Verdi: Luisa Miller (2CDs, Br-Klassik)

Ivan Repusic made his debut as chief conductor of the Munich Radio Orchestra on September 24, 2017 with a concert performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Luisa Miller in the Prinzregententheater. For the title role of the tragic opera based on Friedrich Schiller’s Cabal and Love, the Latvian soprano Marina Rebeka was the orchestra’s Artist in Residence in the 2017/18 season. The highlight of Munich’s musical life from the autumn of last year is now published by BR Klassik. Verdi’s masterpiece was created in Paris and Busseto in 1849, completed in Naples and premiered on December 8, 1849 at the Teatro San Carlo there. Schiller’s tragedy is about the tragic love of the nobleman Ferdinand (in the opera Rodolfo) for the musician’s daughter Luise Miller, which breaks up due to a terrible courtly intrigue, which ultimately drives both of them to their deaths. Verdi worked closely with his librettist Salvadore Cammarano to set it up as an opera; Both were fascinated by Schiller’s tableau-like dramaturgy, which met their own concerns of epic drama. The tragedy was summarized in three acts, which are entitled Amore (love), Intrigo (cabal) and Veleno (poison). The world premiere was successful, the work soon caught on and is still part of the international opera repertoire today. Marina Rebeka made her role debut as Luisa Miller in the concert performance (in the original Italian) at the Prinzregententheater in Munich. At about the same time, BR Klassik released her CD Amor fatale Rossini Arias, which she recorded together with the Munich Radio Orchestra under the direction of Marco Armiliato. The concept album about strong women in the tragic operas of Gioachino Rossini was highly praised by the specialist critics and is a bestseller in the BR Klassik CD catalog. The complete recording of Verdi’s Luisa Miller could hardly be less well received: Marina Rebeka sings the breakneck part technically perfect and gives it sparkling vocal splendor; Ivan Repu i conducts a real theatrical Verdi: vital, robust, fiery and extremely lively.