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Opera Music Plot Synopsis
Verdi: Luisa Miller
Cast:
Count Walter, Bass
Rodolfo, his son, Tenor
Federica, Duchess of Ostheim and Walter's niece, Mezzo-Soprano
Miller, a retired soldier, Baritone
Luisa, his daughter, Soprano
Laura, a village girl, Mezzo-Soprano
A peasant, Tenor
Villagers, attendants to the Duchess, hunters, archers and
servants
Setting
A small village in a Tyrolese area ruled by a Count in the
first half of the
17th Century.
Act I: | scene one | scene two | scene three
Act II: | scene one | scene two | scene three
Act III
Synopsis
Act I: Love
Scene One
Setting: A pleasant village. The villagers are gathered to
celebrate Luisa's
birthday.
Laura and the villagers sing a gentle chorus to summon Luisa
for her birthday
celebration (Tidesta, Luisa). Luisa and her father leave their
house and greet
their friends, commenting on the beauty of their song and
the beautiful day.
Luisa notes that "Carlo" has yet to arrive. Rodolfo
has told everyone this is
his name in order to conceal his true identity. Miller fears
the young man, but
Luisa tries to assuage his fears (Lo vidi, e'l primo palpito).
The villagers are
presenting Luisa with flowers and gifts as "Carlo"
enters. "Carlo" and Luisa
join in a joyful duet (T'amo d'amor ch' esprimere) which develops
into an
ensemble. Each proclaims their love and devotion for the other.
Miller however,
expresses a sense of impending doom and doubt about the young
man's character.
Church bells ring and everyone except Miller goes to the Church.
Wurm enters and tells Miller to stay. He tells him that he
loves Luisa and he
alone deserves her hand in marriage. Miller replies that he
only promised his
consent if Luisa loved him. Wurm angrily denounces Miller
for not being able to
control his daughter at which Miller defends his actions by
saying the choice of
matrimony is sacred and must be entered into freely (Sacra
la scelta). Wurm then
tells Miller that "Carlo" is actually Rodolfo, Count
Walter's son. He leaves
Miller alone with his broken heart and mounting apprehension
as he calls upon
heaven to keep his daughter safe.
Scene Two
Setting: A large room in Count Walter's castle.
Walter enters followed by Wurm who has been telling him of
Rodolfo's intentions
of marrying Luisa. Walter tells Wurm that he wants to see
Rodolfo and Wurm
leaves to fetch him. Walter reflects on his own success to
date and how his son
could derail his plans for further success (Il mio sangue).
He blames God for
Rodolfo's rebelliousness declaring parenting to be a hellish
torture.
Rodolfo enters and embraces Walter who tells him of his impending
marriage to .
. . Federica. Federica's father had forced her to marry the
Duke who was later
killed in battle. Federica is now rich and held in high esteem
at the Imperial
Court. Rodolfo tells his father that he does not have ambitious
desires to the
court. He is about to add that he loves Luisa when the Duchess
enters. Walter
tells Rodolfo to obey him as they go to meet the Duchess and
her entourage.
Walter tells her that Rodolfo wants to talk to her and on
his way out, reminds
Rodolfo of his wishes.
Alone with the Duchess, Rodolfo decides that he must trust
her and tells her
that heaven not his father has picked a bride for him. She
asks what he means
and he tells her that destiny has bound him to another. Rodolfo
begs her for
mercy and asks her how he could lie before God by marrying
her. Federica
declares that no favors shall be given to him from her jealous
heart: "Love
scorned is a fury that cannot forgive."
Scene Three
Setting: A room in Miller's house.
In the distance can be heard the calls and sounds of a hunt
in progress. Luisa
is waiting for Rodolfo. Miller enters and collapses into a
chair. He tells Luisa
that "Carlo" is really Rodolfo, the son of Count
Walter and worse, he is about
to be married. Luisa doubts the news and Miller reveals he
has just come from
the castle where he heard the news first-hand. He swears vengeance
by his
honored uniform. Rodolfo has been at the door listening to
their conversation
and he tells them that even though his true identity has been
found out, his
heart is still the same. He then kneels and takes Luisa's
hand declaring that he
is her spouse and for God and her father to witness his vow.
Miller asks who
will save them from his father's anger. Rodolfo tells them
he knows a secret
that if revealed would destroy the Count. At this, the Count
enters. He tells
them he has come to stop a sinful intrigue. Walter goes on
to scoff at Rodolfo
and Luisa's love. "Love? The love of a vile seductress?"
