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‘Luisa Miller’ was among the first of Verdi's earlier (pre-Rigoletto) operas to return to prominence following the Verdi revival in the 1950s and 1960s. Itsrather pastoral colour sets it on an unique intimacy that are at once distinct from the so-called 'mighty triumvirate' of 1851-3 of Rigoletto, Il Trovatore and La Traviata.
The recordings that are being recognized as best serving this piece were the 1964 Anna Moffo account on RCA, capturing Moffo at her limpid best, and with a supporting cast including Bergonzi, MacNeil, Verrett and Tozzi it's not to be dismissed lightly.
The 1970s brought two famous studio accounts, one with Domingo and Ricciarelli on DG (sadly marred by rigid conducting), the other with Pavarotti, Milnes and Caballé on Decca, Caballé being slightly matronly in sound.
Domingo returned to the part with Levine on Sony in the 1980s, though the supporting cast is inferior, yielding inferior results, and also stars in a DVD of the opera with Renata Scotto from a Met broadcast (also on DG). There are also some decent live recordings, including one with Carreras and Ricciarelli.
However, this more recently released but old (1969, not 1974) live recording from the Italian radio archives has much to offer and in some respects supersedes all of the above.
Luciano Pavarotti far surpasses his achievement on the Decca recording in the role of Rodolfo, largely because he's much more engaged with the opera as a drama in this earlier 1969 account.
Performing live to a studio audience injects the whole recording with more atmosphere than the Decca studio could provide, and because it was a radio broadcast rather than a pirate recording from a performance in an opera house, the sound is superior (and in stereo). There's such passion, full tone and excitement from Pavarotti's singing throughout - whether in the aria 'Quando le sere al placido' or in his thrilling contributions to the nail-biting first-act finale - that this is as good a reminder as any of why the Italian tenor at his best was an almost unrivalled all-time great.
In the title role, young Mexican soprano Gilda Cruz-Romo gives a very different interpretation to that of Caballé on Decca. It's at once more dramatic and more forced. On the whole, Caballé's vocal radiance is often preferred, but Cruz-Romo's commitment is well suited to the spirit of the live radio performance, and she sounds younger, in the same youthful vein as Ricciarelli (with Domingo). Here is one of the very few recordings of this underrated Verdian soprano, captured at her prime.
Matteo Manuguerra's portrayal of Miller, Luisa's father, far outstrips that of Sherrill Milnes on Decca. Milnes was not at his best at the time of making that particular recording and has some tuning problems. Here, Manuguerra is ideally firm of tone, and much more menacing in the part, especially in the savage third act.
Almost his equal is Ferruccio Mazzoli as Wurm, making the most of this sinister and slimy role, and Raffaele Arié is vocally solid as Walter.
The crowning glory is the conducting of Peter Maag, who also conducted Pavarotti in the Decca recording but is here far more inspired. Maag drives the drama with tremendous energy and fiery intensity, and the Chor e Orchestra Sinfonica RAI di Torino sing and play superbly, with world-class distinction.
It may not boast the most lavish packaging, but this is an excellent and unexpectedly gripping recording that even Verdi novices will enjoy.
The sound is excellent for a live performance: vibrant, clean, and well balanced. There is some audience noise, but not enough to be seriously distracting, and there is virtually no stage noise.
The recording should be of interest to fans of red-blooded Verdi performances.
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Tomane51
This is to me the very first Luisa Miller to ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2016