomes Rodolfo in the opera) and a young girl of the people, Luisa Miller, battling with the intrigues of a corrupt society. It contrasts a taste for naure and simple ways with the cynism, the scandalous criminal life or quite simply teh social hypocrisy of the German principalities in the late 18th century

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Verdi and his librettist Salvatore Cammarano adpated the play to the theatrical requirements of traditional Neapolitan opera with its requisite vocal virtuosity , whilst turning the work to their advantage, and numerious characters from the later operas have much in in comon with Miller; wurm, Rodolfo and Luisa.

Krassimira Stoyanova, scenography by William Orlandi. foto: Andrea Messana

Many themes are also rooted in the work, in particularlythat of the father and the duality between affection and repression that appears in Rigoletto, La Traviata and Simone Boccanegra amongst others.

From a musical point of view , Luisa Miller represents, at this stage in Verdi´s career, a greater harmony between music and words. The traditional distinction between recitatives and arias is less prenounced, thus preventing the dramatic tension from sagging. As in La Traviata, the drma is allready present in the ouverture, depicted in a breathless theme suggesting Luisa´s anxiety which reappears in the short orchestral introduction to the third act.

Luisa Miller was first time peformed at the Teattro San Carlo inNaples on December 8th 1849, and was for the first time performed at the Palais Garnier in May 1983 with Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Katia Riccarielli in the titelrole, while Piero Cappucilli was singing Miller.