Rodolfo draws his sword
as Miller decla res his honor has been wounded. Walter orders
chains for Miller
and Luisa as Luisa kneels in front of the Count to plead forgiveness.
Miller
raises her and tells her not to kneel to a wicked oppressor
(Fra' mortaili
ancora oppressa). An ensemble develops in which Rodolfo declares
that anger is
raging inside his soul. Walter tells Rodolfo that he must
submit to his will.
Luisa wonders why the Lord has let this fall upon her. Walter
orders the Archers
to comply with his commands as Rodolfo, sword still in hand,
stands in front of
Luisa. He threatens anyone who touches her with death. Walter
seizes Luisa and
hands her over to the Archers. He then taunts Rodolfo telling
him he has touched
Luisa, "What are you going to do?" Rodolfo says
that if she goes, then so does
he. He then threatens to kill Luisa and Walter tells him to
go ahead. Rodolfo
declares that if Walter insists on imprisoning her, he will
reveal the secret of
how he became the Count. To everyone's amazement, Walter suddenly
orders the
pair to be set free.
ACT II: The Intrigue
Scene One
Setting: A room in Miller's cottage.
Villagers rush into the room calling for Luisa. She enters
and is told that her
father has been taken into custody by the Count. Luisa is
about to leave for the
castle when Wurm enters. He orders the villagers to leave
and tells her that
since her father threatened the Count he must be punished.
Wurm goes on to tell
her she can save him - if she will write a letter. She agrees
and he begins
dictating this letter to her. The letter is addressed to Wurm
himself and it
begins by declaring that Luisa never loved Rodolfo - only
his position. (Luisa
was merely a peasant while Rodolfo was the son of a Count.)
"I return to you and
want us to elope." Luisa hesitates wondering how she
can bring such shame upon
herself. She reminds herself that this is necessary to save
her father (Tu
puniscimi, o Signore). She finishes the letter and gives it
to Wurm. Two more
conditions are imposed upon her. When asked, she must say
that the letter was
written voluntarily by her. She has to appear at the castle
and swear this in
front of the Duchess. She agrees and calls for Wurm to release
her father so he
can close her dying eyes (A brani, o perfido). Wurm tells
her time will heal her
wounds and their marriage cannot happen fast enough.
Scene Two
Setting: A room in Count Walter's castle.
The scene opens to Walter expressing distress over Rodolfo's
actions (Egli
delira). Wurm enters and tells Walter everything is set. Wurm
reveals that the
letter is on its way to Rodolfo. We then learn the terrible
secret Rodolfo
threatened to reveal (L'alto retaggio non ho bramato). It
seems that Walter
coveted the position of his cousin. Wurm adds that he was
a part of it because
of Walter's promise of whatever bride he wanted. Wurm goes
on to add that every
evening, the Count passed through a dense forest. He and Walter
murdered him one
evening. At the sound of their guns, Rodolfo came up to the
fallen Count. Barely
alive, the Count told Rodolfo the identity of his assassins
and died. The
villagers believed he had been killed by highwaymen. Wurm
cries that he is lost
and Walter tells him he is not alone. Either the secret is
kept or they both
shall be condemned.
The Duchess enters as Wurm leaves. Walter tells her that Rodolfo's
heart will
soon change. He goes on to tell her that Luisa loves another
and will vouch for
it in person. Luisa is brought in with Wurm and cannot look
at the Duchess.
Walter and Wurm blame it on her position as a peasant. Federica
asks Luisa if
she is in love. Luisa tells her yes and after some goading
by Federica admits it
is . . . Wurm. Federica asks about Rodolfo and Luisa replies
that he deceived
her with his false name. When she learned his real position,
she merely wanted
him for what he could do for her. Federica's joy is evident
as Luisa, alone,
bears the humiliation. Federica notices a change in Luisa
and asks if there is
another secret - or perhaps she is not telling the truth?
She hesitates and then
points to Wurm declaring her ardent love for him and no one
else. To herself,
she decries her fate while Federica can barely contain her
excitement. Walter
and Wurm express delight over their impending success.
Scene Three
Setting: A hanging garden in the castle.
A peasant has brought a letter he was asked by Luisa to secretly
deliver to
Wurm. She told him to avoid Rodolfo and he suspected some
plot underfoot. In
hopes of a reward, he has brought it to Rodolfo. Rodolfo takes
the letter and
throws the peasant a purse. He summons a servant and calls
for Wurm. Rodolfo's
anger builds as he reads the letter and discovers her "treachery".
