Luisa Miller

Placido Domingo and Sonya Yoncheva as Miller and Luisa in Luisa Miller

The main attraction of Luisa Miller, an opera by Verdi that was presented Live in HD by the Metropolitan Orchestra in New York, was the presence of legendary Spanish tenor Placido Domingo. Placido is legendary because he has performed 148 different operatic roles, in the most prestigious opera houses in the world. Now 80, this was his first appearance in this opera—the first time he had sung the role. It is unprecedented for an opera singer to learn a new role at 80, and to be able to pull it off. Admittedly his voice sounded slightly faded sometimes, but faded like an old denim work shirt that gets more comfortable with every wash. It was thrilling to see him hold his own in lengthy and challenging duets with the rising young soprano Sonya Yoncheva in the opera's final act. Moreover, Placido projected warmth and encouragement that brought out the best in the other singers.

Typically for an opera, the plot is implausible and melodramatic. Rudolfo, the son of the local big-shot Count Walter, has hidden his identity in order to conduct a romance with a lovely and popular village girl, Luisa Miller, the daughter of a retired soldier known simply as Miller. Any plot that starts off with a deception is bound to end badly. Miller senses that there is something off about Rudolfo, and suspects him of the intention of dishonoring Luisa. On the other side, Rudolfo's father wants him to marry a rich widow whom he had known since childhood.

The fathers are the problem here. Placido emphasized Miller's fatherly love, but when it comes down to it, he is worried about his pride and reputation; he will feel insulted if his daughter is betrayed. When it appears for awhile that she has been betrayed, he vows revenge because his honor demands it. Alexander Vinogradov, who sang the role of Count Walter, has a rich voice and dignified presence, and he too made eloquent protestations of his love for his son, but his dominating concerns are his own status and wealth. When the Count goes to Miller's home to demand that Rudolfo break off with Luisa, he and Miller get into it. When Miller threatens the Count, the Count has him arrested and thrown in prison.

To make the situation worse, we have a straightforwardly evil character named Wurm, which just happens to be an appropriate pun in English; the role was sung very convincingly by Dmitry Belosselskiy. Wurm works as a messenger for Count Walter, and he too is in love with Luisa. It is he who reveals to Miller that Rudolfo is the son of the Count, and it is he who reveals to the Count that his son is intending to marry a commoner. And in the story's crisis, he forces Luisa to write a false letter declaring her love for him. This false letter causes Rudolfo to have a great lapse of faith and to poison both Luisa and himself. Thus the proud and willful fathers are left alone in their old age, just the punishment they deserve.

The set design was embarrassingly ugly and clumsy. There were three different dingy sets, and every time the scene changed the action came to a tedious pause while the great scenery-bearing trolleys slid one set off-stage and another one in place.

But what about the music? Verdi had a way of composing music that puts emotion first. He used a clunky plot to explore core emotions in musical terms. Poor Luisa is torn between fatherly love and romantic devotion, and the music makes you experience both feelings. Although Rudolfo started the problem with a deception, he attempts to be honorable by telling the truth to the widow Federica. They have a very tender duet in which they recall things they shared when they were younger. In fact, it is because of his affection for Federica that he can't deceive her, another touching conflict of feelings. Also the music is very singable; the melodies are appealing and easy to follow; many of the arias could stand alone as songs.

The Met orchestra is always impeccable. The orchestra's role in this opera is so strong it is like the voice of an invisible character; a duet can feel like a trio. The Met's chorus is always referred to as incomparable, and that's because they achieve some amazing effects. In this opera, this large group which could deliver auditorium-shaking volume, has some remarkably gentle, fluttering melodies that sounded more like a light breeze rustling the trees.

Even though there is evil, pride and violence in this opera, so many of the songs are about love that it's that loving feeling—not fun and frivolous, but deep and engaging—that I took away with me. The libretto was based on a well-known novel by Schindler. Verdi is an amazing interpreter of literary works.