(Oh! Fede
negar potessi) His heart is broken and Luisa has betrayed
him. He remembers a
starry evening in the not too distant past they spent together
(Quando le sere
al placido).
Wurm enters and Rodolfo gives him the letter which he reads.
Rodolfo shoves a
gun into Wurm's hand and challenges him to a duel at which
Wurm begins to leave.
Rodolfo declares that they must die at the same time and Wurm
fires his pistol
into the air. Soldiers and servants hurry in followed by Walter.
Wurm slips
through the crowd and leaves. Rodolfo kneels in front of his
father who tells
him that his virtue has its rewards. "Marry your true
love." Walter tells
Rodolfo to be happy and asks if he is satisfied. Rodolfo answers
no and adds
that Luisa has betrayed him. Rodolfo says he wants to die
and instead Walter
tells him to marry the Duchess to extract revenge on Luisa.
Rodolfo calms
himself and Walter tells him to trust him as he cannot betray
him. Rodolfo tells
him to prepare either the altar or the grave for him because
without her, heaven
would be hell (L'ara, o l'avello apprestami).
Act III: The Poison
Setting: A room in Miller's cottage.
Laura and a group of villagers are watching Luisa write as
they comment on the
quick departure of her happiness (Come in un giorno solo).
Laura tries to get
Luisa to eat something which she refuses. She asks why the
church shines so
brightly at which they tell her it is the Count inaugurating
his new Seignory.
The church is actually being prepared for the marriage of
Rodolfo and the
Duchess. Miller enters and out of respect, the group leaves
them alone. He tells
her that Wurm has told him what was involved in his release.
He asks after the
letter she has been writing and she tells him to make sure
it is delivered to
its destination. He opens and reads the letter which is addressed
to Rodolfo. It
is an invitation to visit her at her grave latter that evening.
Luisa is
contemplating suicide which her father reminds her would be
a sin (La tomba è un
letto). Miller asks how she could leave him alone and she
tears the letter up
and tells him she will live for his sake only. They decide
to leave the village
that evening (Andrem, raminghi e poveri). Miller leaves.
From the church drifts the sound of the organ and Luisa begins
to pray. Rodolfo
quietly enters the room with a servant. He tells the servant
to inform his
father he will be here when they are ready for the ceremony.
Luisa is still
praying as Rodolfo takes a vial from his pocket and pours
its contents into a
cup. Luisa rises and is startled when she sees Rodolfo. He
hands her the letter
she wrote to Wurm and asks if she wrote it. She answers yes
and he asks for the
cup and takes a drink from it. Luisa drinks from it also as
Rodolfo tells her
another man is waiting at the altar for her while another
woman for himself. He
tells her they are waiting in vain and says he can hardly
breathe. She offers
him more drink which he takes and comments, "It almost
seems as if she knows
what she is offering to me." He insults Luisa and tells
her to a least feel pity
for his soul. In a beautiful duet, she tells him to weep if
he wants because his
anguish is more than justified (Piangi, piangi; il tuo dolore).
Rodolfo delcares
his tears are those of living blood that the heart sheds in
dying - not tears of
calm and consolation.
The Castle clock strikes and Rodolfo tells her that for them
the last hour has
struck. He asks her for the truth: "Did you love Wurm?"
He warns her not to lie
because before the lamp on the table goes out, she will stand
before God. She
questions this and he tells her that together they drank death.
"I am dying
innocently." she begins and tells him of the plot of
Walter and Wurm as
Rodolfo's anger explodes. He curses the day he was born and
a hostile God. Luisa
calls upon Rodolfo to stop cursing God and for God to spare
her life.
Miller enters and Rodolfo tells him he is the murderer of
his own blood. In a
moving trio, Luisa asks Miller to bless her and for heaven
to receive her and
Rodolfo (Padre, ricevi l'estremo addio). Miller realizes the
end is near for his
beloved daughter while Rodolfo asks for forgiveness. Luisa
dies as Walter, Wurm
and the Villagers enter to see what has happened. Rodolfo
sees Wurm at the
threshhold of the house and runs him through with his sword.
"May death be your
punishment, you evil man!" He turns to his father and
tells him to look at his
punishment and falls dead to the ground.
Synopsis by: Stephen L. Parker
26 April 1996
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